Fatal Truck Accident: Two Dead as Brake Failure Causes Collision in Phuket

[webfact]

 

On the afternoon of June 19, 2023, a horrifying truck accident took place in the Patong region of Phuket, Thailand, leaving two dead and a truck driver injured.

 

The incident was captured by nearby CCTV and dash cameras. A ten-wheel truck, whose brakes allegedly failed while descending a steep slope in Patong, crashed into an oncoming pickup truck with such force that it resulted in the instantaneous death of two people inside the pickup. The truck driver, identified as Mr. Piya Rattan, 38, suffered shoulder injuries and was rushed to Patong Hospital, reported Siam Rath.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

The collision site, located near Wat Suwan Kiriwong intersection on Phra Baramee Road, severely disrupted traffic on both uphill and downhill lanes due to wreckage obstruction. The affected vehicles included a yellow plated ten-wheel truck bearing registration number 71-1588 from Nakhon Pathom and a bronze Isuzu pickup registered in Phuket with the license plate number GJ 3231.

 

Within the wrecked pickup truck, rescue workers discovered the lifeless bodies of two men, Mr. Prasat and Mr. Khamet, aged 64 and 62 respectively. Utilizing specialist equipment, they extricated the victims from the wreckage before transporting them to Patong Hospital for post-mortem procedures.

 

Picture: Siam Rath

 

Preliminary inquiries hint at a possible malfunction or breakdown of the truck's braking system, which would have led to the driver losing control and colliding with the oncoming pickup truck.

 

Top Picture: Siam Rath

 

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[stoner]

9 minutes ago, webfact said:

Preliminary inquiries hint at a possible malfunction or breakdown of the truck's braking system

together with warp speed 4 right ? 

[sammieuk1]

Expect to see the trucks maintenance history drivers record and load weight details no time soon ????Rip

[ezzra]

It's a miracle that no more of such accidents are happening due to poor regular maintenance of heavy vehicles, where many of those vehicles don't see preventative maintenance until the trucks brake down.

[stevenl]

Unfortunately a regular occurrence there normally caused by overheating brakes due to poor brake usage 

[Artisi]

1 hour ago, sammieuk1 said:

Expect to see the trucks maintenance history drivers record and load weight details no time soon ????Rip

Yep, due any time now - in our deams ...

[Artisi]

57 minutes ago, stevenl said:

Unfortunately a regular occurrence there normally caused by overheating brakes due to poor brake usage 

The braking system has to be functional before they can overheat ......    

it's not overheating brakes or faulty brakes that cause these accidents, it's faulty brain function.     

[simon43]

Do these truck engines not have gears?

[Mr Janneman]

Brake fade, many truckdrivers don't know about this. 

[hotchilli]

5 hours ago, simon43 said:

Do these truck engines not have gears?

Only for going faster.

[stoner]

6 hours ago, simon43 said:

Do these truck engines not have gears?

yes

 

reverse, park, and turbo boost.

[kennw]

40 minutes ago, Mr Janneman said:

Brake fade, many truckdrivers don't know about this. 

Use the brakes too hard and for too long they heat up and "fade". Truck looking at long downhill run with heavy load are prime candidates, drivers should select lower gear and use engine braking.    

[Peterphuket]

7 hours ago, stevenl said:

Unfortunately a regular occurrence there normally caused by overheating brakes due to poor brake usage 

Downshifting to a lower gear the majority of riders have never heard of it, I already remember 25 years ago whether you were going up or down the hill, the mob kept driving in the same gear, downhill only hitting the brakes, uphill only shifting when the car came to a virtual standstill.

[RichardColeman]

Put one in prison for 30 years

 

Either  A. The driver. B. The Company Manager. C The maintenance staff

 

Or all of them, I'm not partial

 

[brianthainess]

10 hours ago, webfact said:

A ten-wheel truck, whose brakes allegedly failed while descending a steep slope in Patong,

It's so obvious he failed to select the right gear for the descent, causing probable brake fade, Thai driving at its normal level.

[Brick Top]

I have lived in Patong 22 years and the amount of times I have seen the same type of accidents on that stretch of the hill involving large lorries is just ridiculous. They are constantly using the air brakes  instead of engine breaking all the way down from the temple 2 km away.

By the time they get to the last bend descending into Patong of course they have completely run out of air and can't stop thus these dreadful accidents keep occurring time after time.

Why on earth are they allowed to drive these big lorries and busses without the simple knowledge of engine breaking. 

If that lorry had been in 2nd gear descending that last section of the  hill he could have easily negotiated those bends under full control of the lorry.

[LivinginKata]

1 hour ago, Brick Top said:

I have lived in Patong 22 years and the amount of times I have seen the same type of accidents on that stretch of the hill involving large lorries is just ridiculous

<snip>

And large coaches. They seem to use the straight through back road as a rat run and wind up in some house up a side street. Never remember a heavy truck doing that.  

[Deli]

4 hours ago, kennw said:

Use the brakes too hard and for too long they heat up and "fade". Truck looking at long downhill run with heavy load are prime candidates, drivers should select lower gear and use engine braking.    

Means drivers need a brain. No hap !

[PETERTHEEATER]

12 hours ago, simon43 said:

Do these truck engines not have gears?

No they do not. The gears are located in a separate unit known as...wait for it.....a gearbox! ????

[Grumpy one]

On 6/20/2023 at 7:56 AM, simon43 said:

Do these truck engines not have gears?

The caring driver not wanting to wear out any mechanical parts may have selected angel gear/ neutral for the run down hill. Followed by a loud scream of Oh ???? 

[actonion]

On 6/20/2023 at 7:56 AM, simon43 said:

Do these truck engines not have gears?

Knowing how / when to use those gears  would be  good

[Patong2]

A simple traffic police stop near the police box in the middle of the road before going up the hill

for every truck would have a couple of useful functions.

 

Many of the trucks are coming long distance and the police have a chance to look for obvious signs of tiredness and other impairment. (Just the same as they often check me on the Rawai/Patong road)

 

They would also check for the correct class of driving licence for the truck.

 

They could also remind the driver of the horrific number of traffic deaths on Patong Hill and instruct him to use lower ratio box and low gears to not only go up, but also to descend the hill until they are past the Wat at the bottom.

 

[brianthainess]

48 minutes ago, Grumpy one said:

The caring driver not wanting to wear out any mechanical parts may have selected angel gear/ neutral for the run down hill. Followed by a loud scream of Oh ???? 

Otherwise known as Hippy drive 

[Artisi]

4 hours ago, actonion said:

Knowing how / when to use those gears  would be  good

Therein lies the problem with the majority of flat country Thai drivers, anything higher than a speed hump creates a problem. 

[digger70]

Brake Failure is a combination from Brain Failure and driving too Fast downhill  in an Too High Gear in  an Overloaded truck.

One can't fix Stupid ,This  does happen often.

[xylophone]

23 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

And large coaches. They seem to use the straight through back road as a rat run and wind up in some house up a side street. Never remember a heavy truck doing that.  

Agree with that comment LiK and it was not long ago that a coach did that very same thing, and a couple of years prior to that either a coach or a truck coming down that same stretch of the hill wiped out a Toyota car when it squashed it against a concrete barrier, and all that could be seen was the car drivers arm hanging out of the open window. Brake failure was blamed again.

 

I agree with the many other comments about Thai large-vehicle drivers not being knowledgeable about engine braking, or indeed brake fade, and once you add to that the fact of poor maintenance schedules, then you have deadly results.

 

One minute you are driving along thinking about nothing in particular, or singing a song and within a split second you are completely wiped out. Unbelievable.

[anrcaccount]

On 6/20/2023 at 1:34 PM, hotchilli said:

Only for going faster.

Anyone who has spent any time in Thailand knows that they put it in N when going downhill, to save fuel, save money!

 

[anrcaccount]

On 6/20/2023 at 2:20 PM, Peterphuket said:

Downshifting to a lower gear the majority of riders have never heard of it, I already remember 25 years ago whether you were going up or down the hill, the mob kept driving in the same gear, downhill only hitting the brakes, uphill only shifting when the car came to a virtual standstill.

Spot on Peter.

 

N down the hill (save fuel, save $) , last minute downshift on the way up-  only needed once the vehicle almost stops.

 

Engine braking education would save many lives in Thailand.

 

[Artisi]

On 6/20/2023 at 7:23 PM, Brick Top said:

I have lived in Patong 22 years and the amount of times I have seen the same type of accidents on that stretch of the hill involving large lorries is just ridiculous. They are constantly using the air brakes  instead of engine breaking all the way down from the temple 2 km away.

By the time they get to the last bend descending into Patong of course they have completely run out of air and can't stop thus these dreadful accidents keep occurring time after time.

Why on earth are they allowed to drive these big lorries and busses without the simple knowledge of engine breaking. 

If that lorry had been in 2nd gear descending that last section of the  hill he could have easily negotiated those bends under full control of the lorry.

Do you really understand how air brakes operate?

Seems you don't, the air is used to release the brakes - not apply them - air brakes are a fail safe system, a loss of air applies the brakes 

[Brick Top]

Considering I had a fleet of of 5 lorries back in the UK and have had a HGV license since 1979 I  absolutely know what I am talking about.

It is yourself who has just shown your compleate ignorance of how air assisted brakes operate.

Have you ever even driven a heavy goods vehicle ? , I use to drive from Porstmouth in the UK across by ferry into Le Harve in France then through to Bordeaux , into Spain and was often away 3 weeks at time driving through continental Europe.

So I feel highly insulted by your comment.

If you had ever even driven even a small 7.5 ton lorry you would realise if that if you keep depressing the braks an alarm will sound warning you that your air is running low for the air assisted brakes.

There is also an air gauge showing your air pressure , if you keep continuing depressing the brakes while descending a hill the air pressure wont have enough time to repressurise by the compressor.

This is one of the first things we are taught when taking our 3 week HGV course .

If I were you I would delete your comment as your embarrassing yourself with your complete lack of knowledge either that or your one of these trolls who get off on trying to wind people up behind a keyboard.