American motorcyclist killed in head on collision in Phrae

[webfact]

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

Long district police in Phrae in the north of Thailand were called after a head on collision between a Mitsubishi car and a PCX 150 on the Lampang to Den Chai Road (KM 407-408) on Tuesday afternoon.

 

Dead at the scene was the motorcyclist, an American man called Mr Kenneth. 

 

Kiatsak, 23, the driver of the car said he had been celebrating a birthday on Tuesday by driving five relatives to make merit (tham bun) at a temple in Phrae.

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

They were returning home to Lampang. Two people in the car were slightly hurt. 

 

He described a head on collision with the motorcycle. 

 

The American was taken for autopsy at Long Hospital.

 

Picture: Chiang Mai News

 

Kiatsak is helping police with their inquiries. 

 

The Chiang Mai News report contained several clear and suspected errors and typos that Thaivisa has corrected. 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2021-05-27

 

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[LomSak27]

The reason my bigger bike sits nice and shiny,  in the condo car park.  ????

[NCC1701A]

this is a completely different version of this story. what i read yesterday was two trucks were over taking each other and ran this guy down like a dog. there is dashcam video. 

 

a PCX is not a motorcycle.

 

RIP

Edited May 27, 2021 by NCC1701A

[wprime]

Don't we drive on the left in Thailand?

[robblok]

Just now, LomSak27 said:

The reason my bigger bike sits nice and shiny,  in the condo car park.  ????

These roads scare me not the roads in BKK but these two way roads. Often cars don't even care what is on the incoming lane and just drift in it to overtake. I am not sure but it looks like the American was hit on his side of the road. 

[toofarnorth]

9 minutes ago, LomSak27 said:

The reason my bigger bike sits nice and shiny,  in the condo car park.  ????

Yep , anything can happen should you want to go for a ride on it.

[wprime]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

These roads scare me not the roads in BKK but these two way roads. Often cars don't even care what is on the incoming lane and just drift in it to overtake. I am not sure but it looks like the American was hit on his side of the road. 

 

It's not that they don't care, they are usually right up the bumper of the vehicle they want to overtake so they can't see past it. If they can't see anything, then they assume there's nothing there so they go.

 

For the same reason they're so slow at overtaking because they only start accelerating once they're in the overtaking lane.

 

[RobMuir]

Looks like they were doing roadworks there which might have been a contributing factor.

 

Or perhaps the American forgot which side of the road Thais drive on. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened.

[LomSak27]

6 minutes ago, robblok said:

These roads scare me not the roads in BKK but these two way roads

 

Owned bikes since I was in my mid twenties. Spent eight years commuting to work, on freeways, in Rain City, with a Suzuki. Bought a 300, nothing too big, for my last years in Nakhon Nowhere. Weekend touring. Had fun for 6 months, a year, then. 

Never knew him. He was a Brit out of Chiang Mai touring my area. Nice bike too. A pickup decided to pass on a downhill curve. No way out. From the picture I knew the exact location. Now, I drive the big bike around on Sundays, more than that, this semi lockdown year. I wash it, make it nice and shiny, but touring the North or Isaan?! Nope, that is not going to happen. 

 

Edited May 27, 2021 by LomSak27

[seajae]

the car is on the wrong side of the road plus the bits of bike are on the shoulder so looks like the driver pulled out to overake without checking for oncoming traffic which is the usual norm here, so many thai drivers seem to  think they can pull out and any oncoming traffic will move off the road so they dont have to slow down, they also think flashing their headlights gives them right of way. Cant cant the amount of times I have had to swerve to the extreme side of the road due to drivers/riders doing this at the last minute to pass a slower car/bike without eevn signalling their intent, I have got to the stage when they pull out and flash their headlights I flash mine back then hold them on and no longer move for them so they have no choice but to pull back in, actually learning the road rules would save many lives here especially if the police enforced them

Edited May 27, 2021 by seajae

[riclag]

Sad ! RIP buddy! 

Edited May 27, 2021 by riclag

[Denim]

35 minutes ago, RobMuir said:

Or perhaps the American forgot which side of the road Thais drive on. It wouldn't be the first time that has happened.

 

Possibly but in the picture the car is on the right side of the road not the left. Whether this is where it was during the collision is unknown.

[VocalNeal]

I've seen the video. Whilst the car was in the wrong, the PCX guy did not seem to take any evasive action. Just plowed straight into the front of the car. There was open ground and even a small section of shoulder to his left.  Which was an obvious escape route. can even be seen in the photos above.

RIP

Edited May 27, 2021 by VocalNeal

[thegreatbw]

8 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

I've seen the video. Whilst the car was in the wrong, the PCX guy did not seem to take any evasive action. Just plowed straight into the front of the car. There was open ground and even a small section of shoulder to his left.  Which was an obvious escape route. can even be seen in the photos above.

RIP

Curious, where did you find the video?

[VocalNeal]

^ Wife showed me a day or two ago on Thai media. It was the dash cam footage from the Mitsubishi.

[VocalNeal]

50 minutes ago, seajae said:

I flash mine back then hold them on and no longer move for them so they have no choice but to pull back in, actually learning the road rules would save many lives here especially if the police enforced them

 

Certainly would help if you learn the local rules of flashing. He who flashes first has the right of way.

[connda]

18 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

I've seen the video. Whilst the car was in the wrong, the PCX guy did not seem to take any evasive action. Just plowed straight into the front of the car. There was open ground and even a small section of shoulder to his left.  Which was an obvious escape route. can even be seen in the photos above.

RIP

Often people just freeze.  They don't see the escape hole, they just see what's coming.  Probably happened here.  RIP.

I drove a motorcycle the first ten years I was here, but in the last few years the motorcycles spends it's time parked in the car-port.
I don't feel comfortable anymore.  Even in this case you could have died if you were in a car too. 

Covid's a scary killer you say?  It doesn't even compare to this constant carnage on the roads.

[connda]

4 minutes ago, VocalNeal said:

 

Certainly would help if you learn the local rules of flashing. He who flashes first has the right of way.

Forget "flashing."  Drive with your lights on and flip them to full high beams when morons do moronic stuff.  Also look for the escape hatch.  Many Thais are simply suicidal.

Edited May 27, 2021 by connda

[WineOh]

anyone got a link to the dash cam video??

[RobMuir]

3 minutes ago, WineOh said:

anyone got a link to the dash cam video??

Yes, but I think it might be against the rules to post it.

Just google it yourself.

[mikebike]

10 minutes ago, Bronder said:

Riding a bike in this country is madness.

 

 

Oh how I love irrational generalizations...

 

I accept that for you and many others riding a bike here is madness.

 

For me it is breathing. Riding is my church and I worship everyday.

 

Scooter, cruiser, street fighter, dirtbike, and track bike. I have one of each and they all get overused.

 

16 yrs in Thailand and zero issues on two wheels.

 

To each his own.

[genobkk]

1 hour ago, NCC1701A said:

this is a completely different version of this story. what i read yesterday was two trucks were over taking each other and ran this guy down like a dog. there is dashcam video. 

 

a PCX is not a motorcycle.

 

RIP

Yes I saw the same dashcam.  I knew the him, he was really nice guy, so sad his life ended so suddenly   He will be missed

Edited May 27, 2021 by genobkk

[WineOh]

4 minutes ago, RobMuir said:

Yes, but I think it might be against the rules to post it.

Just google it yourself.

cant find it.

send to my inbox mate

[genobkk]

1 hour ago, seajae said:

the car is on the wrong side of the road plus the bits of bike are on the shoulder so looks like the driver pulled out to overake without checking for oncoming traffic which is the usual norm here, so many thai drivers seem to  think they can pull out and any oncoming traffic will move off the road so they dont have to slow down, they also think flashing their headlights gives them right of way. Cant cant the amount of times I have had to swerve to the extreme side of the road due to drivers/riders doing this at the last minute to pass a slower car/bike without eevn signalling their intent, I have got to the stage when they pull out and flash their headlights I flash mine back then hold them on and no longer move for them so they have no choice but to pull back in, actually learning the road rules would save many lives here especially if the police enforced them

This is exactly what happened 

[VocalNeal]

17 minutes ago, connda said:

Also look for the escape hatch. 

 

Yep. Scan continuously for the escape route. Or at least be aware of where potential ones exist. It is the riding/driving equivalent of "Never fly straight and level for more than 10 seconds in the combat zone"

Also when riding / driving never fixate on any point for more than 10 seconds.

Helps, if like me, you drive worst than the locals. Then the worst person to meet is yourself coming the other way. As my driving instructor once told me.

This might be a bit philosophical for some?

 

[VocalNeal]

3 minutes ago, genobkk said:

This is exactly what happened 

 

We are so happy you are sure?

[Walker88]

I have a pilot's license and used to play rounds of golf with some mil pilot friends. We'd often get into 'hours'. "5500", a C5A guy might say. "3800 for me" would come from maybe a C-130 jockey. Then a helo guy would say "500", and the mil pilots would be impressed as heck, given that the helo pilot was still alive after 'all those hours' Autorotation is not quite the same as a glide ratio of a winged aircraft.

 

Helo piloting, however, is low risk compared to driving a motorcycle in Thailand.

[Rampant Rabbit]

6  people  in a  sedan guess theyll  squeeze  in that then,  just "another  "  day  in paradise.

In my garage  sits a  shiny  hardly  used  Honda CBR650 but everytime I think about  going out I change my  mind,which is  sad.

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 hour ago, wprime said:

Don't we drive on the left in Thailand?

optional

[Rampant Rabbit]

1 hour ago, wprime said:

they only start accelerating once they're in the overtaking lane.

They don't,  they absolutely dawdle  when overtaking, best to  floor  it  if the road is  clear makes  entering the oncoming lane for as  short a  time as  possible.