Elderly woman killed at zebra crossing in Pathum Thani

[webfact]

A young man driving a Toyota Corolla Cross hit an elderly woman at a zebra crossing in Pathum Thani province, resulting in her death. The victim was a close relative of a local Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) member, causing deep sorrow for the family.

 

Deputy Inspector Adisak Kotchasak of the Khlong Luang Police Station received a report of a fatal collision at noon today involving a car and a pedestrian at a zebra crossing in front of the Eua Arthorn Rangsit Khlong Sam housing estate in Pathum Thani province.

 

Local officials, including medical personnel from Thammasat University Hospital, Poh Teck Tung Foundation volunteers, and Khlong Sam SAO rescue workers, promptly arrived at the scene.

The accident scene revealed a black Toyota Corolla Cross with significant damage to its left bonnet. Nearby lay the body of 72 year old Lamjuan, wearing a patterned sarong and a sleeveless blouse, with visible injuries to her head and mouth.

 

Family members, including the victim’s close relative, Prasan, an SAO member, were present and visibly distraught, embracing the deceased in the middle of the road.

 

Prasan explained that Lamjuan was crossing the street to buy rice noodles when the accident occurred. Despite the presence of the zebra crossing, the area has been prone to frequent accidents.

The driver, 27 year old Thaikom, waited for police to arrive at the scene. He stated that he was returning from a trip out of town and had stopped to drop off a friend in Khlong Sam.

 

As he approached the zebra crossing, he saw the woman crossing from the direction of the Eua Arthorn housing estate but was unable to avoid the collision. Thaikom insisted that he was driving below 60 kilometres per hour due to heavy traffic conditions at the time.

“I was driving back from another province and stopped to drop a friend off at Khlong Sam. When I reached the zebra crossing, I saw the woman crossing from the Eua Arthorn side but couldn’t stop in time. I was driving under 60 kilometres per hour because the traffic was very congested.”

 

Deputy Inspector Adisak documented the scene and reviewed the vehicle’s dashcam footage and nearby CCTV recordings. Thaikom was taken to the police station for further questioning to understand the circumstances leading to the fatal accident, reported KhaoSod.

 

Photo of Puntid Tantivangphaisal
Photo courtesy of KhaoSod

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-07-27

 

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[scorecard]

'You have to stop!'

 

Actually not difficult to understand.

[john donson]

sometimes police is 'helping' traffic, lol, around here...   cars still run the red light...

 

a cctv would make fortunes, well, if thais would have their car impounded for non payment...

 

 

[nobodysfriend]

In other countries , drivers are obliged to stop when they see somebody wants to use the Zebra crossing .

But this is Thailand .

When using a Zebra crossing here , be prepared to run to avoid a collision .

No respect for traffic rules here ...

[NE1]

29 minutes ago, nobodysfriend said:

No respect for traffic rules here

The reason being , the police don't enforce them until something happens .

Then there is a weekly crackdown , and after that the police can relax again .

[dingdongrb]

Zebra crossings are a joke....   I slow down when I see them and I stop when I see people waiting at them to cross. They seem shocked to see that I have stopped. I'm sacred that some day I'll get rear-ended being stopped at one.

 

I have had many cases where I stop and the people start to cross when traffic in the opposite direction of me doesn't stop or even acknowledge folks are in the crosswalk. I flash my lights, honk my horn, and at times, roll down my window yelling out 'zebra crossing'.

 

Never think you are safe as a pedestrian walking in a zebra crossing. I have had to avoid vehicles many times while walking in a zebra crossing. These days I enter the zebra crossing while waving my arms and yelling out 'zebra'..... 

[dingdongrb]

Don't get me started about the lack of acknowledging emergency vehicles.

[mancub]

30 minutes ago, dingdongrb said:

I flash my lights, honk my horn, and at times, roll down my window yelling out 'zebra crossing'.

 

Never think you are safe as a pedestrian walking in a zebra crossing. I have had to avoid vehicles many times while walking in a zebra crossing. These days I enter the zebra crossing while waving my arms and yelling out 'zebra'....

"Buffalo" might result in  more success !😁

[proton]

Its a bugger when 2 lanes stop so you cross only to be almost hit by the car or bike in the 3rd lane who cannot be bothered to stop.

[Paul Henry]

At the zebra crossings on second road in Pattaya motor bikes and taxi park on the crossing making it almost impossible for people to get onto them,Meanwhile the police are on Beach Rd booking tourists on motor bikes for the most minor infringements. What are the priorities safety or tourist fines?. Pedestrians don't count in Thailand just fodder for the uneducated drivers who have no idea of the road rules.

[PETERTHEEATER]

A Thai TV channel showed the car's dashcam footage and two adjacent CCTY videos all clear quality. The crossing looks freshly painted red/white so visjble on approach. A white car was stopped in the same lane giving way to the lady crossing. The black car made no attempt to slow and undertook the staticc white car just as the woman stepped in front of him. 

 

No excuse.

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Sam. When I reached the zebra crossing, I saw the woman crossing from the Eua Arthorn side but couldn’t stop in time. I was driving under 60 kilometres per hour because the traffic was very congested.”

And there is the problem....

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, scorecard said:

'You have to stop!'

 

Actually not difficult to understand.

Unless you're Thai...

[transam]

Outside our local hospital they have painted a red pedestrian crossing, in the week I drove past seeing folk with feet on the crossing, I stopped, did the rest behind me, no.  🤕

 

A put my hand on the cars hooter to maybe send a message to these creeps.......🥴

[kidneyw]

9 hours ago, webfact said:

I saw the woman crossing from the Eua Arthorn side but couldn’t stop in time. I was driving under 60 kilometres per hour because the traffic was very congested.”

So how come YOU hit her and not someone else in this congested traffic?

[MalcolmB]

38 minutes ago, kidneyw said:

So how come YOU hit her and not someone else in this congested traffic?

Sounds like he didn’t see her.

You only have to stop on zebra crossings if you see someone.

If there is nobody there you just drive straight through. 

[stoner]

khlong sam is a disaster of a road. horribly dangerous. roadside stalls inches from the lane on the opposite side of the canal. at times the shoulder on the canal side is no more than a foot wide. 

 

cars whipping down it like its the expressway. crossing it was a total nightmare. 

[kwilco]

6 hours ago, nobodysfriend said:

In other countries , drivers are obliged to stop when they see somebody wants to use the Zebra crossing .

But this is Thailand .

When using a Zebra crossing here , be prepared to run to avoid a collision .

No respect for traffic rules here ...

 

THis is such a fatuous comment - other countries? Why has that got to do with it? there are a load of factors involved here  It is how the law in Thailand is enforced and how both drivers and pedestrians are educated  it is also how pedestrian crossings are positioned and designed. Remember it was already described as a blacksopt.

[mancub]

2 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Sounds like he didn’t see her.

You only have to stop on zebra crossings if you see someone.

If there is nobody there you just drive straight through. 

Except that he DID see her, she was there, and he just drove straight through.

[jaiyenyen]

13 hours ago, MalcolmB said:

Sounds like he didn’t see her.

You only have to stop on zebra crossings if you see someone.

If there is nobody there you just drive straight through. 

Yes....Drive through with care . Anticipating anyone who might want to cross the road.

[kwilco]

19 hours ago, mancub said:

Except that he DID see her, she was there, and he just drove straight through.

I don't think you can say that - the problem is it is impossible to say what happened without a proper crash report which is a very rare breed in Thailand.

 

Should also be noted that the black vehicle in the picture seems to  stopped some 25 or so metres beyond the pedestrian crossing.

[scorecard]

On 7/27/2024 at 2:22 PM, nobodysfriend said:

In other countries , drivers are obliged to stop when they see somebody wants to use the Zebra crossing .

But this is Thailand .

When using a Zebra crossing here , be prepared to run to avoid a collision .

No respect for traffic rules here ...

 This has come up numerous times in my uni classes, usually brought up by visiting international students.

 

The most regular response from Thai students: "But if cars have to stop it will show down the flow of traffic".

 

The usual Thai response to comments about 'pedestrians have the right to safely cross the road too' are seen as not relevant. 

 

A long way to go with this.

[mfd101]

When we first arrived back in TH and bought our first car here and settled in in Surin province I used to slow & stop for pedestrians crossing or wishing to cross. But my b/f would always shout at me: Don't stop! The cars behind will crash in to us!

 

So now I'm extra alert but can't remember the last time I actually stopped for a pedestrian. Here in the land of poor peasants most of them are too savvy to use a pedestrian crossing and just run across anywhere where they can see the traffic clearly.

[connda]

On 7/27/2024 at 9:48 AM, webfact said:

The victim was a close relative of a local Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) member, causing deep sorrow for the family.

So the victim was a "somebody."  Had the victim been a "nobody" then there would be no cause for "deep sorrow" as only families from the Subdistrict Administrative Organisation (SAO) have the capacity for "deep sorrow."  I'm a reading that right. 

God I hate Thai's addiction to status.  It makes a mockery of the lives of everyone else.

[siftasam]

The current Road Traffic Act (from I believe 2021) is very clear. If you put a foot on the zebra crossing, ALL traffic MUST stop until you complete your crossing.

 

The fine (then) was 4000 baht (plus, no doubt, the loss of some points).

 

I know what happens in practice! It's a nightmare for pedestrians and law abiding drivers. I've lived here for 15 years and I hate driving here now.

[Srikcir]

3 hours ago, kwilco said:

I don't think you can say that - the problem is it is impossible to say what happened without a proper crash report which is a very rare breed in Thailand.

"When I reached the zebra crossing, I saw the woman crossing from the Eua Arthorn side but couldn’t stop in time"

[kwilco]

1 hour ago, Srikcir said:

"When I reached the zebra crossing, I saw the woman crossing from the Eua Arthorn side but couldn’t stop in time"

and you call that a crash report?

 

Was she even one the pedestrian crossing?

[twizzian]

On 7/27/2024 at 3:05 PM, dingdongrb said:

Zebra crossings are a joke....   I slow down when I see them and I stop when I see people waiting at them to cross. They seem shocked to see that I have stopped. I'm sacred that some day I'll get rear-ended being stopped at one.

 

I have had many cases where I stop and the people start to cross when traffic in the opposite direction of me doesn't stop or even acknowledge folks are in the crosswalk. I flash my lights, honk my horn, and at times, roll down my window yelling out 'zebra crossing'.

 

Never think you are safe as a pedestrian walking in a zebra crossing. I have had to avoid vehicles many times while walking in a zebra crossing. These days I enter the zebra crossing while waving my arms and yelling out 'zebra'..... 

 

Sometimes when I stop at a crossing & and this could be a school one. A motorcycle or two will just zoom past me. Road Ignorance is full on here

[Paul Henry]

The major problem is lack of police commitment to enforcing the traffic laws. Then again I think most of the cops dont know the traffic laws unless it puts a few baht in their pocket.

[kwilco]

21 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

The major problem is lack of police commitment to enforcing the traffic laws. Then again I think most of the cops dont know the traffic laws unless it puts a few baht in their pocket.

Police aren't trained to do this.When it comes to pedestrian crossings though there is a lot more to it than than.

 

It would appear that in Thailand there is no such thing as a road traffic engineer.

This means that the overall design and positioning of pedestrian crossings is highly questionable - the idea is that they should have good visibility and no parking in both directions clear signs approaching and a standard format of road markings. (v.The UK system)THis should then allow easy enforcement of the regulations and publicity by the government.none of this happens in Thailand .THe place whre this unfortunate woman was killed has a new design - which itself seems to vary form location to location - is hardly intuitive or self explanatory and it seems that the woman may not actually have been on the crossing part.