Tired taxi driver dies in crash returning from long trip

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Tired taxi driver dies in crash returning from long trip

 

Image: Ayutthaya Rescue Association

 

A tired taxi driver was killed in a fire after his car ran off the road and caught fire in Ayutthaya early on Saturday just moments from arriving home, police said.

Police said the taxi was completely burned along with the body of Kritchai Boonchaisri, 59, on the side of the Bang Bal-Bang Chanee road in Moo 3 village in Tambon Watyom in Ayutthaya’s Bang Bal district.

 

Firefighters took about 20 minutes to put out the blaze before discovering Kritchai’s charred body behind the wheel.

 

Police learned from his family that he had picked up a passenger from Suvarnabhumi airport and drove him to Ratchaburi before beginning the drive home to rest. The accident site was about one kilometre away from his house.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30346856

 

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-06-02

[off road pat]

Oh <deleted>,...poor unlucky guy,...so close to home !!!

[ThreeEyedRaven]

Tragic, though it is said that a big chunk of accidents do happen close to home. It is when you come into familiar territory that you tend to relax and lose concentration and tragedies like this shows the importance of staying focused all the way. 

Edited June 2, 2018 by ThreeEyedRaven

[greenchair]

16 minutes ago, ThreeEyedRaven said:

Tragic, though it is said that a big chunk of accidents do happen close to home. It is when you come into familiar territory that you tend to relax and lose concentration and tragedies like this shows the importance of staying focused all the way. 

My son says that to me all the time. 

 slow down. did you know 10 percent of accidents occur just before arriving home. 

[kevvy]

Sad for this man ,leaves a family , the pain they must be going through ..RIP ..

[shady86]

I guess he can't reject the customer since it's airport. I don't remember they have seperate queue for out of province rides, at least drivers can choose based on his capability on that day. At least he sent the customer safely to destination.

[atyclb]

terrible.

 

if i ever feel sleepy driving i stop at a safe place and take a nap. 

[billd766]

I am 74 and on a distance drive I stop every couple of hours to walk around, have a pee, get a drink etc. Usually at the 3rd stop I will lock the doors and have a short nap with the a/c on before going back on the road.

 

PTT are the best stations to stop at.  Plenty of parking, clean toilets, food is available and there are usually coffee shops too.

[dddave]

I fell asleep at the wheel once, fortunately for me, it was a back road with little traffic and I was doing no more than 40 mph. I veered off onto a plowed field and that slowed my car to a stop quickly,  I was also lucky that there was only a shallow drainage ditch so my car didn't get launched airborne or roll over.

I didn't actually feel particularly tired, I think I was just kind of daydreaming and just faded out.  I can tell you it was a shock to be jolted awake in that way and it really shook me.  I became a much more aware driver after that. 

 

I realized how it really sneaks up on you...like going to sleep at night.  One moment you're lying there thinking about something...then zzzzzzzzz.  No real awareness of the transition.

 

I feel for the deceased driver.  I drove a taxi for a number of years during a recession. Twelve hour shifts get you down and long deadhead drives back from a distant destination are mind numbing.  Nastiest job I ever had.

 

Edited June 3, 2018 by dddave

[djayz]

So close to home, yet so far away. 

[metisdead]

Some callous troll posts and the replies have been removed. 

[stanleycoin]

One more sad loss, of a careful considerate public service vehicle driver of Thailand.

you will be missed.

[Golden Triangle]

I've just done 420 km from Patts to Pracuap Khiri Khan, I left home at about 0930 hrs and arrived at the guest house about 1500 hrs, only 1 piss stop, no coffee.

 

I'm very surprised that this guy managed to drift off and with very unfortunate results, there is absolutely no way that the other dicks on the road would allow me even a Nano Second to get into anywhere near a moment of calm and relaxed state.

 

I feel very sorry for the guy and his family, RIP mate.  

[TKDfella]

Condolences to the family, Truly sad. For me the worst enemy is a kind of boredom. Driving with lots of traffic for company is okay but a road all to especially in the dark hours...not for me. I have to take music CD's of different types, confectionery that has a sharp taste. 

[billd766]

22 hours ago, dddave said:

I fell asleep at the wheel once, fortunately for me, it was a back road with little traffic and I was doing no more than 40 mph. I veered off onto a plowed field and that slowed my car to a stop quickly,  I was also lucky that there was only a shallow drainage ditch so my car didn't get launched airborne or roll over.

I didn't actually feel particularly tired, I think I was just kind of daydreaming and just faded out.  I can tell you it was a shock to be jolted awake in that way and it really shook me.  I became a much more aware driver after that. 

 

I realized how it really sneaks up on you...like going to sleep at night.  One moment you're lying there thinking about something...then zzzzzzzzz.  No real awareness of the transition.

 

I feel for the deceased driver.  I drove a taxi for a number of years during a recession. Twelve hour shifts get you down and long deadhead drives back from a distant destination are mind numbing.  Nastiest job I ever had.

 

 

Many years ago in the early 1990s I was working nightshifts of 12 hours and then driving. The last night of the 6 nights we finished early I drove from Cambridge down to Portsmouth around 4 am in heavy rain. I was fine (ish) until I got to the M25 and woke up to find myself driving across all 3 lanes, fortunately without hitting anything.

 

I then crawled along the inside lane until the next exit where I pulled off, parked in a layby and slept for 3  or 4 hours. I carried on down to Portsmouth, stopping once to eat and sleep and once more to sleep.

 

I was younger and more stupid then and extremely lucky.

 

I rarely did stuff like that again until I went to Sri Lanka for a job. In my last working week I clocked 96 hours in 7 days, fortunately without a problem as I was never more than 40km from my apartment.

 

Breakfast at 2 pm, work, lunch at 7 or 8 pm work through the night and dinner at 6 am followed by bed.

 

When you are fairly young long hours are easy. The older you get the harder it is to stay awake and work.

[billd766]

13 hours ago, Golden Triangle said:

I've just done 420 km from Patts to Pracuap Khiri Khan, I left home at about 0930 hrs and arrived at the guest house about 1500 hrs, only 1 piss stop, no coffee.

 

I'm very surprised that this guy managed to drift off and with very unfortunate results, there is absolutely no way that the other dicks on the road would allow me even a Nano Second to get into anywhere near a moment of calm and relaxed state.

 

I feel very sorry for the guy and his family, RIP mate.  

 

It depends on how long he had been working the day before and when he came on shift as the accident happened in the early hours.

 

I can drive distances like you did but in daylight with a good rest the night before.

[Janner1]

On 6/3/2018 at 1:10 PM, atyclb said:

if i ever feel sleepy driving i stop at a safe place and take a nap. 

But sadly they don’t, taxi drivers will pick up a fare in Bangkok after working 10 hours get to the airport and pick up another fare that is long distance, Then stupidly buy two little brown bottles of concentrated caffeine drink both of them and think they are fit to drive anywhere non stop.

 

RIP to the driver but how many hours where you working before you took the fare that cost you your life, when all you had to do was sell that fare on to a fresher driver.

The big sadness is that Thais do not think in that way and now this one is dead and his family is bereft and for what???

RIP.