Brit in tears after early morning collision kills motorcycle taxi rider, injures passenger in Pattaya

 

 

A witness told Pattaya police that a motorcycle taxi driver was going the wrong way up Pratumnak Hill when he was hit by a pick up driven by a British man in the early hours of Wednesday morning.

 

Police who arrived on the scene found Briton Jonathan Richard B. Harris, 42, in tears after the collision. Barely alive nearby was Mongkhon Opun, 46, a motorcycle taxi driver.

 

Despite the attention of Sawang Boriboon medics he soon died.

 

Fifty meters away was the passenger on the bike - it was a woman aged about 40 whose name was unknown. She had head trauma and was lying in a pool of blood. She was taken to Muang Pattaya Hospital.

 

The Briton was driving a Bangkok registered Mazda Tribute V6 said Pattaya News.

 

A witness said he saw the motorcycle going the wrong way up the hill before it collided head on with the car. The accident happened at 2.30am on Wednesday morning. 

 

Police are studying CCTV to check the veracity of the witness statements. 

 

Source: https://www.facebook.com/pattayanews13/posts/1944632419188381

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-2-7

 

Let's hope there are no charges. This is really the government's fault as they have looked the other way as these guys do this every day to beat traffic flow. Need some real enforcement and then maybe things will get better.

Let hope the guy wasn't drinking at 2.30am because no matter if the driver was driving through wrong way if he was drinking it's monkey house.

Sent from my [device_name] using http://Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

Bad for all. RIP for the dead

51 minutes ago, tonray said:

to beat traffic flow.

At 2.30 AM?

Even if bike driving the wrong way up the hill(perfectly normal in thailand) he couldn't have been travelling that quickly, the truck driver might not be entirely blameless, that looks like a straight piece of road in the picture and early hours so low traffic,  ...the truck may have been speeding and not paying attention to what was in front.

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by Air Smiles

 

seen to motorcycle accidents in the last two weeks, neither fatal but one was hit by a bus (nasty) and one hit by a taxi. both accidents happened simply because the motorcyclist was riding on the wrong side of the road. a dangerously stupid yet normal thing to do here.

14 minutes ago, wgdanson said:

At 2.30 AM?

Yeah...I missed the time...but on any ordinary day these guys are driving against the flow, in BKK even use the sidewalks

If that is the British guy in the photo (white shirt) the first thing that spings to mind is how compassionate he appears. 

 

The time (02:30 hrs) will naturally make a few suspicious, however, the time is not an automatic indication that he had been drinking, I hope not. 

 

Motorcycle rider on the wrong side of the road, it would be difficult for the pickup driver to swerve to the opposite (wrong) side of the road - and if he had and the Motorcycle swerved to the correct side of the road then the Brit would be at fault...  

 

IMO, there is not much that the Brit could have done, he was on the right side of the road, a motorcyclist with a passenger hit him.... thats pretty much it or so it seems.

Strange that compassion has him weeping over the bike driver while the bike passenger lies splattered nearby. No word if she died either but maybe the sorrowful Brit didn't see her for some reason or other.

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by NanLaew

I really feel for this poor guy, I hope he was sober, These idiots do it all the time, and the last time I went to Jomtien immigration office at 1300hrs I was driving down Jomtien 2nd rd from Soi Chayapruck (spl) to Soi 5 and on the opposite carriageway is some farang freaking idiot wearing a singlet, and covered in tattoos, riding against the flow of traffic, what is wrong with these morons ?????

 

A passenger service vehicle traveling the wrong way up the road.

Now his dead. !!!!!!!!!!!

I feel sorry for the passenger who trusted this rider and the poor guy  driving the truck.

But zero sympathy for the dead guy.

It could have been a member of your family laying dead on the road because of this guys, dangerous riding. 

 

Hope the guys insurance  pays for the passengers medical costs and the coat of the repairs to the guys truck.

 

Thailand cares not about it's citizens. there will be 67 or so more dead today.

Amazing Thiland

 

 

Edited February 7, 20188 yr by stanleycoin

I am not going to pretend to know what happened here but none of it makes sense

 

2am ...no traffic, very wide road, why would anyone be on the wrong side of the road

 

nothing about this news report makes sense to me

 

 

Just saying

 

RIP and very tragic

and yet somehow ,someway, banning darts is a bigger issue than road lawlessness... 

6 minutes ago, mok199 said:

and yet somehow ,someway, banning darts is a bigger issue than road lawlessness... 

you nailed it.......................someone was trying for 180

 

 

it all makes sense now

 

 

 

I know 

feel sorry for the Brit at the end of the day it  going to cost him through no fault of his own it would seem.

RIP  

Edited February 8, 20188 yr by catman20

1 hour ago, smedly said:

I am not going to pretend to know what happened here but none of it makes sense

 

2am ...no traffic, very wide road, why would anyone be on the wrong side of the road

 

nothing about this news report makes sense to me

 

 

Just saying

 

RIP and very tragic

Because it's the side they started from or want to arrive at. Crossing against traffic is such a hassle.

11 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

A witness said he saw the motorcycle going the wrong way up the hill before it collided head on with the car. The accident happened at 2.30am on Wednesday morning. 

Even if he is proved to be in the right, I am sure the family of the taxi driver will try and sue him.

9 hours ago, samsensam said:

 

seen to motorcycle accidents in the last two weeks, neither fatal but one was hit by a bus (nasty) and one hit by a taxi. both accidents happened simply because the motorcyclist was riding on the wrong side of the road. a dangerously stupid yet normal thing to do here.

Unless they are stopped, and fined they will carry on doing it too. They certainly do not seem to be in fear for their lives.

I see cars trucks and motorcycles riding against the traffic all the time and they get away with it most of the time. It only takes one thing extra like headlight bulb gone or a visitor not used to this, or indeed even one of their own half awake or partly drunk and something like this happens.

Unfortunately this is not going to change till the police start doing their jobs as police do in other countries and can't see that changing any time soon. 

The carnage continues and all we can hope is we don't become part of it.

1 hour ago, stanleycoin said:

A passenger service vehicle traveling the wrong way up the road.

Now his dead. !!!!!!!!!!!

I feel sorry for the passenger who trusted this rider and the poor guy  driving the truck.

But zero sympathy for the dead guy.

It could have been a member of your family laying dead on the road because of this guys, dangerous riding. 

 

Hope the guys insurance  pays for the passengers medical costs and the coat of the repairs to the guys truck.

 

Thailand cares not about it's citizens. there will be 67 or so more dead today.

Amazing Thiland

 

 

Welcome to DieLand!

Hugging a victim can get you off the hook here, I've heard. But, he would need to wear a skirt and sleep with some hi-so for that privilege.

If the motorcycle taxi drivers can safe time, they can earn more money, so they cut corners.....

9 out of 10 times they do this with no problems, so they learn that it is okay.

One day.... It will end up in an accident, but Thais forget quickly and life continue..

Sad for his family... RIP 

 

Hope the guys insurance  pays for the passengers medical costs and the coat of the repairs to the guys truck.

 

never in a million years

In my experience here in LOS there will be a payment by the foreigner...... no matter who's at fault.

this happens ALL THE TIME! everyday I see and have to avoid M/C's driving the wrong way! and at times the police are out on their alms run and actually see the wrong doer and do nothing about it. it is not so much my concern for the idiot driver as for my new auto and the tea money I will have to shell out!

Just now, johnnybgood said:

In my experience here in LOS there will be a payment by the foreigner...... no matter who's at fault.

i agree with your post but i dont think thats right or fare.

9 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Strange that compassion has him weeping over the bike driver while the bike passenger lies splattered nearby. No word if she died either but maybe the sorrowful Brit didn't see her for some reason or other.

He can't be in 2 places at once !  or do you think they could have dragged her over for a better photo ??

Bike riders doing this have a death wish, as they must be already brain dead.

 

at 8-30 am i am off fishing you can bet i will meet about a dozen THAIS riding against traffic on my way to WAT YAI,  Thais too bloody lazy to go down the railway line the other side then cross over