Tragic Accident Caused By Drunken Driver.....

[libya 115]

SOURCE: Pattaya People: January 27th 2007

Heartbreaking Accident Caused by a Drunk

The Dongtan police were informed of an accident on 27th January just after midnight that occurred in front of Thepprasit Soi 8, someone had died and also damages were caused to houses in the area.

Many residents were crowding the area, gossiping about what just happened before the police arrived. The police blocked everyone out of the area and started investigating.

Signs of a car with pieces of glass and parts of the vehicle were all over the road.

The police found the body of Khun Weeraphol, aged 14, with a serious head injury in the middle of the road. Not far away they found Khun Chatchai, also 14, a student of Pothisamphan Phittayakarn School, with severe body wounds who was having difficulty in breathing. The Sawang Boriboon quickly got him on the truck to take him to the closest hospital but he didn’t make it as he died on the way.

Two hundred meters away the police found the smashed and wrecked motorbike that the two boys were riding.

Not far off, a Mazda 3 car was found. It had crashed through the window of a shop selling curtains and destroyed everything inside, including a motorbike and car that was parked inside.

The car driver, Itsarawut, aged 29, a salesman of Park Ban Suan Neramit Village, was found totally drunk. He was hardly conscious and couldn’t communicate to anyone’s understanding. He was fortunate in that he wasn’t injured since the safety airbag of the car saved him.

Witnesses told the police that the car came from Jomtien beach heading for Sukhumvit. The boys on the bike came out of the Soi and were going to cross over to the other lane, but because Itsarawut drove at speed the car smashed into the boys then lost control and hit the shop at the side of the road. The shop owners were sleeping and lucky, they were not hurt.

The police took Itsarawut back to the station and will proceed on him after he sobers up.

[buriramboy]

all to familiar and no doubt he will out celebrating on 5000 baht bail.

[Phil Conners]

Of course I don't know the specifics of this case other that what's reported, but I lost count of the number of times I've had stand on the brake on Theppasit Road because of bikes coming out from the sois without checking for traffic. Theppasit is way to fast a road, traffic routinely surpass 80 km/h and at those speeds you don't have a chance, sober or not.

Having said that, I have also seen some incredibly drunk drivers in Thailand, one (Thai) was so plastered on a gas station on Sukhumvit that it took him 10 minutes of swaying before he was able to lock his car. Though it was during the day and right in front of the convenience store in the gas station nobody battered an eyelid. TiT.

[scotsman]

What about the age of the motor bike driver only 14 they should not have been driving on the road what are the parents thinking of when they let them. It was still the drunk drivers fault no excuses But just say for example if he was not drunk who would be to blame for this accident? There is far to many 14 year olds driving around on motor bikes that will end up dead and there is no law inforcement to stop them or the drunk drivers its just a wast of life

[Robski]

Mountainbike or motorbike Libya? Either way it's a bit harsh to blame anyone other than the driver for this.

[Rimmer]

We wittnessed the carnage of this first hand after we left the TV gathering at the Caddy Shack.

Must have happened just before midnight on the 26th as we left there sometime after 11.30 pm. Terrible mess all over the road and sidewalk for quite a distance.

How very sad for the boys and the families, young lives snuffed out in a fraction of a second.

I can only wonder how much longer the powers that be will allow this drunken stupidity to continue?

[gburns57au]

A drunk driver illegally driving his car.....and two 14yo's illegally riding a motorbike...sounds also like no helmets were being worn....

Who is to blame ??? Each party has contributed....if the kids were at home in bed and not riding a motorbike they would still be alive....if the car driver had not been drunk driving then they would be alive also.

I know....blame the police for not enforcing the law...cos this only happens in Thailand....right ??

A tragic accident caused by a number of contributing reasons...unfortunate and unnecessary...but it happens...lets not start getting into the blame game here as normally happens...

[Robski]

Signs of a car with pieces of glass and parts of the vehicle were all over the road.

Two hundred meters away the police found the smashed and wrecked motorbike that the two boys were riding.

Not far off, a Mazda 3 car was found. It had crashed through the window of a shop selling curtains and destroyed everything inside, including a motorbike and car that was parked inside.

The car driver, Itsarawut, aged 29, a salesman of Park Ban Suan Neramit Village, was found totally drunk. He was hardly conscious and couldn’t communicate to anyone’s understanding.

A tragic accident caused by a number of contributing reasons...unfortunate and unnecessary...but it happens...lets not start getting into the blame game here as normally happens...

Really.

[gburns57au]

Yes really.....

As an eye witness from here has said, it happened at nearly midnight....what were the kids doing riding around at that time of night on a vehicle that they did not have a licence to operate.....It doesnt excuse the driver who was drunk...but the question has to be asked....

My point though was that, when we read these things here on TV...everyone starts blaming this one or that one....the culpability in this case is shared...both parties were on the road illegally. And this does not happen in just Thailand but in every country.

Tragic and needless....Yes.....will it happen again....Yes...

In Perth many young people the same age as these kids have lost their lives because they were driving illegally on the road in stolen vehicles and innocent people have been killed by these kids also...quite a few of these kids were on speed when it happened...

We are quick to blame the drunk driver and with good reason....but what if this guy was sober and driving within the speed limits....then who would you blame ?

By the way the car driver looked pretty conscious in the photos....and he has been charged....info from PCN website

[jasperblubber2005]

this is truly a sad story, a kid who will never experience adulthood, a driver who must carry the responsibility of taking an life that was not his to take, the saddest part of this is not one ###### thing will change as a result of this incident, not one thing, i have only been here five months and the first thing that i think about how pattaya responds to these type of situations is that not one person from the powers to be on downward will do anything about these types of problems, life is cheap here in pattaya and since this doesn't effect anyone who can make changes then this will be old news tomorrow, not because its not news worthy but because someone else will get killed here and we need to make room for that story, don't mean to sound so bitter but these kind of storys are the norm here, its sad but at the same time so common

jasper

[eljeque]

We wittnessed the carnage of this first hand after we left the TV gathering at the Caddy Shack.

Must have happened just before midnight on the 26th as we left there sometime after 11.30 pm. Terrible mess all over the road and sidewalk for quite a distance.

How very sad for the boys and the families, young lives snuffed out in a fraction of a second.

I can only wonder how much longer the powers that be will allow this drunken stupidity to continue?

I was unaware of the TV gathering at the Caddy Shack. How is the Mexican food there, and when is the next gathering planned?

[Rhodo]

Yes really.....

As an eye witness from here has said, it happened at nearly midnight....what were the kids doing riding around at that time of night on a vehicle that they did not have a licence to operate.....It doesnt excuse the driver who was drunk...but the question has to be asked....

My point though was that, when we read these things here on TV...everyone starts blaming this one or that one....the culpability in this case is shared...both parties were on the road illegally. And this does not happen in just Thailand but in every country.

Tragic and needless....Yes.....will it happen again....Yes...

In Perth many young people the same age as these kids have lost their lives because they were driving illegally on the road in stolen vehicles and innocent people have been killed by these kids also...quite a few of these kids were on speed when it happened...

We are quick to blame the drunk driver and with good reason....but what if this guy was sober and driving within the speed limits....then who would you blame ?

By the way the car driver looked pretty conscious in the photos....and he has been charged....info from PCN website

Great answer. Both parties are faulty.

[Rimmer]

You know I often wonder if because we are brought up in the west where the age to operate a motor bike is 18 (I think, not lived there for a long time) We automatically think that the 14 year old kids are too young to be in control of the vehicle but in places like Thailand and Indonesia young people live way out in the villages with the motorbike being the only way of getting to market to buy food and other essentials and carry Mum. I wonder if in places like here the permitted driving age should be lowered with maybe a sign on the bike saying something like "Young Person" rather like the "New Driver" signs on cars. A proper driver education program for the young folks coupled to strict enforcement of the helmet rule could cut these needless deaths down dramatically. Dunno too difficult I s'pose....

[Rimmer]

We wittnessed the carnage of this first hand after we left the TV gathering at the Caddy Shack.

Must have happened just before midnight on the 26th as we left there sometime after 11.30 pm. Terrible mess all over the road and sidewalk for quite a distance.

How very sad for the boys and the families, young lives snuffed out in a fraction of a second.

I can only wonder how much longer the powers that be will allow this drunken stupidity to continue?

I was unaware of the TV gathering at the Caddy Shack. How is the Mexican food there, and when is the next gathering planned?

The food is good, follow the "Piss up thread" for further details

[jbsears]

You know I often wonder if because we are brought up in the west where the age to operate a motor bike is 18 (I think, not lived there for a long time) We automatically think that the 14 year old kids are too young to be in control of the vehicle but in places like Thailand and Indonesia young people live way out in the villages with the motorbike being the only way of getting to market to buy food and other essentials and carry Mum. I wonder if in places like here the permitted driving age should be lowered with maybe a sign on the bike saying something like "Young Person" rather like the "New Driver" signs on cars. A proper driver education program for the young folks coupled to strict enforcement of the helmet rule could cut these needless deaths down dramatically. Dunno too difficult I s'pose....

I don't think this is an excuse. Many places in the US that are the same as the Thai country, miles from the nearest store. The age is still 16 to drive in these areas of the US, except at least one state I know it is 15 due to this type of reason. But my point is that all over there are places in the middle of nowhere and they still don't let their kids drive. Its the parents' responsibility.

[john b good]

A drunk driver illegally driving his car.....and two 14yo's illegally riding a motorbike...sounds also like no helmets were being worn....

Who is to blame ??? Each party has contributed....if the kids were at home in bed and not riding a motorbike they would still be alive....if the car driver had not been drunk driving then they would be alive also.

I know....blame the police for not enforcing the law...cos this only happens in Thailand....right ??

A tragic accident caused by a number of contributing reasons...unfortunate and unnecessary...but it happens...lets not start getting into the blame game here as normally happens...

And, also in the overall area of who was responsible or blameworthy lets not forget the parents of the two boys.

Allowing the kids to ride without a licence, and, also that they should have been in bed.

BUT will Thai parents in general get the message. Anyone who thinks that they might is dreaming, pure and simple.

[tropo]

Allowing the kids to ride without a licence, and, also that they should have been in bed.

BUT will Thai parents in general get the message. Anyone who thinks that they might is dreaming, pure and simple.

I often see very young kids riding motorcyles around Pattaya who I would guess are in the 12 - 16 year old age group.

It's frightening, because such young kids don't understand the dangers of speed often until it's too late...they ride like demons possessed...and usually without a helmet.

It never ceases to amaze me how many Thai motorcycle riders carry their helmets instead of wearing them.