Motorcyclist decapitated by metal floor sheet of trailer truck in Samut Sakhon

[webfact]

Motorcyclist decapitated by metal floor sheet of trailer truck

By The Nation

 

Picture: Channel 3

 

A motorcyclist was decapitated when he ran into a metal sheet fitted to the rear of a 22-wheel trailer truck parked in the left lane of a road in Samut Sakhon early Monday.

 

Police said the accident happened at 3am on the Bangkok-bound frontage road just before the railway bridge in Tambon Khok Krabue of Samut Sakhon's Muang district.

 

The motorcyclist was identified as Yossapat Thongyu, 21.

 

His body and motorcycle were found at the rear of the truck and his head a further 10 metres away.

 

Picture: Channel 3

 

The metal sheet was apparently used to extend the floor so that the truck could carry more rocks to the construction site.

 

The truck driver, Padungsak Changphet, 27, told police that he had parked the truck in the left lane after offloading the rocks. He said he turned on emergency lights to warn other motorists.

 

After hearing a noise at the rear of his truck, he climbed down from the cab and discovered the body.

 

Police will conduct an investigation before deciding whether to charge the truck driver.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30357883

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-11-05

[Just1Voice]

The biker had to be moving pretty damn quick to have been decapitated.  Very sad. 

 

[mercman24]

not realy it doesnt take much to decapitate a head. if you hit anything solid at 50kph.you come to a *dead* stop pretty quickly.

[worgeordie]

The ways to die on Thai roads is astounding,seems 

strange that the motorcyclist ran into the back of

the truck,when the driver says he turned the emergency

lights on,I suspect he must have turned them on after

the accident,we will never know. RIP the Motorcyclist only 21.

regards Worgeordie

[OneMoreFarang]

Lots of Thai vehicles have modifications and it seems most of the time the police just doesn't care.

I see every day on the streets mostly pickup trucks, but also cars, with tires wide out of the fenders. Accidents waiting to happen and nobody cares...

 

 

[zaphod reborn]

Truck driver or owner of truck bears most of the responsibility.  If the bed of the truck was extended, it has to be red flagged to warn motorists in the rear.  Thai investigation however is whoever can pay the most money to RTP gets the favorable decision on fault.

[Megascott]

It's amazing really what the forces of a crash will do to the human body. I've seen some pretty gruesome motorbike wrecks since living in India, and now a few here in Thailand.

[lamyai3]

Unless the vehicle was parked at an angle and the metal sheet was encroaching on the road, I guess it's fair to assume that if the decapitation hadn't happened, he'd have died on impact with the back of the truck a millisecond later. 

[richard_smith237]

59 minutes ago, zaphod reborn said:

Truck driver or owner of truck bears most of the responsibility.  If the bed of the truck was extended, it has to be red flagged to warn motorists in the rear.  Thai investigation however is whoever can pay the most money to RTP gets the favorable decision on fault.

 

The motorcyclist ran into the back of a stationary vehicle object...   it cost him his life. 

 

When riding a motorcycle any such responsibility is 100% your own, if you don't ride with this responsibility you will have an accident. 

 

That said, it is not know (obvious to the reader here) whether or not the Truck stopped in a sensible area, the modification clearly exacerbated injury (decapitation). As another poster already mentioned, emergency lights may have been turned on after the event. 

 

Truck driver may be partially responsible - but if he was pulled over to the side of the road in the early hours and a motorcycle rode into him, you have to wonder what state the motorcyclist was in when driving into the back of the truck. 

 

There should be some charge for the driver for driving a modified truck and for the owners of the truck for modifying it and allowing the driver to use it on a public highway. 

I'd like to see this used as a preventative measure for all others who modify their vehicles with dangerous results / potential. 

 

Edited November 5, 2018 by richard_smith237

[zaphod reborn]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

The motorcyclist ran into the back of a stationary vehicle object...   it cost him his life. 

 

When riding a motorcycle any such responsibility is 100% your own, if you don't ride with this responsibility you will have an accident. 

 

That said, it is not know (obvious to the reader here) whether or not the Truck stopped in a sensible area, the modification clearly exacerbated injury (decapitation). As another poster already mentioned, emergency lights may have been turned on after the event. 

 

Truck driver may be partially responsible - but if he was pulled over to the side of the road in the early hours and a motorcycle rode into him, you have to wonder what state the motorcyclist was in when driving into the back of the truck. 

 

There should be some charge for the driver for driving a modified truck and for the owners of the truck for modifying it and allowing the driver to use it on a public highway. 

I'd like to see this used as a preventative measure for all others who modify their vehicles with dangerous results / potential. 

 

A statutory violation is negligence per se under Thai law.  Yes, the motorcyclist was negligent, but the truck driver/owner's failure to comply with the law was the proximate cause of the collision, because the motorcyclist may have misjudged stopping distance due to the failure to properly flag the extended truck bed.

[Redline]

4 hours ago, worgeordie said:

The ways to die on Thai roads is astounding,seems 

strange that the motorcyclist ran into the back of

the truck,when the driver says he turned the emergency

lights on,I suspect he must have turned them on after

the accident,we will never know. RIP the Motorcyclist only 21.

regards Worgeordie

Some lights are so dim they can't be seen until your head is rolling down the road.  So many pass on the left without slowly moving to see if there is a parked vehicle, which are everywhere on nearly every road.  In any case, he probably didn't have his emergency flashers on until after the tragedy, at the motorbike driver was likely speeding and under the influence RIP~another one bites the dust

[Thian]

I see it every day, extended loads without a proper red flag or a small old orange tshirt somewhere unvisible...

 

Also i bet my helmet that he didn't turn on the hazard lights while parked at the road, Thai just have no idea when to use them.

 

I hope the driver and owner both get a huge fine and time in jail....this has to be stopped immediatly...Also overhanging loads just tied to the truck with some thin loose rope.

 

 

[thequietman]

27 minutes ago, Redline said:

Some lights are so dim they can't be seen until your head is rolling down the road.  So many pass on the left without slowly moving to see if there is a parked vehicle, which are everywhere on nearly every road.  In any case, he probably didn't have his emergency flashers on until after the tragedy, at the motorbike driver was likely speeding and under the influence RIP~another one bites the dust

Most likely drunk as he was all over the place. Body behind truck and heed further down the road.

No point in getting him to blow into the device either.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, zaphod reborn said:

A statutory violation is negligence per se under Thai law.  Yes, the motorcyclist was negligent, but the truck driver/owner's failure to comply with the law was the proximate cause of the collision, because the motorcyclist may have misjudged stopping distance due to the failure to properly flag the extended truck bed.

 

Understood... The rear of the truck was 'dented' the motorcycle didn't see anything to judge any stopping distance - it was dark I'm not sure the 'red flag' would have made any difference at night. 

 

Was the Truck Driver at fault for stopping on the side of the road, or just driving a vehicle which has been modified (and ultimately causing decapitation) ?...  I wonder if the modification had not existed would the outcome still have been a fatality... Difficult to say, but I suspect so looking at the dent to the back of the truck. 

 

 

[Sadanava]

Really overloaded/ extended trucks in Thailand? No way! 

[Aupee]

5 hours ago, worgeordie said:

The ways to die on Thai roads is astounding,seems 

strange that the motorcyclist ran into the back of

the truck,when the driver says he turned the emergency

lights on,I suspect he must have turned them on after

the accident,we will never know. RIP the Motorcyclist only 21.

regards Worgeordie

Yes but how far did the extended load area extend past the trucks lights. Seeing some the extensions here he could still be three metres away from the lights when he lost his head

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, zaphod reborn said:

Truck driver or owner of truck bears most of the responsibility.  If the bed of the truck was extended, it has to be red flagged to warn motorists in the rear.  Thai investigation however is whoever can pay the most money to RTP gets the favorable decision on fault.

If the motorcyclist cannot see the truck then he's unlikely to see a "red flag" in the dark !!

 

[SABloke]

5 hours ago, zaphod reborn said:

Truck driver or owner of truck bears most of the responsibility.  If the bed of the truck was extended, it has to be red flagged to warn motorists in the rear.  Thai investigation however is whoever can pay the most money to RTP gets the favorable decision on fault.

I suspect that without the extension, we would have just read a story about a motorcyclist dying due to crashing into a truck (no decapitation). If he didn't see the truck, it makes no difference if there was an extension or not.

[steve73]

20 minutes ago, hotchilli said:

If the motorcyclist cannot see the truck then he's unlikely to see a "red flag" in the dark !!

 

If a motorcyclist runs into a stationary "anything" it's his own fault...

(perhaps could be excused if it's piano wire at neck height).

You should ride a bike within the limits of what you can see to be clear.... With poor (or most likely no) headlights on a dark night this might be just 10km/hr. 

[CharlieH]

A reported derogatory remark has been removed.

[jaiyen]

7 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

The biker had to be moving pretty damn quick to have been decapitated.  Very sad. 

 

No you don't. Do a bit of research and you will see that you can take your head off at a fairly low speed way below a speed limit.

[Bangkok Barry]

7 hours ago, worgeordie said:

,I suspect he must have turned them on after

the accident,

 

Doesn't matter. If you can't see a 22-wheeler truck then you really shouldn't be driving.

[Aussieroaming]

The rear lights seem easily visible. The driver can lie out of his ass when the other party has lost his head.

[willr]

That truck has a device fitted when tipping to run the load out evenly when doing roadworks. Such as gravel or asphalt. It is not an illegal extension, and you will see them in most parts of the world.

[Tchooptip]

7 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Lots of Thai vehicles have modifications and it seems most of the time the police just doesn't care.

I see every day on the streets mostly pickup trucks, but also cars, with tires wide out of the fenders. Accidents waiting to happen and nobody cares...

 

 

1

Lots of Thai vehicles have modifications and it seems most of the time the police just doesn't care.

I see every day on the streets mostly pickup trucks, but also cars, with tires wide out of the fenders. Accidents waiting to happen and nobody cares...but no problem everyone is fatalistic 

[digger70]

It's a Tip truck + tip trailer the small extension about 20/30 cm on the back is there to protect the lights and the rear of the truck/trailer from getting damaged when tipping /dumping the load. If the hazard light were on  the bike should've seen that ,,,,If he was sober or not going to fast and no time to stop ,,,

[likerdup1]

Just go out on the road for about an hour and you're sure to see a pickup with pipes, wood boards or rebar sticking out just at head height ripe for a motorcyclist not being to careful to run right into. It's frightening to see the lack of common sense to safety and the police don't notice because they simply never look for let alone ticket anybody doing such nonsense. I can't see that Thais are ever taught anything about safety measures of this sort as it is done all the time. Once in awhile you might see a used plastic bag off of the end of pipes or board ... maybe because they had a friend or family member impaled or decapitated.

Edited November 5, 2018 by likerdup1

[CharlieH]

5 minutes ago, likerdup1 said:

Just go out on the road for about an hour and you're sure to see a pickup with pipes, wood boards or rebar sticking out just at head height ripe for a motorcyclist not being to careful to run right into. It's frightening to see the lack of common sense to safety and the police don't notice because they simply never look for let alone ticket anybody doing such nonsense. I can't see that Thais are ever taught anything about safety measures of this sort as it is done all the time. Once in awhile you might see a used plastic bag off of the end of pipes or board ... maybe because they had a friend or family member impaled or decapitated.

I saw exactly that just last night, poles extending a good 8ft out the back of a pick-up, in the dark !

They did have a rag tied to the end but the rag was BLACK !!!!! Absolutely useless, and perfect height to decapitate another motorcyclist or impale a car driver who perhaps drove too close whilst the pole vehocle was stopped at the lights etc.

Amazing Thailand ! 

[likerdup1]

1 minute ago, CharlieH said:

I saw exactly that just last night, poles extending a good 8ft out the back of a pick-up, in the dark !

They did have a rag tied to the end but the rag was BLACK !!!!! Absolutely useless, and perfect height to decapitate another motorcyclist or impale a car driver who perhaps drove too close whilst the pole vehocle was stopped at the lights etc.

Amazing Thailand ! 

I drive a motorbike and use EXTREME caution when I drive. I rarely drive at night and when I do I make sure and try to stay far away from everybody else, even if it means speeding away from a group of cars. Too much unskilled, aggressive and foolish driving out there and then there's the bad part. Defense!

 

[Ctkong]

6 hours ago, Thian said:

I see it every day, extended loads without a proper red flag or a small old orange tshirt somewhere unvisible...

 

Also i bet my helmet that he didn't turn on the hazard lights while parked at the road, Thai just have no idea when to use them.

 

I hope the driver and owner both get a huge fine and time in jail....this has to be stopped immediatly...Also overhanging loads just tied to the truck with some thin loose rope.

 

 

Thai drivers rarely switch on their headlights even during the rain... trying to save some baht for the bulbs let alone switching on the emergency light parking on the roadside. I have been driving in Thailand for more than 15 years and I had never, repeat never seen a truck switching on the emergency lights when parking at the roadside. Probably trying to save the flasher unit ( for emergency lights) some wear and tear.