Famous Japanese marathon runner was no match for Thai roads - motorcycle mows him down

[webfact]

Famous Japanese marathon runner was no match for Thai roads - motorcycle mows him down

 

 

A well known and respected Japanese marathon runner who ran across the US was hospitalized after being run over by a motorcycle on a run in the south of Thailand. 

 

Atsuyuki Katsuyama - better known in Thailand as "K-san" - was competing in the Ocean to Ocean 2018 run that started in Chumpon. 

 

After just 20 kilometers of the race on December 9th he was hit by the motorcycle suffering a skull fracture, brain hemorrhage and severely damaged right ankle. 

 

Though now out of ICU he has racked up 500,000 baht in bills after being airlifted by helicopter to Bangkok, then has had to pay 400,000 baht in more bills at Vejthani Hospital in Bangkok. 

 

Fellow runners have foot much of the bills but an appeal has now been made for the shortfall. 

 

K-San is the president of the "100 Mile Club" in Thailand and is a well known coach of runners both wearing footwear and running barefoot. 

 

In 2015 he completed a 79 day 5,200 km run across the United States. 

 

He is an idol to many Thais, reported Sanook who said that donations could be made to a Kasikorn bank account in the name of the runner and Pawanrat Katsuyama #639-2-08077-3.

 

Source: Sanook

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2018-12-27

[keith101]

So obviously the motorcyclist didnt have a license and therefore no insurance which would have covered a lot of these bills and the runner no insurance as well .

Edited December 27, 2018 by keith101
adding to post

[fruitman]

6 minutes ago, keith101 said:

So obviously the motorcyclist didnt have a license and therefore no insurance which would have covered a lot of these bills and the runner no insurance as well .

You don't need a license in thailand, they insurance will even pay without it.

[Aussieroaming]

Well the Japanese guy would have known the risks of running in a country full of incompetent drivers

[ezzra]

It was said that the damage done by one idiot it will take many others clever men to rectify and correct...

Edited December 27, 2018 by ezzra

[Darcula]

19 minutes ago, webfact said:

Atsuyuki Katsuyama - better known in Thailand as "K-san" - was competing in the Ocean to Ocean 2018 run that started in Chumpon. 

Didn't realise he was going to be running right in the middle of the Khlong to Khlong Grand Prix that goes on daily on Thai roads?

[NCC1701A]

lets  hope this is a big story in Japan. anything to get the word out about Thailand's psychopathic drivers.

 

glad he was not killed.

[crickets]

Its similar to the guy in Chock Chai who had ridden his bike around the world. Thai drivers took care of him. Killed him when he was hit buy a pick up while the driver was using his phone. 

[Justgrazing]

The motorcyclist ? Did he do a runner ..

And here's Patek Prawits opportunity for a bit of image damage repair by picking up the Hospital tab' to make up for some of his foot in mouth gaffs .. Selling off a couple of the timepieces should more than cover it .. 

[Chippy151]

If I could jog, I think I would be constantly worrying about getting hit by something on these roads.

I think I'm a lot safer on the sofa.

[HAKAPALITA]

We had play streets years ago,now there are Sports Complexes . yet folks still play on unclosed roads.

[Bullie]

Rather then focusing on obligatory medical insurance for visitors to this fine country, the Thai government should instead make motor vehicle insurance mandatory and absence of it punishable, and reserve a reasonable amount each year to pay for damages caused by their own population upon unsuspecting tourists. I have a feeling that this mayhem unleashed on innocent Farang financially far surpasses the amount due by uninsured visitors....

[fakename]

So just put the motorcyclist in jail until he or his family come up with the money!  

[spidermike007]

Let us hope they catch the cowardly driver of the motorbike, lock him up for many years, fine his family millions of baht, and shame the individual for the rest of his life. What he did was an admonition. Either he was unconscious, was not paying attention, saw the guy and deliberately ran him over, or was driving so recklessly, he was out of control. Either way, he needs to take responsibility for his actions, and he needs to be punished severely. 

 

At a given point in time, Thailand is going to have to start to take public and traffic safety seriously. It has been an enormous failure of this administration. 

[DM07]

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

So obviously the motorcyclist didnt have a license and therefore no insurance which would have covered a lot of these bills and the runner no insurance as well .

1 hour ago, Aussieroaming said:

Well the Japanese guy would have known the risks of running in a country full of incompetent drivers

 

25 minutes ago, HAKAPALITA said:

We had play streets years ago,now there are Sports Complexes . yet folks still play on unclosed roads.

Blaming the victim!

Seriously???

????

 

[Wallander4]

Poor guy - are the fools gonna open a vip lane for Japanese at Svampy now ?

Edited December 27, 2018 by Wallander4

[Vacuum]

1 hour ago, keith101 said:

So obviously the motorcyclist didnt have a license and therefore no insurance which would have covered a lot of these bills

The compulsorary insurance, if he had any, would only have covered up to 30K.

[mok199]

i will share an experience from Christmas day ,100 kindergarten children had a small 10 minute parade,parents, teachers it was beautyful , traffic police blocked off the small soi beside the school,with an alternate route available,, 5 minutes into the parade ,some of the scooters began forcing their way through the parade,the traffic police watched ,as a nice little parade became chaos...I have seen many disguting things in Thailand ..THIS WAS THE MOST DISGUSTING...

Edited December 27, 2018 by mok199

[TMNH]

8 hours ago, madmen said:

Huh? So what.Marathon runners get killed and injured occasionally

Hardly earth shattering news story

 

 

 

So what? Are you so desensitized that you shrug off the fact that some ass.....hit this guy and you say "so what"? And pray tell, your contention that marathon runners get killed is ok? And this is yet another example of distorted logic that makes it acceptable to downplay  drivers that shouldn't be on the road to begin with.

 

If you do not know how to drive (bike or car), stay the <deleted> off the roads. That applies to both Thais and tourists- the former being the most likely reason for unnecessary carnage. And of course, a lax traffic enforcement of violations also lends to people thinking they can do what they want with no punishment.

 

Police? LOL. Get off your lazy ass and start getting these "marginal" drivers off the streets. And I could not care less about those Thais who continually violate sound traffic rules.  Not only do you risk your own lives, but you also contribute to innocent drivers injuries and deaths.

 

And so....Madmen, you are someone whose logic and empathy has gone out the window. But then again, I will bet that no attempts at dispelling your distorted logic will result in a "normal" person's thinking of right and wrong will accept your "so what". Pathetic.

[DrTuner]

Never enter the Thai traffic melee in anything less than an armored humvee. Preferably with a 50 cal attached to keep the scooter assassins at bay. Mad Max maibpenrai.

[sharktooth]

Driving in this country will never improve. There is no cure for stupidity.

[Eligius]

10 minutes ago, sharktooth said:

Driving in this country will never improve. There is no cure for stupidity.

And after years and years of living in this country, I am still appalled and shocked (have never become desensitised to it, thank God) when I see a tiny tot (maybe two years old) perilously perched on the front or back of a motorbike (without a helmet or any pretence of head protection) in some of the busiest and most dangerous roads in Bangkok.

 

Stupidity and criminal negligence (by all the 'adults' concerned) on steroids.

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by Eligius

[marko kok prong]

That is some very nasty injuries he got,the bike must have been going hammer and tongs to do that much damage,but how many cyclist's as another poster said have made it safely around the world only to perish in Thailand. Just surprised Tat has not seized on this with something like 'crazy drive tour- experience a real life death race 2000 trip'

[stanleycoin]

Typical cowardly behaviour of most  Thai  Drivers / Riders.

Runaway,  Runaway. Runaway, cowards. 

 

[stanleycoin]

52 minutes ago, sharktooth said:

Driving in this country will never improve. There is no cure for stupidity.

Yes there is.

Get the Big,  Bad Stupid Money Stick out on them. 

Hit them in the  back pocket as hard as you can.

Mess there life up,  with debt and jail.

Like they mess other peoples lives up 

 

Edited December 27, 2018 by stanleycoin

[HAKAPALITA]

Blaming the victim!
Seriously???
[emoji19]
 

No the Authority for allowing competition on Public Highways.Tour de France close the Roads so you can play on them.


Sent from my iPhone using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[dcnx]

Is there anything these people don’t ruin or screw up?

 

I hope he has a speedy recovery.

[Lemonltr]

Suppose a Farang driver had hit a Thai there would have been no 'go fund me' More likely a queue of extended family saying 'YOU go fund us'. 

[Classic Ray]

One thing I will never understand is the apathy of Thais from all walks of life towards changing the status quo for all that is wrong here.

 

In other countries, protest movements would demonstrate with popular support to make the police enforce the law and courts deal properly with offenders.

 

Campaigns would be run, supported by the media. Ministries would be forced into spending money on driver training and general road safety Programmes, especially in schools.

 

But it it seems the prevalence of thought that fate is inevitable, the culture that the rich and the military are always right and laws like lese majeste and defamation prevent protest, mean that things stay the same, with only empty statements from the government.

[Vacuum]

3 hours ago, crickets said:

Its similar to the guy in Chock Chai who had ridden his bike around the world. Thai drivers took care of him. Killed him when he was hit buy a pick up while the driver was using his phone. 

....and probably got a 500baht fine. Had he run over a soi dog, he would have got a 5 year prison sentence. Truly a sick country.