Family Holiday Turns Tragic: 8 Dead and 3 Critically Injured in Horrific Accident

[webfact]

 

A family holiday turned tragic in Narathiwat City when a pickup truck, filled with family members and children enjoying their school break, violently collided with a tree following a sudden tyre explosion.

 

The horrifying accident occurred on October 11, when the right front tyre of the black Toyota pickup  unexpectedly burst, causing the vehicle to lose control and crash, reported Thai Rath. 

 

The incident, which took place on Ban Kueba Dado Road, resulted in the tragic loss of eight lives, including both adults and children, and left three others severely injured.

 

Rescue workers from Mettatham Narathiwat Foundation, alongside police officers, rushed to the scene, where they were confronted with a horrifying sight of lifeless bodies and severely injured victims amidst the wreckage.

 

The injured were promptly transported to Yingo and Ra Ngae hospitals, where medical staff battled to stabilize their conditions.

 

Preliminary investigation reveals that the driver, Santi Radroong Sunthorn, who also lost his life in the accident, was a resident of Rueso district. He was driving his family and neighbors’ children for a leisure trip to Narathiwat City.

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

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[Pique Dard]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

The horrifying accident occurred on October 11, when the right front tyre of the black Toyota pickup  unexpectedly burst

RIP...yet i can't help wondering about "unexpectedly", did the driver check the condition of his tyres before getting behind the wheel?

[Gottfrid]

Even more important! Did they wear seatbelts? Was the Toyota made to transport 11 people? How many was sitting outside together with the cargo? As a last question, how quick where they driving?

Edited October 12, 2023 by Gottfrid

[Skipalongcassidy]

It is a tragedy... a tragedy that life is valued so little that a family of 11 would be allowed to be loaded into a five passenger pickup truck... 

[LivinLOS]

1 hour ago, Pique Dard said:

RIP...yet i can't help wondering about "unexpectedly", did the driver check the condition of his tyres before getting behind the wheel?

yeah.. always inanimate objects like brakes or tires that just 'fail' never any hint that speed, condition, servicing, or aspects that cause some form of responsibility are questioned. 

Face.. Keeping asia back for generations. 

[richard_smith237]

Wow...horrific and yes, a horrendous tragedy.

 

BUT.. as other posters have already mentioned, there were surely contributing factors here which would point the finger of accountability at the driver / owner of the vehicle...

 

Firstly - the condition of the tyres, over inflated, old, cracked ??... I very much doubt the tyres were new and at the correct presures.

... and yes, I check the type pressures on our car and on my motorcycle regularly (there is rarely any drift beyond 2-3 psi), I also changed the car tyres after 4 years because they were showing signs of age. 

 

Secondly - No seatbelts & overloading pickup trucks piling people in the flat bed of the truck, this is illegal, yet there have been so many confusing contradictory announcements by authorities that they will then won't penalise people drivers for having people in the flat bed. 

 

Thirdly - Speed, was the driver going recklessly fast with so many people in his truck which was clearly in less than 'drivable' condition ?

 

 

-----

I'm sure we'll read a few 'special' comments that the 'article' didn't mention the condition of the tyres or the speed the vehicle was going etc.... of course the above comments are assumptions, but they are assumptions based on every-day observations here in Thailand and thus present an element of probability which edges towards likelihood. 

 

2 hours ago, LivinLOS said:

yeah.. always inanimate objects like brakes or tires that just 'fail' never any hint that speed, condition, servicing, or aspects that cause some form of responsibility are questioned. 

Face.. Keeping asia back for generations. 

And as for this comment... I couldn't agree more.... 

 

 

 

Yet more completely avoidable carnage which isn't a one-off horrific event but a daily occurrence in most provinces throughout the nation - The repeated needless and avoidable deaths of so many in our 'adopted country' is heartbreaking...   

 

I really wish authorities in Thailand cared more about its population to trigger them into actively taking control of this situation. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sammieuk1]

Nothing to do with overloading speeding sleeping maintenance just an accident ????Rip

[richard_smith237]

Just now, sammieuk1 said:

Nothing to do with overloading speeding sleeping maintenance just an accident ????Rip

Do you think the tyre would have still 'blown out' if it was in good condition at the correct pressures?

 

I had a 'blow out' years ago, I didn't call it an accident. My tyre pressures were too low.

I didn't call it an accident, I called it my fault !!!... 

 

 

While the incident was obviously unexpected and unintentional, it would not appear that this it occurred by chance without apparent cause... 

 

The cause of the incident is apparent - tires unfit for use. 

The cause of the high number of deaths is also apparent, transporting a number of people in a vehicle not designed for carrying people which was also unfit for use. 

 

 

While we can be sympathetic to the tragedy of the incident, the realities are that this was caused by human negligence and as such was completely avoidable, thus not an 'accident'.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[novacova]

A possibility of a hazardous object in the road causing a puncture in the tire.  No one here knows, all assumptions null…as usual.

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, novacova said:

A possibility of a hazardous object in the road causing a puncture in the tire.  No one here knows, all assumptions null…as usual.

Its a discussion forum... IF no assumption or discussion is to be entertained then we'd be reading a 'news site' not a forum to which we take part and contribute. 

 

Back on topic: 

Would a nail or something similar cause a good tyre inflated to the correct pressures to 'blow out' ???

OR, was it the most common cause of blow-out... under-inflation.

 

Was it a blow-out at all, or is this just the driver making an excuse and blaming something else ?

 

The road looks quite small (a minor road) - I wonder how fast the driver was going to cause so much damage. 

 

--------

 

Slightly off topic... In a seemingly 'remote area' (looking at the road)...  the scene is crowed with onlookers.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[stoner]

nothing tragic about foolishly overloading a vehicle.

[Liverpool Lou]

25 minutes ago, novacova said:

A possibility of a hazardous object in the road causing a puncture in the tire.  No one here knows, all assumptions null…as usual.

C'mon, suggesting a rational possible explanation as opposed to the par-for-the-course, moronic, chronic Thai-bashing assertions won't go down well here!

[Liverpool Lou]

19 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Was it a blow-out at all, or is this just the driver making an excuse and blaming something else ?

"...just the driver making an excuse..."

The driver is dead.

The tyre burst as he was overtaking another pickup.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[novacova]

18 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its a discussion forum... IF no assumption or discussion is to be entertained then we'd be reading a 'news site' not a forum to which we take part and contribute. 

 

Back on topic: 

Would a nail or something similar cause a good tyre inflated to the correct pressures to 'blow out' ???

OR, was it the most common cause of blow-out... under-inflation.

 

Was it a blow-out at all, or is this just the driver making an excuse and blaming something else ?

 

The road looks quite small (a minor road) - I wonder how fast the driver was going to cause so much damage. 

 

--------

 

Slightly off topic... In a seemingly 'remote area' (looking at the road)...  the scene is crowed with onlookers.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

….good grief already, coming up with assumptions as a knowall and foolishly attempting to deduce is nothing but an assumption.  Go do a thorough investigation and report back.

[novacova]

10 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

C'mon, suggesting a rational possible explanation as opposed to the par-for-the-course, moronic, chronic Thai-bashing assertions won't go down well here!

Rational possible explanations seems to be taken as truth for some 

[Liverpool Lou]

1 minute ago, novacova said:

Rational possible explanations seems to be taken as truth for some 

Not here, your rational possibility will never be accepted as reasonable by most AN posters.   

You do understand that I was supporting your comment, don't you?

[novacova]

17 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

  You do understand that I was supporting your comment, don't you?

Yes, fully ????
though I wasn’t minimizing your comment.

Edited October 12, 2023 by novacova

[NorthernRyland]

Thai's don't know how close they get to dying when on the roads and when it finally happens it's a big shock to them. Sad but they will never learn. At least they didn't get another family killed too.

[Classic Ray]

Many people here think the same about child passengers as they do about the sacks of cement or labourers usually carried in their pickup beds. Even hisos rarely use child seats in their saloons.

 

These same people cannot afford minibuses  which are considerably more expensive than pickups, and trust to Buddha or Allah that when they carry multiple people on pickup beds or motorcycles that nothing will happen or they could not prevent it. Police never enforce the laws anyway.

Edited October 12, 2023 by Classic Ray

[bignok]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

Its a discussion forum... IF no assumption or discussion is to be entertained then we'd be reading a 'news site' not a forum to which we take part and contribute. 

 

Back on topic: 

Would a nail or something similar cause a good tyre inflated to the correct pressures to 'blow out' ???

OR, was it the most common cause of blow-out... under-inflation.

 

Was it a blow-out at all, or is this just the driver making an excuse and blaming something else ?

 

The road looks quite small (a minor road) - I wonder how fast the driver was going to cause so much damage. 

 

--------

 

Slightly off topic... In a seemingly 'remote area' (looking at the road)...  the scene is crowed with onlookers.. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

True but its constant attacks. Thais no good, pm no good. Everything no good.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Even more important! Did they wear seatbelts? Was the Toyota made to transport 11 people? How many was sitting outside together with the cargo? As a last question, how quick where they driving?

Thailand excepts these completely avoidable massacres  as daily "incidents.

Forgotten by tonight.

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

2 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Was it a blow-out at all, or is this just the driver making an excuse and blaming something else ?

"...just the driver making an excuse..."

The driver is dead.

The tyre burst as he was overtaking another pickup.

Thanks... I missed that in the Op (link)...  

 

How does a 'tyre burst'  and blow out... 

 

I've driven over sharp objects that have caused puncture, but not the catastrophic blowout described. 

I've had a catastrophic blowout which was completely my own fault as my tires were under-inflated. 

 

 

I guess hitting a 'pot hole' could cause a instant / catastrophic blowout... 

 

 

 

 

[Denim]

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Firstly - the condition of the tyres, over inflated, old, cracked ??... I very much doubt the tyres were new and at the correct presures.

I've seen worse. There might have been a nail or screw on the road that caused the puncture. Even a pothole. Has happened to me a few times over the years. 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

2 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

2 hours ago, novacova said:

A possibility of a hazardous object in the road causing a puncture in the tire.  No one here knows, all assumptions null…as usual.

C'mon, suggesting a rational possible explanation as opposed to the par-for-the-course, moronic, chronic Thai-bashing assertions won't go down well here!

It's all part of the 'discussion'... what happened ? how was it caused ? possible explanations etc.

 

Suggesting that the tyres may not have been at operating pressure is not a Thai bash, its the most common cause of blow-outs.

 

 

Loading the pickup with passengers in the flatbed is fact... 

 

 

Is it a Thai bash to suggest that there are many poorly maintained vehicles on the road onto which people are loaded and placed at risk and as such its a possibility that this was the case here ?

 

I don't think it's a Thai bash so much as stating an a degree of likelihood.

 

It seems when anyone has anything to comment on about Thailand or Thai's which is not wholly positive there is always someone levying the accusation of 'Thai Bashing'...  Yet, I know many Thai's who make exactly the same assumptions...    It would appear for some that we (non-Thai's) are not permitted to make observations about Thailand which aren't flattering otherwise we are accused of being Thai bashers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

7 minutes ago, Denim said:

3 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

Firstly - the condition of the tyres, over inflated, old, cracked ??... I very much doubt the tyres were new and at the correct presures.

I've seen worse. There might have been a nail or screw on the road that caused the puncture. Even a pothole. Has happened to me a few times over the years. 

 

 

To be fair, the tyres look as if they are in decent condition, but so were mine when I had a blow-out.

We can't tell from the picture if they were at 15 psi or 36 psi... 

 

From the photo's the road looks very rural, but in good condition, I don't see any potholes etc.

 

I've gone over nails and screws etc... they haven't caused a blow-out...  

 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

20 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

How does a 'tyre burst'  and blow out... 

 

I've driven over sharp objects that have caused puncture, but not the catastrophic blowout described. 

Depends what debris in the road it hits and which part of the tyre is impacted, not everything is a small nail or screw.  You've been lucky, the driver and his passengers weren't, why condemn him with no evidence apart from assumed generalities?

Edited October 12, 2023 by Liverpool Lou

[richard_smith237]

37 minutes ago, bignok said:

True but its constant attacks. Thais no good, pm no good. Everything no good.

There are plenty of wonderful things in Thailand, thats why many of us are here. 

 

However, on a thread such as this we're not going to be discussing the wonderful food and beaches...   the subject of driving and vehicle maintenance will naturally surface.

 

Some want to consider it a Thai-bash... but Thai's themselves will admit that maintenance of equipment here is not a priority, that attitudes towards safety are low...

 

 

I may be wrong of course, but I would bet that if they took the pressures of the other tires they'd find them under-pressure.

 

One of the issues of course is that no one wants to learn from these incidents because that takes effort and it's easier just to call it an accident.

 

Then, in these discussions 'some' don't want to discuss possibilities if it wasn't mentioned in the article instead rigidly sticking to only what was written (often very poorly written).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Liverpool Lou]

10 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

From the photo's the road looks very rural, but in good condition, I don't see any potholes etc.

There are no pictures in the OP that enable that observation to be made apart from a couple of metres shown alongside a rescue vehicle!

[Liverpool Lou]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Then, in these discussions 'some' don't want to discuss possibilities if it wasn't mentioned in the article instead rigidly sticking to only what was written (often very poorly written).

Then there are some who want to make "observations" about situations, such as the state of the road, with nothing being observable.

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, Liverpool Lou said:

Depends what debris in the road it hits and which part of the tyre is impacted, not everything is a small nail or screw.  You've been lucky, the driver and his passengers weren't, why condemn him with no evidence apart from assumed generalities?

If we were to have any discussion up to your standards then they would be held in a court room with access only to undisputed facts - this is not the case on a forum which is specifically designed for discussion.

 

Although its clear from all of your posts (on every thread) that you are unable to arrive at any conclusion of your own instead rigidly believing anything written in what is often a poorly written article very thin on information, others are capable of 'making assumptions' based on experience and information....   

 

I also suppose bias comes into it... and my bias is that when there is a pickup loaded with people travelling at speed, its usually driven by someone who isn't particularly careful or fastidious about safety, especially in a country where safety its not a priority...    So, assumptions can be drawn for the purposes of discussion... 

 

You clearly do not like people discussing these assumptions and are only willing to discuss what is written in an article, yet you forget that what often is written in an article is often someone else's assumption or interpretation of what has happened....

 

IF you only want RIP comments, you should perhaps start reading obituaries, if you don't want discussion read the news...