Bodies collected after Chiang Mai crash

[snoop1130]

Bodies collected after Chiang Mai crash

By Thanakorn Wongnang 
The Nation

 

 

Relatives and friends of 28-year-old TV host and stylist Jatupat "Centimetre" Khemnak and 30-year-old "Next to Normal" store manager Supakit Kerdsam collected their bodies from Maharat Nakhon Chiang Mai Hospital's morgue on Thursday for religious rites.

 

Jatupat and Supakit were killed when their Honda CRV collided with a Toyota and plunged into a roadside canal in Chiang Mai's Muang district on Wednesday night.

 

Jatupat's body was later brought for a funeral at his hometown in Nakhon Nayok while Supakit's body was sent for a funeral at Wat That Thong in Bangkok.

 

The crash was reported to police at 9.30pm, after which Phuping Rajaniwet precinct's inspector, Lt Colonel Thongchai Buangern, and rescue workers visited the three-prong intersection connected with a bridge crossing the canal towards the entrance of Wat U-Mong in Tambon Suthep. They removed the two men from the CRV and took them to hospital but they were pronounced dead on arrival.

 

Chiang Mai police chief, Maj General Pichet Jeeranantasin, told officers to check CCTV cameras and inspect the scene to ensure justice for both sides.

 

The Toyota driver, Wichitra Pukboonreung, 25, who was slightly injured, told police that she was heading straight at the intersection when the CRV suddenly overtook on the left side, cut in front of her and took a sharp turn. Wichitra claimed that she could not brake in time so her car crashed into the CRV, sending it crashing into the bridge and the canal. Wichitra said her vehicle also almost fell into the canal as the front wheels were off the bridge. 

 

Thongchai said the CCTV showed the CRV was in the correct lane to turn although it was unknown whether it signalled. The Toyota was in the U-turn lane and was probably at fault as it drove straight, resulting in the crash, the police chief said. 

 

He said the police would charge Wichitra with reckless driving resulting in deaths and property damage.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30361559

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-1-3

[mercman24]

you  see cars in the U turn lanes on second road in Jomtien all the time trying to gain a few vehicles, with no intension of turning, and when the lights are green go barrelling up this lane to do the same manouvre, but this practice is rife all over Thailand, they just cant wait bloody 2 minutes,

[sammieuk1]

Apparently in the wrong lane for a u-turn the saloon was traveling straight on bizarre crash it looked like slow motion with balsa wood crash barriers to me pointless waste of life on an inner city road ????RIP

[worgeordie]

On a less serious note ,i wonder why the deceased man was called  "Centimetre",

RIP  both men,

regards worgeordie

[taotoo]

I've used this junction a few times. The SRV lane has an arrow to suggest that it's straight on only (contrary to what the policeman says). Meanwhile the right-most lane has yellow cross-hatching which presumably means it's not actually a lane at all. So it looks like technically you're not allowed to turn right or make a u-turn at this junction (lol). See the nonsense for yourself: https://goo.gl/maps/4b9mjiJczVm

 

[monkeycu]

8 hours ago, worgeordie said:

On a less serious note ,i wonder why the deceased man was called  "Centimetre",

RIP  both men,

regards worgeordie

Maybe he was boasting, his true name was " Millimetre "

[Moonlover]

5 hours ago, taotoo said:

I've used this junction a few times. The SRV lane has an arrow to suggest that it's straight on only (contrary to what the policeman says). Meanwhile the right-most lane has yellow cross-hatching which presumably means it's not actually a lane at all. So it looks like technically you're not allowed to turn right or make a u-turn at this junction (lol). See the nonsense for yourself: https://goo.gl/maps/4b9mjiJczVm

 

A U turn is permitted there. If you do a 'virtual drive' up to the junction on Google, you can see the sign.

 

No matter, both vehicles were in the wrong lane for their planned direction of travel. He should have been in the right hand lane and she to his left, so both equally at fault.

 

I think it would be a little unfair to pour all the blame on her though. The SUV driver made a rash right-hand turn without the 'mirror-signal-maneuver' routine that we are familiar with.

 

Two totally unnecessary deaths and a sad start to the new year. Commiserations to the deceased's families.

[Wiggy]

9 hours ago, worgeordie said:

On a less serious note ,i wonder why the deceased man was called  "Centimetre",

RIP  both men,

regards worgeordie

For the same reason the other guy was called "Next to Normal"?

[AhFarangJa]

In the photos you can see that the barrier where the SUV went through has been hit before and is badly cracked in at least two places. I don't know at what speed they hit it, but I wonder if the concrete was in good repair would it have prevented the car going into into the canal?

Another waste of two young lives,

R.I.P.

[chassa70]

You've got to put witches hats along the u-turn lane the same as many busy intersections in Udon Thani and probably many other places too!

[sfokevin]

The concrete “barriers” look to have had no rebar connecting them to the bridge and seem to be of only ornamental use... 

Edited January 4, 2019 by sfokevin

[newnative]

  Totally unnecessary deaths, if there had been a proper, secured barrier.  That model year CR-V is very small and was not going fast but still went through the barrier like it was cardboard.

[hotchilli]

As I've said many times before, people talk about lanes and what's right or wrong... either left/centre/right or turning.... In Thailand I maintain there are no lanes... it's one piece of tarmac and a free-for-all across all of it !!!

[NoshowJones]

14 hours ago, mercman24 said:

you  see cars in the U turn lanes on second road in Jomtien all the time trying to gain a few vehicles, with no intension of turning, and when the lights are green go barrelling up this lane to do the same manouvre, but this practice is rife all over Thailand, they just cant wait bloody 2 minutes,

2 mins?? As a motorbike rider, I keep coming across moronic Thai drivers and riders who cannot even wait 2 secs.

[No1]

No details on the the cause of death: i cannot imagine that the crash itself was hard enough that they died from injuries. I would say they drowned because nobody got them out of the car

[taotoo]

5 hours ago, Moonlover said:

A U turn is permitted there. If you do a 'virtual drive' up to the junction on Google, you can see the sign.

 

From which lane? The right lane isn't a lane, and the middle lane later has a straight on only arrow which means you must go straight on.

[BritManToo]

It doesn't matter what lane who was in, if they were all driving at reasonable speeds nobody would have been injured.

Why can't people just slow down?

[No1]

20 minutes ago, taotoo said:

 

From which lane? The right lane isn't a lane, and the middle lane later has a straight on only arrow which means you must go straight on.

good question: the right lane is not a lane but it is, or not?

[Moonlover]

28 minutes ago, taotoo said:

5 hours ago, Moonlover said:

A U turn is permitted there. If you do a 'virtual drive' up to the junction on Google, you can see the sign.

 

28 minutes ago, taotoo said:

 

From which lane? The right lane isn't a lane, and the middle lane later has a straight on only arrow which means you must go straight on.

Have a close look at the two screen shots I have attached. In the first one just behind the white car is a faded, but visible 'turn right' arrow.

 

In the second one it is very clear that both a right turn and a U turn are permissible. There is a blue 'U turn' sign and a green 'turn right' filter traffic light.

 

So the SUV was in the correct lane for a turn to the right and the saloon was in the wrong lane for going straight on. Which is what I said. She should have been to his left.

[Moonlover]

16 hours ago, worgeordie said:

On a less serious note ,i wonder why the deceased man was called  "Centimetre",

RIP  both men,

regards worgeordie

I asked Madam Moon about that. It's a nickname for a short guy. We would, of course call him 'Shorty'.

[taotoo]

32 minutes ago, Moonlover said:

 

Have a close look at the two screen shots I have attached. In the first one just behind the white car is a faded, but visible 'turn right' arrow.

 

In the second one it is very clear that both a right turn and a U turn are permissible. There is a blue 'U turn' sign and a green 'turn right' filter traffic light.

 

So the SUV was in the correct lane for a turn to the right and the saloon was in the wrong lane for going straight on. Which is what I said. She should have been to his left.

 

But later in the middle lane is a straight on only arrow which supercedes the turn right arrow. Also presumably the yellow paint means the right lane isn't a lane, regardless of the sign and traffic light. This paint doesn't look like it's been burnt off, just got fainter with traffic passing over it. I'm not familiar with the Thai highway code, but have a suspicion the people in charge of all this aren't either.

[roo860]

good question: the right lane is not a lane but it is, or not?

It's got hatching, so not a live lane, there's also a solid line with reflective studs, which denotes an edge line.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[No1]

5 minutes ago, roo860 said:

It's got hatching, so not a live lane, there's also a solid line with reflective studs, which denotes an edge line.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Yeah, I tend to agree with you. 

But it isn´t it strange how everyone ignores it and drives even straight there? 

[roo860]

Yeah, I tend to agree with you. 

But it isn´t it strange how everyone ignores it and drives even straight there? 

Yes, I'm not far from the location, see it all the time.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[roo860]

The concrete “barriers” look to have had no rebar connecting them to the bridge and seem to be of only ornamental use... 

Correct

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Moonlover]

36 minutes ago, taotoo said:

 

But later in the middle lane is a straight on only arrow which supercedes the turn right arrow. Also presumably the yellow paint means the right lane isn't a lane, regardless of the sign and traffic light. This paint doesn't look like it's been burnt off, just got fainter with traffic passing over it. I'm not familiar with the Thai highway code, but have a suspicion the people in charge of all this aren't either.

I see ambiguous signage here all the time. The markings never mean much to Thais anyway, as we all know very well.

 

It changes nothing. She was in the wrong 'position in the road' (if you prefer that phrase) for going straight on. She should have been over on the left. And he should have checked in his mirror before turning to make sure that there wasn't a conflict.

 

She is still, I believe,  primarily responsible for this accident

[roo860]

If she had been at a safe distance and speed behind him, they could have both been in the same lane, wouldn't have mattered if did take a right turn, she could have slowed down accordingly.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app

[Moonlover]

42 minutes ago, roo860 said:

If she had been at a safe distance and speed behind him, they could have both been in the same lane, wouldn't have mattered if did take a right turn, she could have slowed down accordingly.

Sent from my SM-G920F using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

Defensive driving of course. Have you ever tried running that concept by your average Thai?

[eyecatcher]

Not sure what time this happened, but I arrived there at midnight after collecting the wife.

The black Honda was on tge back of a truck parked up and there were three tow trucks....no crane.

I would say also avout 100 spectators watching them rescue the car from the canal.

 

At the time I couldnt even work out how the barrier had been breached.

I thought someone had actually tried to u turn from the other direction and got hit by a fast moving car.

 

But, I am not surprised by any driving stupidity here.

 

The night before, also a midnight run, I was also on tge scene of a bike crash. Tried to come off tge sllip road at Big c to meet Hang dong road.

Left it too late and headlong into the apex of the barrier. Probavly getting tangled up in the red plastic bollards aswell

I was more concerned about the damage to the barriers and who is paying for that repair

[BradWilkins]

5 hours ago, No1 said:

No details on the the cause of death: i cannot imagine that the crash itself was hard enough that they died from injuries. I would say they drowned because nobody got them out of the car

Yes likely they drowned, if they were not knocked unconscious from the guard rail and the car flipping they were probably trapped in the submerged car as the doors and windows were probably jammed shut from the impact.