Thai road carnage latest: Trucker crushed to death in "collision of the giants"

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath called it the collision of the giants when an 18 wheel truck trailer slammed into the back of a ten wheel truck last night.

 

It happened at the Nong Saray intersection in Kanchanaburi in western Thailand where Phanom Thuan police and rescue services attended.

 

Sila Soingam, 26, from Ratchaburi was pinned inside his cab but still alive as rescuers cut him free.

 

But he was soon pronounced dead after being extricated.

 

Police blamed tailgating after the truck in from braked and the one to the rear was unable to stop in time. 

 

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[Dmaxdan]

This accident looks like it may have occurred at a set of traffic lights.

So I'm willing to bet that the lights were changing from green to red and the truck a the rear was trying to force the other truck through the red light by tailgating.

Only the truck in front chose to abide by the law, brake sharply and stop.

[actonion]

These are Thailands Profesional  (Drivers) ....at least 4  truck  accidents this month

[Tropicalevo]

3 minutes ago, actonion said:

These are Thailands Profesional  (Drivers) ....at least 4  truck  accidents this month

Thailand wide, I expect that you could add a zero onto the end of that number. ????

[hotchilli]

Just another day on Thailands notoriously dangerous roads... 

Glad he wasn't following me down the road.

[rwill]

5 hours ago, webfact said:

Police blamed tailgating after the truck in from braked and the one to the rear was unable to stop in time.

When I drive here I try to keep a safe distance from the car in front of me.  But it is very difficult because even if you leave a little space someone is going to cut into to it.  It sometimes feels like I am going backwards from all the cars cutting into my safety space.

[EVENKEEL]

Odd how all trucks are cab overs here.

[ratcatcher]

9 minutes ago, EVENKEEL said:

Odd how all trucks are cab overs here.

Maybe something to do with overall vehicle length regulations? North American  & Aussie truckers prefer conventional tractors rather than cab-over which are most common in Europe and Asia.  If this young trucker had been behind the wheel of a conventional, he may have survived.  However his lack of driving skill caused his demise. 

[Burma Bill]

Rear driver had eyes "glued" to a smartphone??

[The Old Bull]

You know you are in Thailand if you run a red light and look in the mirror and see three more vehicles come after you.

[bluejets]

21 hours ago, webfact said:

Police blamed tailgating

Damage like this to the rear truck shows a rather large difference in speed.

Doubt very much it was "tailgating" , more like sleeping or talking on the phone and didn't see the truck in front stopped.

[Road Warrior]

speeding again am sure !!   when will thais learn to drive ???? as the highway code of practice .. WHATS THAT  they say !!!

[Confuscious]

On 1/28/2022 at 10:34 AM, actonion said:

These are Thailands Profesional  (Drivers) ....at least 4  truck  accidents this month

"Thailand Profesional Drivers"???????

Best joke I heard today.

Did you ever applied for a "One Man entertaining show"?

[SW Happy]

On 1/28/2022 at 10:18 AM, Dmaxdan said:

This accident looks like it may have occurred at a set of traffic lights.

So I'm willing to bet that the lights were changing from green to red and the truck a the rear was trying to force the other truck through the red light by tailgating.

Only the truck in front chose to abide by the law, brake sharply and stop.

I think your spot on.  I was a passenger in a truck in the Uk many years ago, same thing happened. Truck in front stopped at lights last minute, the truck I was passenger in thought he was going through and then unable to stop in time. BOOM.  luckily neither I nor driver were seriously injured, although the truck was writ off, Lucky.

[Boycie]

On 1/29/2022 at 7:54 AM, bluejets said:

Damage like this to the rear truck shows a rather large difference in speed.

Doubt very much it was "tailgating" , more like sleeping or talking on the phone and didn't see the truck in front stopped.

Correct, video in the link  https://www.thairath.co.th/news/local/central/2299352

[sapson]

On 1/28/2022 at 10:05 AM, webfact said:

the collision of the giants

Are these news items written by a seven year old?

[bobandyson]

11 minutes ago, sapson said:

Are these news items written by a seven year old?

Close. Written by an adult Thai.

[seajae]

looking at the pic it appears that the front truck had had an illegal modification to extend the bed/framework  of the truck over a metre so he could carry more plus the rear lights were more than likely under this extension so they couldnt be seen clearly, the usual thing you see on the roads here with the trucks having a load sticking out well over the end of the true bed/framework. The truck that hit him is under this extension so you have to wonder if there was no extension if the driver would have died. The police refuse to enforce the road laws on trucks and you can see them lining up in the afternoons getting ready to do their runs with their illegal extensions during the night  & its all approved by the police for their bonus payment to allow it. Have to wonder if the driver of the front truck will be done for the illegal extension as without it the driver behind may have lived  but again that would need the police to do their job and to admit they were paid to allow it, face comes first so it will be brushed under the carpet so they can continue to benefit from charging for the illegal loads

[spidermike007]

Just a few days ago, I was driving along at about 110kph, on a good, straight stretch of highway. A safe speed. And some joker cuts in front of me with his pickup truck. Within two meters in front of me, then slams on his brakes. I guess he never stopped to look at the lane he was cutting into to see that there was no room for him! I slammed on my brakes to avoid the numnut, and barely missed him. Would have been a horrific crash. Why? What was the point of him changing lanes? Why didn't he look first? Who changes lanes without looking first, when they are doing over 100 kph? Why so little regard for his wife, and for others? Where does that mentality come from? Why do Thais seem so polite, yet when they get into a car, everything they have ever learned in life goes right out the window? Why so little in the way of common sense, reason, and the ability to be careful and maintain some vision? Why such idiocy? The apparent lack of skill and peripheral awareness on the road here is very scary.

[GroveHillWanderer]

Looking at that video, it's not so clear exactly what has happened here. It certainly wasn't tailgating - the truck in front had been stopped for at least ten seconds before being hit from behind.

 

But it didn't look like there was a red light either (and the article doesn't say there was) - other cars were continuing to drive through the intersection right up to and even after the collision occurred. Yes, I know some cars always go through the light on red but this was way, way beyond the normal time for that to happen.

 

From the video is almost seems as if the truck in front has stopped for no apparent reason. There's still no good explanation I can think of why the other truck doesn't seem to see the one in front, though - he doesn't even start to brake, just plows straight into the back of him.

[KhunBENQ]

7 minutes ago, GroveHillWanderer said:

Looking at that video, it's not so clear exactly what has happened here.

You overlooked an important fact.

Right indicator(s) flashing.

This truck in front simply wanted to turn right!

However bad his back-lights (indicator) might have been: the road/intersection is illuminated!

The crash pilot is (was) another criminal at the wheel.

Sorry for his family but good that he is off the road.