French tourist safe as Patong-bound taxi slams into parked pickup truck

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French tourist safe as Patong-bound taxi slams into parked pickup truck

The Phuket News

 

After taking off on a motorbike immediately after the accident, the taxi driver has now presented himself to police and been charged with reckless driving. Photo: Kamala Police

 

PHUKET: -- A 33-year-old French tourist is safe after the Phuket taxi he was travelling to Patong in slammed into a parked pickup truck in Kamala this morning (Sept 4).

 

The tourist, named by police as Philip Raymond Odin, suffered only scratches across his stomach, confirmed Capt Prasert Thongpong of the Kamala Police.

 

Earlier reports noted that Mr Odin had also suffered injuries to one of his legs.

 

Full story: https://www.thephuketnews.com/french-tourist-safe-as-patong-bound-taxi-slams-into-parked-pickup-truck-63736.php

 

-- © Copyright Phuket News 2017-09-04

[Chang_paarp]

Let me guess the tourist was wearing a seat belt. He put in on out of habit like most westerners. He did not rely on an amulet, just the technology of a seat belt.

[stevenl]

14 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Let me guess the tourist was wearing a seat belt. He put in on out of habit like most westerners. He did not rely on an amulet, just the technology of a seat belt.

Likely the driver did the same.

[DrDave]

Nearly all of the drivers of taxis I've been in lately have been wearing seatbelts.

 

With that being said, I'm not sure if it's just a reflection, but it looks like there's a shattering of the windshield at about the point where the driver's head would make contact.

[Psimbo]

They were replacing the power pole there this afternoon when I went by. I wondered what had happened.

 

Taxi was headed south, Hype is parked facing north so its a pretty good guess what happened! Just another day on the Kamala Racetrack.

[Bangkok Barry]

We read every single day of Thais falling asleep while driving, often with fatal consequences. If you are concentrating on what you are doing then you don't fall asleep.

[Moti24]

"After taking off on a motorbike immediately after the accident, the taxi driver has now presented himself to police and been charged with reckless driving."

 

Add DUI to the charge of reckless driving.  The drivers who flee the scene after an accident really need to accept responsibility.  The whole scenario after these accidents is a joke!

 

 

[Coconut Kidd]

This has got to be one of the more dangerous stretches of road in Phuket; I’m surprised there are not more accidents.

 

The food vendors on the southbound lanes attract hundreds of customer in the morning. M-bikes, cars and 6 wheeled trucks are double and sometime triple parked blocking both lanes, so the southbound traffic is forced into the northbound lanes, and no one slows down.

 

Northbound cement trucks, buses, 6 wheeled trucks come down the hill at breakneck speeds and the same large, heavy southbound vehicles are trying to get as much speed as possible before heading up the hill.

 

M-bikes, taxis, mini buses racing all the time.

 

It is absolutely insane.

 

Kidd

Edited September 5, 2017 by Coconut Kidd

[zaZa9]

Taxis and minibuses heading north and down hill into Kamala from Patong are just itching to get passed slower vehicles . As it widens out they will turn 2 to 3 lanes into 4 lanes  by overtaking at oncoming traffic.. Some must be doing a  100+  k's p.hr as they come to the first lights. ( So too our beloved  Mediterranean  friends T-Maxing it to Laem Singh ).

Its not uncommon for a few to just go through the red , including cement trucks who help safety by blowing their horns as they do so.

Something must be done ...