Child Dies in SUV Crash on Chiang Mai Mountainside

[Georgealbert]

Pictures from responders.

 

A 35-year-old man’s camping trip with his family ended in heartbreak when their vehicle overturned and fell down a ravine in Ban Muang Khum, Mae Rim district, Chiang Mai. The crash claimed the life of his nine-year-old son and left several others injured.

 

The crash took place on the steep ascent to Doi San Pha Pae, approximately 5 kilometres from Doi Mon Jam, at approximately 17.00 on December 22. Police from Mae Rim Station and rescue teams were alerted and arrived with cutting tools to aid the injured.

 

At the scene, a KIA SUV was found overturned, lodged in a bamboo grove about 15 metres down a hillside. A female passenger was trapped inside the vehicle and was rescued using specialised equipment. She was later sent to hospital for treatment.

 

Tragically, the nine-year-old boy was ejected from the vehicle during the crash and died at the scene. His devastated father was found grieving inconsolably.

 

 

Eyewitness Ms Natthida, 32, reported that she was riding a motorcycle behind the SUV when the vehicle struggled to ascend the steep, 1.5-kilometre incline. The SUV rolled backwards, colliding with her motorcycle before losing control and tumbling down into the ravine.

 

The SUV was carrying seven passengers, including the father, mother, their son, and relatives. They were en route to a camping site at the Doi San Pha Pae viewpoint. The steep slope of the road is believed to have contributed to the vehicle’s inability to ascend, leading to the fatal accident.

 

Local authorities continue to investigate the incident.

 

-- 2024-12-23

 

 

 

[Rampant Rabbit]

all  occupants of course were wearing seatnelts said the inconsolable Father

[flyingtlger]

RIP young lad 🙏.......

[Watawattana]

Another avoidable tragedy.

[roo860]

40 minutes ago, Watawattana said:

Another avoidable tragedy.

Absolutely, seems like the kid wasn't strapped in, probably no-one else was, they really don't give a <deleted>.☹️

[richard_smith237]

That video is horrific, the woman screaming. I don't know if she's trapped and it is her they are trying to cut out or if she's beside herself with grief as they try to cut her child out of the wreckage. 

 

 

6 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The steep slope of the road is believed to have contributed to the vehicle’s inability to ascend, leading to the fatal accident.

 

Tragic - but other vehicles manage...  ascending too fast, allowing the vehicle to reach an unsafe speed, not braking early enough or engaging a lower gear etc... led to the accident. 

Having too many people for the seated occupancy and not using restraints most likely led to the accident being fatal.

 

IF only the governments did a lot more to educate the masses on seatbelt wearing, car seats for children, not overloading vehicles, helmets.... etc etc...   society has been 'numbed' to such incidents which due to their frequency have been normalised - deaths such as this seem to have been accepted as a normal part of life, rather than avoidable tragedies. 

 

 

[hotchilli]

7 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Eyewitness Ms Natthida, 32, reported that she was riding a motorcycle behind the SUV when the vehicle struggled to ascend the steep, 1.5-kilometre incline. The SUV rolled backwards, colliding with her motorcycle before losing control and tumbling down into the ravine

I guess a lower gear or brakes were not used?

[Briggsy]

Is this part of the NP network? If so, the rangers are usually very strict about allowing unsuitable vehicles on steep dirt roads. This may be a private operation. I have never heard of this mountain and I have done a lot of them in Thailand.

 

Does anybody have co-ordinates?

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I guess a lower gear or brakes were not used?

Using brakes when ascending (going uphill) is not usually neccessary.😀

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I guess a lower gear or brakes were not used?

Using brakes when ascending (going uphill) is not usually neccessary.😀

 

It could be argued that applying the brakes to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards at speed was quite necessary....

 

 

[PETERTHEEATER]

The make and model of the vehicle is not mentioned. Perhaps, with the weight of passengers, there was insufficient power to climb the grade or, it is a manual gearbox and the driver didn't change down through the box into first gear to maintain impetus.

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

It could be argued that applying the brakes to prevent the vehicle from rolling backwards at speed was quite necessary....

 

 

That's a reverse descent not an ascent😀

[richard_smith237]

36 minutes ago, PETERTHEEATER said:

That's a reverse descent not an ascent😀

It’s not if the brakes are correctly applied !! 🫣

[The Old Bull]

Looks like he didn't want to gear down but missed the shift when he had too.

[richard_smith237]

22 minutes ago, The Old Bull said:

Looks like he didn't want to gear down but missed the shift when he had too.

 

Or it was an auto and it failed... could be many reason. 

 

But, I'm wondering why the brakes didn't hold...  is this one of those times there was brake failure but its not been used as an excuse ?

 

Its so very tragic that they lost their child...  but again, Thai authorities persist on taking such a slack approach to road safety and these are the consequences. 

[Ctkong]

10 hours ago, hotchilli said:

I guess a lower gear or brakes were not used?

Some drivers are not used to driving an automatic suv up steep incline using lower gear. I remembered once driving up a really steep incline using toyota fortuner loaded with 5 people inside. I used ‘D’ gear but after driving up about 30 meters, the car struggle to move upwards and just slid down a couple of meters. Luckily I braked hard and the transmission uses a lower gear to engage the job. I did not use an ‘L’ gear because I only use it for steep downhill not uphill.  I thought the ‘D’ gear is enough to do the job going uphill in lower gear since I am at low speed but it seemed that is not the case. Maybe the driver is also in such a situation.

[Ctkong]

10 hours ago, Briggsy said:

Is this part of the NP network? If so, the rangers are usually very strict about allowing unsuitable vehicles on steep dirt roads. This may be a private operation. I have never heard of this mountain and I have done a lot of them in Thailand.

 

Does anybody have co-ordinates?

A search on google map did not turn up the location. 

[Ctkong]

Once the suv loses power to ascend, the driver may have panicked not knowing what else to do or the suv may not be able to ascend even if engaged in low gear. Braking would just hold the car stationary for a moment but the next move is crucial for survival.  If overloaded, maybe the driver should ask the occupants to go outside and walked a distance until the ‘problematic’ stretch of road is over.  Thais ,being face conscious ,would definitely try to resolve any problems on their own not knowing that other lives can be at stake here as in this case. 

[Ctkong]

In Thailand and also elsewhere, it is always prudent to give your vehicle a thorough service especially brake fluids and pads. Engine problem is not fatal but a failing brake upon descending can be. Even a failing clutch plate can screw up your traveling plan.