Two students killed as giant truck slips on wet road, hitting school van from behind

By The Nation

 

 

A 22-wheeler crashed into a school van in Suphanburi province on Tuesday morning killing two students and severely injuring seven.

 

Police were notified that around 7.30am that a school van travelling from Kanchanaburi had been hit by a 22-wheeler at the Thanon Phlapphla Chai junction.

 

Nine students were severely injured and sent to Uthong Hospital, but two succumbed to their injuries soon after.

 

Surveillance camera footage shows that all traffic lights at the junction were red and the road was wet with rain when the van arrived at the junction.

 

The huge truck, which was being driven in another lane, then slid across the wet road and hit the van on the side.

 

Source: https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30395710

 

-- © Copyright The Nation Thailand 2020-10-06

 

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8 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

The huge truck, which was being driven in another lane, then slid across the wet road and hit the van on the side.

 

The rains fault, of course. Case closed. 

I am glad to read that the truck was 'being driven in another lane'.

I can hear the driver now "My brakes did not work right, the truck just slid instead of the brakes working". 

How about this "you slammed on the brakes because you were driving to fast, locking up the tires and then hydroplaning out of control into the side of the van, and ending the lives of 2 young students while injuring many more".  I think The truck needs to be inspected, the tires checked to see if they were near serviceable limits, check the drivers hours to see if he was fatigued, or better yet check his phone.  Ok, yes I am outraged, as a 31 year career Traffic officer in the US, I have seen this plenty of times.  The driver should have been arrested at the scene, and taken to a hospital where he could have been tested to ensure no drugs or such were in his system as well.

 

RIP children, and many prayers with your families.  Parents should never loose a children before they themselves pass on.

 

Just looked at the video in the link in the Nation.  The van had a flashing yellow light and the Big Rig tractor trailer combination had a red light.  It actually appears that the truck driver never braked until impact with the left side of the school van. Total negligence from what I see on the trucks driver.

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by ThailandRyan

You need to go to the linked article https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30395710 to see the video. 

 

Quote

Surveillance camera footage shows that all traffic lights at the junction were red and the road was wet with rain when the van arrived at the junction.

 

It looks to me like the lights were flashing Red in the direction the truck was travelling.  In the video, the truck does not appear to be slowing down or exercising caution. 

 

The lights look like they were flashing yellow in the direction that the van was travelling. 

It looks like both traveling to fast for the conditions and that neither did what the book says:

 

"If the light is flashing red you must use the crossing as an uncontrolled junction. You must stop and give way. If the light is flashing amber you have the right of way but must slow down and look both ways."

 

I'm guessing that they only noticed each other when they each entered the peripheries of their respective fixed, unflinching, gazes ahead.

 

Just another "perfect storm" on Thailands careless and incompetent highways.

 

 

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Enoon

38 minutes ago, metisdead said:

You need to go to the linked article https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30395710 to see the video. 

 

 

It looks to me like the lights were flashing Red in the direction the truck was travelling.  In the video, the truck does not appear to be slowing down or exercising caution. 

 

The lights look like they were flashing yellow in the direction that the van was travelling. 

Thats the impression i got when I watched it over and over again as well @metisdead

 

1 hour ago, ThailandRyan said:

How about this "you slammed on the brakes because you were driving to fast, locking up the tires and then hydroplaning out of control into the side of the van, and ending the lives of 2 young students while injuring many more".

You mean telling the truth???!!! What? Are you out of your mind? Do you know where you´ve chosen to live? ????

truck was running the red light, never braked till after he hit, nothing to do with the wet road, nothing new in Thailand, truck drivers think they are in a racing car, they all drive way too fast then blame the brakes/rain or other vehivcle(especially if they kill everyone in it) when they do this sort of sh*t, on the way home today a big truck ran through a red light well after we had the green light and we had to swerve to avoid being t boned. Truck driver should be charged for the deaths and injuries due to his total negligence but as usual a wai plus a BS excuse & he will walk away. When are the police actually going to clamp down on these cowboy truck drivers, they need speed limiters and regular safety checks, proper driver training would make a huge difference as well but TOT, it will never happen.

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by seajae

No such thing as a HGV License here

Very sad story. Too young to be taken away. 

R.I.P. 

Speed kills. 

don't look like a ' huge ' truck to me. 

Poor students, really sad as they were just getting the van to school and now they are gone.

very sad indeed.  RIP .... you will be missed but never forgotten

8 minutes ago, steven100 said:

don't look like a ' huge ' truck to me. 

Poor students, really sad as they were just getting the van to school and now they are gone.

very sad indeed.  RIP .... you will be missed but never forgotten

they are forgotten daily  until the next one...........tomorrow

My vehicles  bigger than yours  syndrome,  bigger the vehicle  smaller  the brain

It would be merely appalling if this were an isolated incident, cutting short some young lives and condemning others to life-changing injuries. But this has been an almost daily occurrence on Thailand's roads for decades, and still nothing but the most insignificant cosmetic steps are taken to remedy the situation, to the point where some might say those in power are guilty of culpable negligence.

8 minutes ago, bodga said:

they are forgotten daily  until the next one...........tomorrow

True, unfortunately. 

1 hour ago, metisdead said:

You need to go to the linked article https://www.nationthailand.com/news/30395710 to see the video. 

 

 

It looks to me like the lights were flashing Red in the direction the truck was travelling.  In the video, the truck does not appear to be slowing down or exercising caution. 

 

The lights look like they were flashing yellow in the direction that the van was travelling. 

Flashing red means you don't have right of way and should be prepared to stop. The truck never even slowed down.

 

Flashing yellow means proceed with caution but be prepared to stop. The minivan never even slowed down.

 

Looks to me like NEITHER driver had much of a clue.

56 minutes ago, djayz said:

Very sad story. Too young to be taken away. 

R.I.P. 

Speed kills. 

stupidity kills 

18 minutes ago, Pilotman said:

stupidity kills 

People make mistakes. However, if we're traveling at speeds we can not control, that is when our mistakes can, and often do, result in the loss of life. 

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by djayz

2 minutes ago, djayz said:

People make mistakes. However, if we're traveling at speeds we can not control, that is when our mistakes can, and often do, result in the loss of life. 

and driving too fast in the wrong conditions is stupid. 'Speed' is from 1 kph to infinity.  You can have speed without stupidity. 

Edited October 6, 20205 yr by Pilotman

11 hours ago, seajae said:

When are the police actually going to clamp down on these cowboy truck drivers

and van drivers and bus drivers and car drivers, oh that's right they making a few hundred big bike riders jump through hoops to get a "special" licence, not that I disagree with this but it solves absolutely nothing, there is a bigger problem that they just totally fail to understand, people drive like lunatics because there is nothing to stop them, there are also some traffic regulations that need to be changed but the people in charge are appointed to their positions of authority not because they are qualified/educated to do the job

 

RIP to to the youngsters that sadly lost their lives, they were doing nothing wrong, makes me angry

11 hours ago, steven100 said:

don't look like a ' huge ' truck to me. 

 

Was thinking the same.

 

RIP.

11 hours ago, steven100 said:

don't look like a ' huge ' truck to me. 

Poor students, really sad as they were just getting the van to school and now they are gone.

very sad indeed.  RIP .... you will be missed but never forgotten

 

35 minutes ago, Don Mega said:

Was thinking the same.

 

RIP.

A 22 wheel combination like this one is one of the highest gross weight limit trucks at 50.5 Tonnes, 20 and 24 wheel combinations are the same, as is a 22 wheel artic unit. Maximum 50.5 Tonnes.

RIP Little ones.

https://transtec-group.com/การกำหนดพิกัดน้ำหนักบรรทุก/

15 minutes ago, LennyW said:

 

A 22 wheel combination like this one is one of the highest gross weight limit trucks at 50.5 Tonnes, 20 and 24 wheel combinations are the same, as is a 22 wheel artic unit. Maximum 50.5 Tonnes.

RIP Little ones.

https://transtec-group.com/การกำหนดพิกัดน้ำหนักบรรทุก/

So just a normal truck then and nothing "huge"about it.

 

Thanks for confirming.

11 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Flashing red means you don't have right of way and should be prepared to stop. The truck never even slowed down.

 

Flashing yellow means proceed with caution but be prepared to stop. The minivan never even slowed down.

 

Looks to me like NEITHER driver had much of a clue.

None of them do

Big ploblem in Thailand nobody gives way, one of the many things I taught my wife when learning to drive and approach traffic lights with caution even if they are on green dont just look straight ahead just coz they are on green,

As usual nobody take a look if there is incomming traffic at the intersection.

Most of them think they are alone on the road and other will avoid coalition.

Both enter the intersection at high speed only to sad drivers dont feel responseble for

taking kids/passengers save to the destination.

Reduse speed in bad weather conditions or bad roads or sharp curves is an inpossible task for all

they think they are good drivers 

speed !!!!!!  and thai driving standards !!!

13 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Flashing red means you don't have right of way and should be prepared to stop. The truck never even slowed down.

 

Flashing yellow means proceed with caution but be prepared to stop. The minivan never even slowed down.

 

Looks to me like NEITHER driver had much of a clue.

Not just me then. I thought just the same.   If I was driving the school bus and saw that truck to my left going at that speed I would have realised that if no one slows down there will be an impact , so damn obvious , well to me but I only drive a Vios not a school bus.

2 hours ago, Don Mega said:

So just a normal truck then and nothing "huge"about it.

 

Thanks for confirming.

As big (gross weight wise) as they get in Thailand, i guess to the reporter it was huge as he perhaps only knew in Thailand.