Two children dead in school van after car driver gets overtaking move wrong

[webfact]

Picture: Thai Rath

 

Thai Rath reported that Muang Phichit police and rescue services in central/NE Thailand were called to KM 98-99 on the Phichit to Sak Lek Road in Pa Makhap sub-district after a collision between three vehicles.

 

A Hyundai utility vehicle had collided head on with a school van full of students. 

 

Also at the scene was a Toyota car with damage. 

 

Rescue services had to cut out victims from the school van wreckage.

 

At one point sparks from the equipment ignited a fire. The van had an LPG gas tank.

 

Crowds were told to stand back as a water truck was brought in.

 

18 people mostly students were hurt. Later it was confirmed that two students had died. 

 

The injured were taken to two hospitals in the Phichit area.

 

The driver of the Toyota admitted to getting a passing move wrong and clipping the back of the school van that was then driven off course into the path of the oncoming Hyundai resulting in the devastation. 

 

That was the initial sense of the accident but police are continuing the investigation looking at all angles. 

 

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[ChrisY1]

Lunatics on the roads everywhere!...Overtake when a vehicle is coming the other way..no problem at all!

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, ChrisY1 said:

Lunatics on the roads everywhere!...Overtake when a vehicle is coming the other way..no problem at all!

Where was it reported that was what happened here?

[worgeordie]

25 minutes ago, webfact said:

The driver of the Toyota admitted to getting a passing move wrong and clipping the back of the school van

A driver actually admitting he caused the accident , a first for me, 

it's usually road conditions, vehicles fault , or other drivers. 

RIP the young ones who lost their lives..

regards worgeordie

[Dmaxdan]

There is no way I would ever put a child of mine in one of these school buses.

They are packed in like sardines with a driver up front who almost certainly has no understanding of the meaning of the phrase "health and safety".

I've witnessed for myself the corner cutting, illegal  maneuvers these school bus drivers do just to save a few seconds.

They are an accident waiting to happen particularly with the many reckless drivers that plague Thai roads everyday.

The kids safety is not a priority within these old and poorly maintained and driven vehicles.

 

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, Liverpool Lou said:

1 hour ago, ChrisY1 said:

Lunatics on the roads everywhere!...Overtake when a vehicle is coming the other way..no problem at all!

Where was it reported that was what happened here?

In the Op... The Hyundai was the on-coming vehicle... 

 

That said - it looks like the road is one with two lanes in each direction, so overtaking itself may not be an issue... but overtaking so close and timing it so poorly obviously was - as ChrisY1 mentioned, lunatics... 

 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The driver of the Toyota admitted to getting a passing move wrong and clipping the back of the school van that was then driven off course into the path of the oncoming Hyundai resulting in the devastation. 

Any road in Thailand without a ‘central divide’ is utterly lethal and frightening...  

[richard_smith237]

18 minutes ago, Dmaxdan said:

There is no way I would ever put a child of mine in one of these school buses.

They are packed in like sardines with a driver up front who almost certainly has no understanding of the meaning of the phrase "health and safety".

I've witnessed for myself the corner cutting, illegal  maneuvers these school bus drivers do just to save a few seconds.

They are an accident waiting to happen particularly with the many reckless drivers that plague Thai roads everyday.

The kids safety is not a priority within these old and poorly maintained and driven vehicles.

In this case it was not the van drivers fault...  the van was clipped by the over-taking Toyota driving extremely recklessly... 

 

That said: I agree with you about the safety of the school vans, we will not use them, but, in a country where most kids travel to school in the back of a modified truck what else can we expect ?

.....  are there even seatbelts in many of them ???.... 

 

 

[Tarteso]

What a pity of students.. with a big Trauma for a long time. I guess.

 

RIP

[bangon04]

"Rescue services had to cut out victims from the school van wreckage.

At one point sparks from the equipment ignited a fire. The van had an LPG gas tank.

Crowds were told to stand back as a water truck was brought in.

18 people mostly students were hurt. Later it was confirmed that two students had died. "

 

Letus hope that the rescue services did not add to the death toll......

[Srikcir]

In a country where no expense is spared by the State to provide the military annually with expensive aircraft, ships and ground vehicles, have you ever seen a State-owned (Minister of Education?) school (yellow) bus designed to safely transport students? No excuse.

[Bangkok Barry]

2 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

There is no way I would ever put a child of mine in one of these school buses.

They are packed in like sardines with a driver up front who almost certainly has no understanding of the meaning of the phrase "health and safety".

I've witnessed for myself the corner cutting, illegal  maneuvers these school bus drivers do just to save a few seconds.

They are an accident waiting to happen particularly with the many reckless drivers that plague Thai roads everyday.

The kids safety is not a priority within these old and poorly maintained and driven vehicles.

 

Nice rant. But the school van driver didn't cause the accident.

[Bangkok Barry]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Any road in Thailand without a ‘central divide’ is utterly lethal and frightening.

But then you get having to do an often fatal U-turn. There is no safety on Thai roads. 

[swm59nj]

RIP the people that lost their lives in this horrible accident.

The driver that allegedly caused the accident at least manned up and took responsibility.  More than what most people do.  But that is not going to erase the damage and loss of life caused by the accident .  

[billd766]

2 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

There is no way I would ever put a child of mine in one of these school buses.

They are packed in like sardines with a driver up front who almost certainly has no understanding of the meaning of the phrase "health and safety".

I've witnessed for myself the corner cutting, illegal  maneuvers these school bus drivers do just to save a few seconds.

They are an accident waiting to happen particularly with the many reckless drivers that plague Thai roads everyday.

The kids safety is not a priority within these old and poorly maintained and driven vehicles.

 

But the school bus did NOT cause the accident in this case so blaming the driver and/or the bus is simply victim blaming.

 

Point your finger of blame at the driver of the Toyota car with damage who admitted to getting a passing move wrong and clipping the back of the school van and pushing it into the path of the Hyundai utility vehicle who then collided head on with a school van full of students. 

 

 

[keithkarmann]

2 hours ago, Dmaxdan said:

There is no way I would ever put a child of mine in one of these school buses.

They are packed in like sardines with a driver up front who almost certainly has no understanding of the meaning of the phrase "health and safety".

I've witnessed for myself the corner cutting, illegal  maneuvers these school bus drivers do just to save a few seconds.

They are an accident waiting to happen particularly with the many reckless drivers that plague Thai roads everyday.

The kids safety is not a priority within these old and poorly maintained and driven vehicles.

 

That's why we take our five year old daughter to school every day 33km each way a total if 132km every day. But a lot of Thais can't afford to do that. 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, webfact said:

The driver of the Toyota admitted to getting a passing move wrong and clipping the back of the school van that was then driven off course into the path of the oncoming Hyundai resulting in the devastation. 

Ten years in jail for manslaughter.. should help him think about his driving skills.

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

In a country where no expense is spared by the State to provide the military annually with expensive aircraft, ships and ground vehicles, have you ever seen a State-owned (Minister of Education?) school (yellow) bus designed to safely transport students? No excuse.

A state owned yellow school bus with a suicide jockey?

[RichardColeman]

Should be two life sentences for manslaughter added to this story 

[Aussieroaming]

RIP kids, more innocent souls lost to Thwilwnds road toll.

 

The PM of the country is prancing around trying to score brownie points by proclaiming more "Smart Cities" whilst ignoring Thailands appalling road accident record. The sheer number of injured and maimed people weighing down the health system must be astronomical in scale and the politicians don't want to be seen near this elephant in the room.

 

As for the public, they reap what they sow on the roads on a daily basis because of the selfish driving seen here.

 

 

[Confuscious]

5 hours ago, Srikcir said:

In a country where no expense is spared by the State to provide the military annually with expensive aircraft, ships and ground vehicles, have you ever seen a State-owned (Minister of Education?) school (yellow) bus designed to safely transport students? No excuse.

That military (Junta) government was applauded and welcomed by ThaiVisa members were welcoming Tugsuban and his croonies of the PAD.

You got what you wished for.

Som Nam Naa

[Confuscious]

10 minutes ago, Aussieroaming said:

RIP kids, more innocent souls lost to Thwilwnds road toll.

 

The PM of the country is prancing around trying to score brownie points by proclaiming more "Smart Cities" whilst ignoring Thailands appalling road accident record. The sheer number of injured and maimed people weighing down the health system must be astronomical in scale and the politicians don't want to be seen near this elephant in the room.

 

As for the public, they reap what they sow on the roads on a daily basis because of the selfish driving seen here.

 

 

The PM of this country is in the first place a military who don't give a rats ass about 1 citizen.
That what they learned in the military school.

And judging the jerk reaction of the politicians lately, they have all the IQ of an amoebe when it comes to governing the country.

 

[Lucky Bones]

8 hours ago, ChrisY1 said:

Lunatics on the roads everywhere!...Overtake when a vehicle is coming the other way..no problem at all!

Agreed. Sadly it is considered safe to overtake when the car in front of you overtakes.????????

[Confuscious]

5 hours ago, swm59nj said:

RIP the people that lost their lives in this horrible accident.

The driver that allegedly caused the accident at least manned up and took responsibility. More than what most people do. But that is not going to erase the damage and loss of life caused by the accident .  

Are you sure about that?
What if the 2 students died because of the inaptitude of the rescue services who caused a fire?

[billd766]

24 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

Are you sure about that?
What if the 2 students died because of the inaptitude of the rescue services who caused a fire?

And did they die due to a fire?

 

More whataboutery rubbish.

[PETERTHEEATER]

7 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

.........are there even seatbelts in many of them ???....

Of course there are; it's the law.......????

[Will B Good]

I drive the wife no more than a km every morning and every evening to and from her sugarcane fields along country roads............. typically I would have three, low level, near misses most days.

 

Un*******believable.

[KhaoNiaw]

6 hours ago, swm59nj said:

 

The driver that allegedly caused the accident at least manned up and took responsibility.  

It was a woman.