Thailand Road Carnage: Three dead, three injured as pick-up collides head on with 10 wheel truck

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported from Chanthaburi on Thailand's eastern seaboard where three people died yesterday when a pick-up collided head on with a ten wheel truck.

 

It happened around 12 noon on Route 317 KM marker 76.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Five people all aged in their fifties were on their way in a Toyota pick-up to a hospital in Muang district to see a sick relative.

 

The driver of a 10 wheel truck taking animal feed to Sa Kaeo told police that in an area of roadworks he swerved to the right to miss a motorcycle with sidecar.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

In doing so he collided head on with the oncoming Toyota.

 

Dead at the scene inside the pick-up were Kanthong, 55, Teuan, 56 and 53 year old Kasem, all local people.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

The driver Khamree, 57, and another female passenger called Waree, 54, were taken to Soi Dao Hospital with grievous injuries. 

 

The driver of the ten wheeler, Suthep, 38, suffered only minor injuries from flying glass. 

 

 

-- © Copyright  ASEAN NOW 2022-09-17

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

 

Get your business in front of millions of customers who read ASEAN NOW with an interest in Thailand every month - email [email protected] for more information

[Denim]

The carnage goes on and on.

 

You could leave Thailand tomorrow , return in 10 years time , turn to the news and read of exactly the same thing happening somewhere.

 

The coin never drops.

[AsianAtHeart]

My first thought, upon seeing the straight roadway in the photo, was that it involved unsafe passing.  Reading the article, it was a matter of passing a motorcycle with a sidecar.  In this case, the truck driver is technically at fault for passing where it was unsafe to do so, but that motorcyclist with the sidecar would not have even been legal on the road in some countries for the express reason that it cannot keep up with traffic and is only a hazard.

 

When will people learn to reason from cause to effect?

 

I feel sorry for those in the pickup.  It looks like, due to the ongoing construction work, they had no way to safely avoid the accident.

[yeahbutif]

It says he pulled right to miss a motorcycle and sidecar... Sound like motorcycle and sidecar going wrong way.. towards on coming trafic..more like 

[toofarnorth]

4 minutes ago, yeahbutif said:

It says he pulled right to miss a motorcycle and sidecar... Sound like motorcycle and sidecar going wrong way.. towards on coming trafic..more like 

I read it as he pulled right to overtake the bike and sidecar. I wonder if he was taking a nap and pulled over at the last second straight into the on coming pick-up. Is the relative in hospital waiting for them wondering how much longer they will be.

[Wiggy]

Well, I guess the relative hasn’t got far to go to see them now as he can just pop down to the morgue. 

[mancub]

Unless, as is commonplace. the sidecar simply pulled out from a side road in front of the truck.

[Isaan sailor]

Size matters.

[poyai111]

Bad choice! Should have nudged the motorcycle and stayed in his lane.

[Bangkok Barry]

7 hours ago, AsianAtHeart said:

Reading the article, it was a matter of passing a motorcycle with a sidecar. 

The article doesn't say that he was passing it, but 'he swerved to the right to miss a motorcycle with sidecar.' That suggests to me that the motorcycle was going the wrong way, perfectly normal in Thailand where which side of the road you drive on is optional, especially if you are on a motorcycle. If that is the case then the motorcyclist needs to be prosecuted for causing death by reckless driving. But I'd guess he/she just vanished from the scene.

 

Or, I might be wrong.

[thailand49]

As a once licensed commercial driver and instructor endorsement. 

This is a case of lack of education for commercial drivers here in Thailand. I drive a lot here and seen Thai drivers to be very skilled physically man these guys are desensitized to the danger you got to have balls to tailgate a vehicle within meters handling basically tons of steel that is like a missle.  What is purely lacking is the mental aspect! 

Driving is about sharing the road it doesn't really matter if it was a motorbike, sidecarts,  or a ton of passengers in a pickup for one,  or a person simply walking side of the road. 

Any vehicle especially a ton of steel  you learn to get the big picture,  slow down,  and although human nature it is to avoid with a ton of steel the proper learning is to head straight and brake the best you can avoiding is the worse thing to do reason those in pickup are dead. It could have worse lost control roll over and if carrying hazardous material it becomes a larger problem.

Simply slowing down patience,  and sharing we wouldn't be reading and responding. R. I. P. 

These few principal would be a good start in their driver education system testing and to make sure it is learn back it up with 24/7 enforcement and a penalty to create enough doubt so it doesn't happen again. 

 

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by thailand49

[KhunBENQ]

On 9/17/2022 at 9:01 AM, webfact said:

in an area of roadworks he swerved to the right to miss a motorcycle with sidecar.

To break/slow down is not an option for our kings of the road. Roadworks, solid yellow line, all don't matter.

Should receive a heavy penalty.

RIP to the deceased.

 

Edited September 18, 2022 by KhunBENQ

[KhunBENQ]

On 9/17/2022 at 9:56 AM, yeahbutif said:

It says he pulled right to miss a motorcycle and sidecar... Sound like motorcycle and sidecar going wrong way.. towards on coming trafic..more like 

 

23 hours ago, mancub said:

Unless, as is commonplace. the sidecar simply pulled out from a side road in front of the truck.

Have you invested a view to the photo?

Pulling in from the side?

Where the hell in this construction area.
Wrong way? The truck driver would surely have claimed.

This idiot was simply not willing to slow down and drive behind the (annoying) side car until the road is clear or construction area ends.

[KhunBENQ]

19 hours ago, poyai111 said:

Bad choice! Should have nudged the motorcycle and stayed in his lane.

To the point.
But an everyday experience.

Is there a bus or heavy truck in oncoming convoy?

Prepare for the worst, lean to the shoulder and foot over the break pedal.

Buses are even worse. They make three lanes out of two.

[metisdead]

An offensive post has been reported and removed as well as a reply. 

[Gecko123]

Feed truck: Inattentive driving, grossly negligent failure to slow down to avoid hitting motorcycle. Excessive speed for road conditions, note construction activity. 100% legal liability for accident.

Pickup truck: Poor defensive driving skills. Feed truck approaching 3 wheel motorcycle at excessive speed should have caused pickup driver to brake sharply in anticipation that truck might be forced to move into oncoming traffic. Especially given number of passengers in vehicle, pickup driver should have erred on side of caution in order to protect safety of passengers.

Motorcycle: Legally on the road, appears to be completely not at fault.

[digger70]

Not enough info,

If the thruckie veered to the Right to avoid the M Bike  that could be that he was overtaking the M Bike if the M Bike was going Same direction and then Head on with the To Yo,

WRONG for sure. 

 

Could've veered to the Right to avoid the M Bike at the last second if the M Bike was in his lane going in the Wrong direction and couldn't slow down or stop  instead of the head on with the To Yo

Must have been sleeping or on the phone if he couldn't see the M Bike coming towards him, WRONG for sure.

[Liverpool Lou]

On 9/17/2022 at 9:56 AM, yeahbutif said:

It says he pulled right to miss a motorcycle and sidecar... Sound like motorcycle and sidecar going wrong way.. towards on coming trafic..more like 

"Sound like motorcycle and sidecar going wrong way.."

No, it doesn't, particularly if you read the link.

[Liverpool Lou]

23 hours ago, mancub said:

Unless, as is commonplace. the sidecar simply pulled out from a side road in front of the truck.

Or, as is commonplace, you didn't bother to read the link.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[Liverpool Lou]

18 hours ago, Bangkok Barry said:

On 9/17/2022 at 9:42 AM, AsianAtHeart said:

Reading the article, it was a matter of passing a motorcycle with a sidecar. 

The article doesn't say that he was passing it, but 'he swerved to the right to miss a motorcycle with sidecar.' That suggests to me that the motorcycle was going the wrong way, perfectly normal in Thailand where which side of the road you drive on is optional, especially if you are on a motorcycle. If that is the case then the motorcyclist needs to be prosecuted for causing death by reckless driving. But I'd guess he/she just vanished from the scene.

 

Or, I might be wrong

"Or, I might be wrong".

Nah, surely not.

 

"...he swerved to the right to miss a motorcycle with sidecar...".

Webfact's version of the original report does state that but the linked original  gives an explanation of what actually happened.

Edited September 18, 2022 by Liverpool Lou

[yeahbutif]

4 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

"Sound like motorcycle and sidecar going wrong way.."

No, it doesn't, particularly if you read the link.

he swerved to the right to miss a motorcycle with sidecar... Should have been slow down indicate and move right like all overtaking....if not true 

[Liverpool Lou]

22 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Feed truck: Inattentive driving, grossly negligent failure to slow down to avoid hitting motorcycle. Excessive speed for road conditions, note construction activity. 100% legal liability for accident.

Pickup truck: Poor defensive driving skills. Feed truck approaching 3 wheel motorcycle at excessive speed should have caused pickup driver to brake sharply in anticipation that truck might be forced to move into oncoming traffic. Especially given number of passengers in vehicle, pickup driver should have erred on side of caution in order to protect safety of passengers.

Motorcycle: Legally on the road, appears to be completely not at fault.

There you go. sorted.

[BangkokReady]

38 minutes ago, Gecko123 said:

Pickup truck: Poor defensive driving skills. Feed truck approaching 3 wheel motorcycle at excessive speed should have caused pickup driver to brake sharply in anticipation that truck might be forced to move into oncoming traffic. Especially given number of passengers in vehicle, pickup driver should have erred on side of caution in order to protect safety of passengers.

And were seatbelts worn?

[mancub]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Or, as is commonplace, you didn't bother to read the link.

And you appear to have chosen to overlook the fact that I used the term "unless" . But who cares ?

[mancub]

2 hours ago, KhunBENQ said:

 

Have you invested a view to the photo?

Pulling in from the side?

Where the hell in this construction area.
Wrong way? The truck driver would surely have claimed.

This idiot was simply not willing to slow down and drive behind the (annoying) side car until the road is clear or construction area ends.

Clearly you are witness to more information than most, and possibly have never witnessed people drive sometimes on roads under construction, if it suits.

[richard_smith237]

21 hours ago, poyai111 said:

Bad choice! Should have nudged the motorcycle and stayed in his lane.

Should have been looking ahead and seen the motorcycle-side-car and slowed down.... 

 

So...

- Did the truck driver see the motorcycle-sidecar too late and couldn’t slow down so had to avoid. 

- Did the truck driver simply over take the motorcycle-sidecar, not wanting to slow down and expected the pick up to ‘move out of the way’ 

 

 

1 hour ago, Gecko123 said:

Motorcycle: Legally on the road, appears to be completely not at fault.

These ‘food-samlors’....   are they road legal ? 

 

 

Possible root cause:

1) Construction, narrower road, no space (frontage for slower motorcycle-sidecar to ride on).

2) motorcycle-sidecar - road legality? I don’t think they are road legal, should never be on a highway.

3) Lorry driver - Lorry driving too fast. 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

And were seatbelts worn?

I’m not sure they’d have made a difference... 

 

 

[BangkokReady]

4 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

I’m not sure they’d have made a difference... 

 

 

True.  Might have saved one of them though.  Can't exactly see clearly from the angle.  Hence it is better to wear them just in case.

 

I guess head on, at speed, flipping into or under the front of the truck.  Shame the truck driver couldn't have paid a little more attention, or the bike driver couldn't stay off the fast road.

 

TiT.

[richard_smith237]

23 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

True.  Might have saved one of them though.  Can't exactly see clearly from the angle.  Hence it is better to wear them just in case.

Absolutely agree.... would never suggest otherwise. 

 

23 minutes ago, BangkokReady said:

I guess head on, at speed, flipping into or under the front of the truck.  Shame the truck driver couldn't have paid a little more attention, or the bike driver couldn't stay off the fast road.

Very slow vehicles on faster roads is lethal. 

 

This is one of the major issues, even on Bangkoks Soi’s...  we have car’s travelling 30-50kmh and sometimes up to 80kmh down sukhumvit road, then a street-vendor walking their food trolley, trolley full of brushes etc down the road.... forcing traffic to stop, backup and go around etc... 

 

Samlor's are not so much of a problem on Bangkok’s streets because they are most of the time moving with the traffic - but enter the highway and its a different story. 

 

Then there is Somchai in his beaten up old pickup... he’s sitting there at 30kmh, hugging closely to the right side of the right most lane of an interprovincial highway... his U-Turn is 1kmh ahead. 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

7 hours ago, mancub said:

9 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Or, as is commonplace, you didn't bother to read the link.

And you appear to have chosen to overlook the fact that I used the term "unless" . But who cares ?

You have chosen to overlook the fact that I used the word "or".   But, who cares?