Video: Last moments of motorcyclist as 18 wheeler flees the scene

[Burma Bill]

14 hours ago, chang1 said:

I have only manoeuvred large lorries and not driven anything larger than 7.5 tonnes on the road but that is plenty enough to understand how difficult it is to watch out for all dangers while moving at speed around a corner and joining another road. 

At the start of the corner the driver may have seen the bike but due to the distance would have trouble judging his speed so not realized the rider would be so stupid as to try undertaking him. The driver then has to concentrate on going around the bend while looking for a safe way to join the other road so would not have much time to see if any fools are undertaking or even overtaking a very large vehicle on a narrow bend even if they are not in a blind spot.  

I still have not seen any evidence that the Thai highway code says it is OK for a bike to undertake a lorry on a bend using the hard shoulder (although it would not surprise me).

You and Kkr need to understand you cannot compare car driving to what this lorry driver has to do.

I know we all love to have a go at the standard of Thai driving but I find truck drivers are the best drivers in Thailand. Obviously the bar is pretty low to begin with and there are many who are dangerous. 

Fair comment.

[Cricky]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

motorcyclist was riding steadily in the m/c lane

Its not a m/c lane.

This area is called the breakdown lane.

[Burma Bill]

13 hours ago, Tchooptip said:

I am sorry sir, it has nothing to do with any spray by the police since  it is a screenshot I have done in the video and so, yes  the white line at the back is clearly the line of the lane not respected by the lorry, the arrow I made myself to show the lorry is clearly not respecting the line, so no offence but I think you misunderstood, I answered  the sentence "The truckdriver kept his line perfectly" I did not write it but quoted it with the picture to show it was wrong. 

Thank you for your explanation and the photo which I still find very interesting. Have a nice day.

[hotchilli]

Some real long jail time needed for this lunatic driver !!!

Fleeing the scene is a despicable act of cowardice!

[HAKAPALITA]

If you look the Black n White curbs to the driver right as he filters in, generally tighten up so hes not holding a bad line for such a situation, plus its doubtful the Bikers not local and knows that curvy, whats the Police verdict, over the phantom expert Truckies here.?. They are the best judges, and not as bad as made out imo.

[Cereal]

Bike riders fault, 100%. Add a dash of stupidity, unawareness and an inability to think critically and you got one dead idiot.

 

Looks to me like the front of the truck didn't cross over into the side road but the rear wheels were slightly there. That's the way trucks turn, it's mechanics.

 

It also appears that the bike rider had no idea what was going on. Had he been aware he had all kinds of room and time to head into the grass where he may have been able to stay on his wheels. Even if he went down he would have been on grass so very little chance of anything happening there.

[Road Warrior]

WOULD THINK KIETH 101 IS CORRECT !!! motor bikes are idiots enough to overtake on the inside.  

[Moonlover]

18 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

The fastest first responder to leg it in history no hope is there????

The guy you're so critical of is the one who noticed that the truck driver was leaving the scene and gave chase. It's a fair assumption the he was the one who made the citizen's arrest.

[tifino]

4 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

The guy you're so critical of is the one who noticed that the truck driver was leaving the scene and gave chase. It's a fair assumption the he was the one who made the citizen's arrest.

did a better job than a uniformed coppa he did

[watso63]

As an experienced motorcyclist and LGV Class One driver, the motorcyclist was at fault and may well have been in the blind spot of the driver. He might not of been aware of hitting the motorcyclist or running over him as it could just feel like "bumps in the road", but if he was aware then he has no excuse whatsover in not stopping.

[lvr181]

On 12/15/2018 at 1:38 PM, CanuckThai said:

The video clearly shows the truck encroaching (over the white line) into the shoulder.  Motorcyclist didn't have much of a chance...

BARELY encroaching over the white line - probably the truck driver didn't even know he had hit the motorcyclist, sadly. I think the motorcyclist should have show far more street smarts and NOT try to continue underpassing the truck in that situation. At the beginning of the video the motorcyclist was only just at the rear side of the truck and should have backed off to let the truck negotiate the bend. Having ridden motorcycles for more than 50 years you realise that even if you are right, in the eyes of the law, generally a crash is going to be to your physical detriment! Don't push your luck!

 

R.I.P & condolences to family and friends.

[Cricky]

13 hours ago, MaxYakov said:

On 12/15/2018 at 11:09 AM, VYCM said:

See this all too often, truck driver is indicating that he is turning left and motorbike undertakes.

In Australia trucks have right of way when turning left, it is against the law to overtake turning vehicles.

 

I'm amazed there is not a lot more deaths here like this.

 

I would hate to drive a heavy vehicle in Thailand, these riders dont respect their own life.

What an idiot. 

In Australia is it legal to even operate your motor vehicle on the shoulder and any conditions except an emergency situation? In Thailand, land of the "motorcycle disease", many motorcyclists operate their vehicles routinely as if they are in an emergency situation (until it becomes a real one).

No, this is illegal.

This area where the motorbike is riding is the Breakdown lane.

You cannot travel in the breakdown lane.

 

BTW, there have been a lot of comments regarding the truck driver’s blind spot/not looking for the motorbike.

The truck driver is making a left turn and looking to merge onto another street, he is not looking for fools up the inside.

The trucks trailer naturally follows a path where the radius is much tighter, yes it merges into the breakdown lane, the motorcyclist was a fool to get in the path of a turning vehicle of that length.

 

[Just Weird]

On ‎12‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 10:58 AM, Nong Khai Man said:

LOOK AGAIN.....The Motorcyclist was in the correct position,It was the CLOWN Driving the truck ( Cutting the Corner ) who was at Fault....

He was riding on the hard shoulder, the very place he should not have been riding!

[Just Weird]

9 hours ago, SS1 said:

Well the police has been known to fine riders for not keeping to the left, so can't really blame the rider who is just following the "rules". Of course not a smart thing to do from a rider point of view, but I wouldn't call him an idiot. 

I was referring to him as "an idiot" in response to a poster who was calling the lorry driver an idiot when he was actually driving in his correct lane.

[chang1]

9 hours ago, SS1 said:

Well the police has been known to fine riders for not keeping to the left, so can't really blame the rider who is just following the "rules". Of course not a smart thing to do from a rider point of view, but I wouldn't call him an idiot. 

I don't see a problem with keeping to the left and riding on the shoulder and if the lorry was overtaking the bike he would clearly be at fault. Can you show us where it says it is OK to undertake on a bend as in this case? If not he was an idiot, you even say it was not a smart thing to do. Idiot may be a bit strong but does emphasize the severity of his misjudgment.

[chang1]

8 hours ago, Huckenfell said:

On 12/15/2018 at 3:24 AM, keith101 said:

Was the truck overtaking the motor bike or did the bike try to cut up the inside of the truck as so many do ?

Just saw the video of the bike trying to overtake the truck on the inside which was a major cause of this accident .

You need to go to Spec savers urgently, then look at the video again.

Are you really saying the lorry is overtaking the bike Or just saying that it is obvious the bike is undertaking?

[chang1]

8 hours ago, Huckenfell said:

Look again, the motorcyclist was riding steadily in the m/c lane. The truck definately cut the corner into the m/c lane and run him down. This truck drive obviously does not know how wide he should  place his truck to avoid enroaching on the m/c lane on a bend. HE is the guilty one not the M/c.

 

You need to look again. At the very start of the video the bikes back wheel is just in front of the trailers back wheels. He went under the trucks rear wheels so was clearly going faster - undertaking.

The biker did not understand that a vehicle that large uses far more road when turning than when going straight and he was going too fast to be able to keep to the left of the shoulder so rode into the truck. If the lorry had been overtaking the bike I would agree with you but that was not the case.

 

[CanuckThai]

2 hours ago, lvr181 said:

BARELY encroaching over the white line - probably the truck driver didn't even know he had hit the motorcyclist, sadly. I think the motorcyclist should have show far more street smarts and NOT try to continue underpassing the truck in that situation. At the beginning of the video the motorcyclist was only just at the rear side of the truck and should have backed off to let the truck negotiate the bend. Having ridden motorcycles for more than 50 years you realise that even if you are right, in the eyes of the law, generally a crash is going to be to your physical detriment! Don't push your luck!

 

R.I.P & condolences to family and friends.

I agree.  The motorcyclist made a bad call overtaking on the curve (real bad, cost him his life).  The truck driver made a bad call to over steer that curve, crossing over the lane into the shoulder without 100% knowing it was safe.  Glad I'm not either one of them....

[chang1]

17 hours ago, MrMo said:

The quality of reporting should probably also be investigated.   Who ever provided the 3km report could well prove to be a fake news generator.

Again, will ThaiVisa follow-up on the outcome of this tradgedy and in this case on the reliabilty of the source ?

How can anyone investigate when you still have not revealed your reliable source? As far as we know you have made up the fact that the driver parked up and walked back to the scene.

Again, where is your evidence?

Edited December 16, 2018 by chang1

[chang1]

23 minutes ago, CanuckThai said:

I agree.  The motorcyclist made a bad call overtaking on the curve (real bad, cost him his life).  The truck driver made a bad call to over steer that curve, crossing over the lane into the shoulder without 100% knowing it was safe.  Glad I'm not either one of them....

What if the bike had been overtaking and the lorry took the corner wide incase some fool was undertaking? Everyone would be crying out he should have cut the corner when the bike bounces off the kerb and ends up under the wheels.

If you were the driver what would you do?

Take it wide in case someone is undertaking?

Cut the corner in case someone is overtaking?

Or do what he did take the middle of the road leaving room on both sides?

Remember the bike did have plenty of room but was going too fast and rode into the lorry.

[CanuckThai]

12 minutes ago, chang1 said:

What if the bike had been overtaking and the lorry took the corner wide incase some fool was undertaking? Everyone would be crying out he should have cut the corner when the bike bounces off the kerb and ends up under the wheels.

If you were the driver what would you do?

Take it wide in case someone is undertaking?

Cut the corner in case someone is overtaking?

Or do what he did take the middle of the road leaving room on both sides?

Remember the bike did have plenty of room but was going too fast and rode into the lorry.

My dad drove (AZ licence) until he was almost 70, loved it (waited for mom to retire).  I had a DZ and heavy equipment licence through the military (reserves, field engineers), way back when.  I'm usually the quiet one, very understanding of the predicaments (experienced) truck drivers can be faced with.  Only one person knows what the driver was calculating and reacting to, when going around the corner.  The driver.  As I have posted on this thread, the motorcycle driver took a risk, lost the bet.  The truck driver hedged his bet (took a bit of the shoulder).    Both sides (motorcycle defenders have a point, truck driver defenders have a point).  For me, it's difficult to defend missing the blind spot, for who knows how long, and encroaching into the "curb or shoulder" when it's occupied.  I can appreciate your questions/points, they are all solid.  

[chang1]

3 hours ago, CanuckThai said:

Only one person knows what the driver was calculating and reacting to, when going around the corner. 

Exactly. He may have been preoccupied with his phone and equally he could have been doing everything correctly and missed the bike as it was in a blind spot. Some people on here seem to think he should have been only looking at his nearside mirrors and only worried about not going near the shoulder. As you are aware there are many other things he has to watch out for including merging with the traffic in front at the junction.

What is certain is that undertaking such a large vehicle on a bend is suicidal and should never have been attempted.

The biker put himself in a very dangerous position and expected the lorry to make room. The lorry did nothing unusual and I expect would have made more room if the driver knew the bike was there, such as if he was overtaking the bike (also not a safe move).

We only have the video and our (patchy) knowledge of road laws which we mix with our experience and own observations. It is never going to be a black and white decision. I happen to be siding with the driver and on the other hand someone else even called him a murderer. 

We should all be looking at how best to stop this happening to us or anyone else in the future.

 

1 - blame the rider - I think it should be made clear - NEVER undertake a vehicle on a bend (or near a junction for that matter, better still anywhere). If this rider did that there is no way he could have been crushed by the lorry - self preservation, 100% safe.

Or do it the other way

2 - blame the driver - tell every driver to be more careful and give more room on the left (just ignore the poor sod overtaking) - this driver probably thought he was safe enough. Bikes would then assume all vehicles will make way for them - it doesn't matter what you tell people sooner or later they all will make a mistake of some kind (just try keeping within EVERY speed limit all the time) so this kind of accident WILL happen again - relying on someone else to take care of your safety, unsafe.

 

I am not having a go at any individual as we all have our own opinions but when it comes to safety too many seem to think it is other people's responsibility and not their own. If anyone can explain how blaming the driver can make the roads safer, I am very willing to consider it.

Edited December 16, 2018 by chang1

[balo]

On 12/15/2018 at 10:38 AM, CanuckThai said:

Motorcyclist didn't have much of a chance...

Nonsense, he had several seconds to react , when a big truck is very close to you , try to slow down and away from the truck, use common sense. He had mirrors and could see the danger.  

 

[balo]

On 12/15/2018 at 6:54 PM, Spidey said:

Notice how far the scooter is from the grass. If he'd got to the inside of his lane, it would never have happened. Didn't he see the truck? Why didn't he move over? Only natural to aim for the apex when rounding a bend. Clearly hadn't a clue how to ride a bike

I noticed the same thing, plenty of space to move the bike over to the left.  To me it looked like the rider of the bike was not focused and had his mind elsewhere. 

[StefanBBK]

45 minutes ago, balo said:

I noticed the same thing, plenty of space to move the bike over to the left.  To me it looked like the rider of the bike was not focused and had his mind elsewhere. 

Wanted to say the same thing too. I don't think the truck driver had any chance to avoid the accident, after he started turning. The only one who could have avoided it, or at least lessened the severity is the bike driver, who should have just steered into the ditch. 

Still another unnecessary tragedy for a family.

 

I do understand (but not condone) the trucker making a runner.  Without this excellent footage, surely he would have gotten the full blame. 

[sstuff3]

See it every day. Idiot motorcyclists turning on the inside of traffic.  Only surprised more of them don't end up like this.  They will never learn.

[YogaVeg]

Watch the video of the truck trailers as they drove over the guy- they bounce wildly. 

The driver felt that, knew he ran over something no doubt, that's why he stopped. 

Looks like his wheels are over the line at impact... understandable given the rig but not in the rider's favor.

I've driven vehicles like that, my guess is he never saw the bike due to mirror angle.

I've rode a lot of cycles also, and it appears that one was accelerating too fast to get further left when the situation demanded it.

 

My analysis: rider should have backed off and/or slowed down, but instead accelerated into his fate, and caused the accident. Poor guy, at least it was over fast.

Driver guilty of fleeing only, I feel sorry for him too, heck of a thing to live with.

[Mich007]

Ok, so everyone is rambling on about who was wrong. This is a horrible accident. I have seen it and lost friends that way. What I find unsettling is the disinterest to help this person. The person with the dashcam comments and then drives away. The other road users see it is a person, he is dead and then drives away, like this HUMAN being is just another case of roadkill.

[Cricky]

7 minutes ago, Mich007 said:

Ok, so everyone is rambling on about who was wrong. This is a horrible accident. I have seen it and lost friends that way. What I find unsettling is the disinterest to help this person. The person with the dashcam comments and then drives away. The other road users see it is a person, he is dead and then drives away, like this HUMAN being is just another case of roadkill.

 

You’re obviously new to Thailand, hang around you’ll see a lot more of this.

[MyFriend You]

On 12/15/2018 at 10:35 AM, darksidedog said:

The bike to me looks to have a fairly legitimate, though not particularly advisable position. He is on the far inside well before the bend and in the overwhelming majority of occasions, he would have been fine.The lorry just cut the corner too tight, probably not realising the bike was there. One quick look in his mirrors would have alerted him, but many drivers here seem to have no clue what they are there for. I have seen more than a few drivers who adjust them so that they can see themselves, rather than the road behind them.

Besides he said his cell phone battery died, that explains it all doesn't it??  RIP to the Motor cyclist, he probably got sway with that move a dozen times before, but guess last time wasn't his day..........