Father and Daughter Killed, Son Critically Injured in Pickup Truck Crash

[Georgealbert]

 

 

A crash occurred on Sukhumvit Road in Rayong Province on the evening of November 15, claiming the lives of a father and his teenage daughter, while his son was critically injured. The family was on their way to visit the children’s grandmother at the hospital when their white Toyota Hilux Vigo pickup truck rear-ended a trailer carrying longans.

 

The incident was reported to police at 21:00. Officers from the Pe Police Station and rescue teams from the Sawang Porngkuson Foundation arrived at the scene, located 300 metres past Ban Phe’s traffic lights toward Rayong City.

 

At the scene, the pickup truck was severely damaged. The driver, a 44-year-old man identified as Mr. Tai, was found dead inside the vehicle. His 16-year-old son, seated in the front passenger seat, was critically injured and rushed to Rayong Hospital. Tragically, the 14-year-old daughter, seated in the rear cab, also succumbed to her injuries as she was being extricated from the wreckage, having suffered a severe head wound and fractured skull.

 

Mr. Waranchit, a 29-year-old neighbour of the family, shared that the victims lived near Wat Thammasathit, about 10 kilometres from the crash site. The father was taking his children to visit their grandmother, who was hospitalised. Waranchit, who was dining nearby, heard the crash and rushed to the scene, only to be shocked upon recognising his neighbour’s vehicle.

 

The truck driver, Mr. Chamnarn 58, explained that he had parked his trailer on the roadside to relieve himself. As he was about to re-enter his vehicle, he saw the pickup truck driver lose control, veer toward the median strip, and swerve back, colliding with the trailer’s tail end.

 

The victims’ mother, who had stayed behind due to work commitments, arrived at the scene in tears. Upon seeing her husband and daughter’s lifeless bodies, she broke down and fainted. Relatives revealed that she had finished work at 20.00 and was unable to accompany the family.

 

Police are collecting evidence and statements to determine the cause of the accident and proceed with legal actions.

 

Picture from responders.

-- 2024-11-17

 

 

[ikke1959]

Very dangerous to drive at daylight already here in Thailand as we read many stories everyday on this forum, but when it is dark it is even more dangerous as a lot of vehicles, don't have proper lights nor at the back nor in the front... I don't understand why nobody takes care of their cars for their own safety but even more important for others.

And the police don't care at all.. not even at checkpoints.. if your tax is paid you can go on

Edited Sunday at 01:50 AM by ikke1959

[BangkokReady]

8 hours ago, ikke1959 said:

Very dangerous to drive at daylight already here in Thailand as we read many stories everyday on this forum, but when it is dark it is even more dangerous as a lot of vehicles, don't have proper lights nor at the back nor in the front... I don't understand why nobody takes care of their cars for their own safety but even more important for others.

And the police don't care at all.. not even at checkpoints.. if your tax is paid you can go on

 

It looks like the lorry isn't completely blocking the road.  Also the driver of the lorry says the guy swerved around before he crashed.  Possibly he wasn't paying attention or fell asleep.  I think the chances of him driving along and slamming into the back of the truck due to not seeing it are kind of slim (although he could have been speeding, maybe with his lights off?).

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, BangkokReady said:

I think the chances of him driving along and slamming into the back of the truck due to not seeing it are kind of slim (although he could have been speeding, maybe with his lights off?).

 

Really - yet it seems a daily occurrence to read of an incident where a vehicle has driven straight into another stationary vehicle...      It seems that people look, but they don't see..  and by the time they do, its too late to stop. 

 

 

[BangkokReady]

25 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Really - yet it seems a daily occurrence to read of an incident where a vehicle has driven straight into another stationary vehicle...      It seems that people look, but they don't see..  and by the time they do, its too late to stop. 

 

It really seems like it is completely normal in Thailand to be driving at the absolute limit of safety in terms of speed, along with positioning vehicles at a point where any change in nearby vehicles position or speed means a guaranteed collision. 

 

Combine this with no seatbelts...

 

Very sad, as it's a total waste and often easily avoidable.

[soi3eddie]

Dark tinted front window could have played a part, but not mentioned in OP. Very common on pickup trucks.

 

[hotchilli]

Another driver not paying attention and pays the ultimate price, wife loses a husband and daughter and now has a critically injured son to take care of...

There is a solution but Thailand doesn't seem to want to take it .

[Ralf001]

Whoopsie !

[KannikaP]

On 11/17/2024 at 8:49 AM, ikke1959 said:

Very dangerous to drive at daylight already here in Thailand as we read many stories everyday on this forum, but when it is dark it is even more dangerous as a lot of vehicles, don't have proper lights nor at the back nor in the front... I don't understand why nobody takes care of their cars for their own safety but even more important for others.

And the police don't care at all.. not even at checkpoints.. if your tax is paid you can go on

And officially, you cannot get your Tax Disc if the vehicle isnot up to scratch ie bulbs out, wipers dodgy, brakes <deleted> etc.

[Tarteso]

Sad to read how this father end his life and kills his family.  Speed? Belts? Phone?

 

RIP.

Edited Monday at 02:59 AM by Tarteso

[ikke1959]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

And officially, you cannot get your Tax Disc if the vehicle isnot up to scratch ie bulbs out, wipers dodgy, brakes <deleted> etc.

Indeed officially... but everyone gets one ... seen a few weeks back when my car needed the paper and the car before me was felt almost apart and got it too

[spidermike007]

It sounds like pure recklessness, taking his eyes off the road, playing with his phone, driving too fast, or just driving without a significant enough skill set. 

 

Sometimes people lose sight of the fact that they're driving with their family in the car and they have an additional responsibility to protect those people they are safeguarded with protecting. 

 

And why are these drivers speeding and driving recklessly in the first place? The primary reason is the toy police force. Nobody, and I mean nobody takes these guys seriously. There is absolutely nothing in the way of a deterrent here, and both the local governments, the central government and the police do not take traffic safety seriously. Not even one iota. The safety of the public means less than zero to the small men in charge here. Nothing. They show that on a daily basis.

 

They will not do a thing. Why? They do not care about the people one iota. Not the common people. Not the average pleb. No way. Never have cared, and may never care in the future. It is all about protecting the elite, the super wealthy, those that are connected, and those in power. The rest of the population? They do not matter. The ex-pat community does not matter. And the police will not get involved unless an accident has already occurred. There is no prevention. None. The idea of getting the police more involved, is an interesting one, and it would be an effective one. But, the issue is money. They are grossly underpaid, and until the government steps up, and spends the trillion baht on updating the police equipment, and paying each cop a living wage, it is not going to happen. Until then, they will just work the franchise.

 

The only way to survive here on the road, is to be patient, have eyes in the back of your head, drive with caution, and always, and I mean always watch out of the other guy. Chances are, he does not have much driving skill, nor patience, nor reason, nor common sense. You cannot be too careful on the road here. Especially considering that the toy police offer no traffic safety, prevention, enforcement of the law, or concern toward the prosecution of very reckless drivers. 

 

[john donson]

seatbelt?

[richard_smith237]

13 hours ago, KannikaP said:

And officially, you cannot get your Tax Disc if the vehicle isnot up to scratch ie bulbs out, wipers dodgy, brakes <deleted> etc.

 

Not quite true...

 

The DLT checks only occur once the vehicle is 7 years old - so anything 'younger' could be in quite a state of disrepair. 

 

Additionally, the checks made at the DLT are rudimentary at best...   A number of years back, I saw them only checking emissions... they didn't check brakes or  headlights lights, wipers etc...   they did check the chassis number !...

 

 

 

 

[NoDisplayName]

Pickup rear-ended a stationary trailer.

 

How did he manage to knock off one of his own rear wheels and mangle the pickup bed?

[KannikaP]

10 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Not quite true...

 

The DLT checks only occur once the vehicle is 7 years old - so anything 'younger' could be in quite a state of disrepair. 

 

Additionally, the checks made at the DLT are rudimentary at best...   A number of years back, I saw them only checking emissions... they didn't check brakes or  headlights lights, wipers etc...   they did check the chassis number !...

 

 

 

 

I did say  ''ÓFFICIALLY'', a word which can be interpreted many ways over here.

Edited Tuesday at 12:39 AM by KannikaP

[LennyW]

11 hours ago, NoDisplayName said:

Pickup rear-ended a stationary trailer.

 

How did he manage to knock off one of his own rear wheels and mangle the pickup bed?

Quote

The truck driver, Mr. Chamnarn 58, explained that he had parked his trailer on the roadside to relieve himself. As he was about to re-enter his vehicle, he saw the pickup truck driver lose control, veer toward the median strip, and swerve back, colliding with the trailer’s tail end.

 

[lordgrinz]

13 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Not quite true...

 

The DLT checks only occur once the vehicle is 7 years old - so anything 'younger' could be in quite a state of disrepair. 

 

Additionally, the checks made at the DLT are rudimentary at best...   A number of years back, I saw them only checking emissions... they didn't check brakes or  headlights lights, wipers etc...   they did check the chassis number !...

 

Lack of working running or brake lights is the norm here, I see tons of cars with one out of 3 brake lights working, and even more motorcycles with no rear running lights. I assume these people have no idea how dangerous this practice is in Thailand, last thing you want to do is to drive with no running lights or brake lights working in Thailand (Suicidal).

[richard_smith237]

29 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

Lack of working running or brake lights is the norm here, I see tons of cars with one out of 3 brake lights working, and even more motorcycles with no rear running lights. I assume these people have no idea how dangerous this practice is in Thailand, last thing you want to do is to drive with no running lights or brake lights working in Thailand (Suicidal).

 

Agreed... It seems the understanding of motorists here is not one that recognises the importance of visibility... 

...  So many motorcyclist seem blissfully ignorant to the risks of not having lights at night.

 

In this case... I'm not sure how such an accident can happen - driving into a stationary object like this. 

 

I recall driving my son home from Hospital the first time....  quite amusing in hindsight - I was so extremely careful.

Obviously, since then, driving is far more 'normal' - though my son still uses a booster and is not permitted in any vehicle without a seat belt (excluding the odd occasion we are on Holiday somewhere such as HH and use a TukTuk).

 

 

[lordgrinz]

6 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Agreed... It seems the understanding of motorists here is not one that recognises the importance of visibility... 

...  So many motorcyclist seem blissfully ignorant to the risks of not having lights at night.

 

In this case... I'm not sure how such an accident can happen - driving into a stationary object like this. 

 

I recall driving my son home from Hospital the first time....  quite amusing in hindsight - I was so extremely careful.

Obviously, since then, driving is far more 'normal' - though my son still uses a booster and is not permitted in any vehicle without a seat belt (excluding the odd occasion we are on Holiday somewhere such as HH and use a TukTuk).

 

My daughter is 8 yrs old now, still uses her Captains Style booster seat, she likes it better than the regular seats, and it makes it easier for her to sleep in on long rides. As you know, like you, I have a no travel without seatbelts rule that she sticks to as well.

Edited Tuesday at 04:05 AM by lordgrinz

[richard_smith237]

3 minutes ago, lordgrinz said:

My daughter is 8 yrs old now, still uses her Captains Style booster seat, she likes it better than the regular seats, and it makes it easier for her to sleep in on long rides. As you know, like you, I have a no travel without seatbelts rule that she sticks to as well.

 

Yup... Son is 10... We moved from a full on Car Seat (Britax Roamer III) to a 'booster seat' just this year.

The reason for the booster is simply to raise his height so that the seatbelt is lower than his neck.

 

When he was younger he was 'rear-facing' in a car seat for as long as physically possible. 

IMO - even the British Law is weak on this allowing parents to place their children forward facing too early.

[NoDisplayName]

5 hours ago, LennyW said:

...he saw the pickup truck driver lose control, veer toward the median strip, and swerve back, colliding with the trailer’s tail end....

 

I'm still confused, Lenny!

 

The front of the pickup hit the rear of the trailer.

 

How did this mangle the pickup bed and knock off one of the pickup's rear wheels?

 

Dude must'a been flyin'!

[watchcat]

On 11/16/2024 at 7:14 PM, Georgealbert said:

The incident was reported to police at 21:00

 

Obviously past the drivers bedtime, or he wouldt fall asleeep at the steering wheel.