Driver killed, 10 injured, as van crashes into tree

[webfact]

Driver killed, 10 injured, as van crashes into tree

By Pipat Jongmeekwamsook 
The Nation

 

 

A 27-year-old van driver was killed and 10 foreign migrant workers were injured when their vehicle crashed into a roadside ditch before hitting a tree in Khamphaeng Phetch's Kosamphee Nakhon district early on Thursday morning.

 

Police believe Thongpoon Chanachan fell asleep behind the wheel and died instantly in the collision.

 

 

He was taking the workers from Bangkok to renew their visa in Tak.

 

Rescue workers found the Toyota van with the wrecked front section stuck to the toppled tree when they arrived at the scene on Phaholyothin Highway (Khamphaeng Phetch-Tak) in Tambon Kosamphee Nakhon, at 4.30am.

 

 

Rescue workers had to use heavy equipment to extract two injured  passengers from the wreckage. The other slightly injured passengers told police that they left Bangkok at 10.30pm on Wednesday to renew their visa in Tak's Mae Sot district. All the passengers were asleep when the crash happened.

 

Police initially suspect that the van driver dozed off behind wheel due to exhaustion from a long drive.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30368345

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-04-25

[tifino]

... supposed to be exhausted 'after' a long drive

 

 

never learn!

[geoffbezoz]

Well the driver died this time, rather than the innocent passengers.

[Just1Voice]

Well, that's a nice change. Only the nut behind the wheel was killed. 

[madmen]

Fell asleep. Out of the gene pool and good riddance!

[cardinalblue]

I can say I have never fallen asleep when at work....

 

Honestly, this falling asleep excuse really means poor driving causing an accident....

 

BS on falling asleep....just another not my driving behavior causing accidents

 

and another reason why thailand will never resolve its hideous driving behavior/record...

 

lack of accountability and never blaming the driver for unacceptable driving..

[Bangkok Barry]

Shouldn't Thais be taught that driving requires concentration and being alert at all times? It is surely an essential and fundamental requirement. If they do those things then they don't fall asleep. How often do we read in other countries of drivers killing themselves and others by falling asleep at the wheel? I'm of a certain age and don't recall ever doing so. Here, we read of it at least once a day.

[Bill Miller]

Not about driving skills neccesarily.

Thai drivers are not the only people who fall asleep at the wheel.

The kid is not "making excuses", obviously.

I don't know why you so vehemently reject a perfectly reasonable and likely explanation.

Six hours behind the wheel is not too long a stretch, if one is sufficiently rested. I think they need to establish some hard rules in that area, requiring drivers to keep a log like professional drivers in the US are supposed to.

[RotBenz8888]

Those vans are going fast, really fast, and do virtually anything to get through, insane takeovers with millimeter margins. Quite frankly it's amazing that there aren't even more accidents on the roads here.

[KhaoYai]

2 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

I can say I have never fallen asleep when at work....

 

Honestly, this falling asleep excuse really means poor driving causing an accident....

 

BS on falling asleep....just another not my driving behavior causing accidents

 

and another reason why thailand will never resolve its hideous driving behavior/record...

 

lack of accountability and never blaming the driver for unacceptable driving..

I am not excusing the van driver in any way but to deny that falling asleep at the wheel happens is simply wrong.  There are thousands of examples - I fell asleep at the wheel 40 years ago. My vehicle somersaulted several times and was wrecked - fortunately I was OK.  Driving can be a particularly boring activity and you don't have to be particularly tired to 'nod off' but driving whilst already tired is asking for trouble - these days I make plenty of stops on any lengthy journey.

 

If its never happened to you, count yourself lucky - don't deny it happens.

[Isaanbiker]

  The brakes didn't work well enough, or he'd his dashboard amulets in the other van. A speedy recovery for the poor guys! 

[shady86]

More lives could be save if some of the bureaucracy and paperwork could be done online without applicants going in person.

As long as the system here requires everything to be done in person, unnecessary travels like this would be needed all the time. 

Life is at risk the moment you are in Thai roads.

Of course this would never happen as many people benefits from this inefficient bureaucracy and system!

[Isaanbiker]

3 hours ago, cardinalblue said:

I can say I have never fallen asleep when at work....

 

Honestly, this falling asleep excuse really means poor driving causing an accident....

 

BS on falling asleep....just another not my driving behavior causing accidents

 

and another reason why thailand will never resolve its hideous driving behavior/record...

 

lack of accountability and never blaming the driver for unacceptable driving..

It happened to me when I was 18 years old after many pubs and discos. Not too many people had a car and I'd promised to drive a lot of guys home. I could feel that i was tired, but I'd never have thought that I'd fall asleep behind the wheel.

 

I had already dropped all off and "only" wanted to drive to my gf's house when it happened. 

 

         Luckily, only my car was wrecked when I drove into someone's garden and took a part of his fence out. But I wasn't on duty, no pressure that I had to drive, but it still happened. I wasn't thinking that I could just fall asleep while driving, really weird. 

 

    Some of these guys have no other choice than taking meth to stay awake, some have a 16 + hour day and there's no unit in these vans that could prove how long the driver was actually on the road. Would they say no, somebody else will replace him/her on the same day.

 

   The laws have to be changed and like so many other things in this country, it has to start at the top. The reality is that the politicians are as corrupt as fragg, have huge amounts of money, fake titles, but they've got the power. And that's money what's actually ruling this country. It's all about money, isn't it?  

 

 

             

 

  

 

    

[wgdanson]

45 minutes ago, Bangkok Barry said:

If they do those things then they don't fall asleep

Or if they take a handful of yaba !

[geoffbezoz]

4 minutes ago, shady86 said:

More lives could be save if some of the bureaucracy and paperwork could be done online without applicants going in person.

As long as the system here requires everything to be done in person, unnecessary travels like this would be needed all the time. 

Life is at risk the moment you are in Thai roads.

Of course this would never happen as many people benefits from this inefficient bureaucracy and system!

Whilst your post is a good illustration of the system here unfortunately as you say this will not happen.    However, irrespective of reducing travel requirements, until something drastic is undertaken to ensure van drivers have the mental capacity to control their vehicle in a safe manner,  ensure it is mechanically sound and aware that other Thai drivers are equally moronic in their driving attitudes lives will still be lost.   And no nothing of any consequence will happen about that either.

[Vacuum]

12 minutes ago, Isaanbiker said:

Some of these guys have no other choice than taking meth to stay awake

This driver didn't. 

[shady86]

22 minutes ago, geoffbezoz said:

Whilst your post is a good illustration of the system here unfortunately as you say this will not happen.    However, irrespective of reducing travel requirements, until something drastic is undertaken to ensure van drivers have the mental capacity to control their vehicle in a safe manner,  ensure it is mechanically sound and aware that other Thai drivers are equally moronic in their driving attitudes lives will still be lost.   And no nothing of any consequence will happen about that either.

 

These poorly paid 300B/day migrant workers would not have the luxury to hire a capable and reliable driver at the first place. This is what happens and you get what you paid for. That is why most people prefer to drive their own cars instead of using drivers and public transports which contributes to more cars on road = higher chance of accidents = loss of lives!

[joebrown]

Surely there must be a better (safer) way for immigrants to renew/extend their Visas than having to travel from province to province thereby adding to the carnage on Thai roads

I know, farangs think too much!

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

Police initially suspect that the van driver dozed off behind wheel due to exhaustion from a long drive.

Condolences to the latest victims in yet another mini-van crash...

To the driver Som Nom Na !!!

[Thongkorn]

On 4/25/2019 at 7:16 AM, madmen said:

Fell asleep. Out of the gene pool and good riddance!

 Was you there how do you know the Driver was in the wrong, How do you know he never had a hear attack. or something else, dont judge all Thai Drivers the same.