Terrifying Moment as School Van Door Flies Open, Student Falls onto Road

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture captured from video.

 

A shocking incident was caught on camera at a busy intersection in Nakhon Si Thammarat, where a school van’s rear door suddenly swung open, causing a student to tumble onto the road. Fortunately, the vehicle behind was able to brake in time, preventing a potential tragedy.

 

The alarming footage, shared on Facebook by user Suphachai Saetueang on 25 February, serves as a stark warning about school transport safety. The video shows a school van pulling away from an intersection as the traffic light turns green. As it attempts to overtake another vehicle, its rear door unexpectedly opens, sending a student rolling onto the tarmac.

 

Luckily, an approaching car managed to stop just in time, avoiding what could have been a disastrous incident. The child, appearing dazed, quickly got up, and a woman rushed in to assist, leading them to safety.

 

The Facebook post urged greater caution from school transport drivers, highlighting the need to ensure doors are securely closed before moving. The post read: “Warning! School transport drivers must be more careful… The doors should be properly shut… Not sure which school this was, but I hope they took the child to a doctor.”

 

Authorities have yet to comment on the incident, but the video has sparked widespread concern over student transport safety.

 

-- 2025-02-25

 

[richard_smith237]

9 minutes ago, Georgealbert said:

The post read: “Warning! School transport drivers must be more careful…

 

Hmmmm.....    at least it wasnt one of those over crowded Songthaews....  

 

... Needs must, but I wonder how over crowded that Bus was for the child to fall out of the back like that. 

 

At a Top Tier international school - I still will not allow my Son to use the Mini-vans... 

I see the vans being driven well on expressways and roads etc, yet I still don't trust my Son's safety being driven by someone of minimum education on a daily basis... 

... too many incidents of kids falling asleep and being locked in vans...

... and I think this is the second incident this year of a child falling out of school transport. 

[MikeandDow]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Hmmmm.....    at least it wasnt one of those over crowded Songthaews....  

 

... Needs must, but I wonder how over crowded that Bus was for the child to fall out of the back like that. 

 

At a Top Tier international school - I still will not allow my Son to use the Mini-vans... 

I see the vans being driven well on expressways and roads etc, yet I still don't trust my Son's safety being driven by someone of minimum education on a daily basis... 

... too many incidents of kids falling asleep and being locked in vans...

... and I think this is the second incident this year of a child falling out of school transport. 

Yes agree 100% over the years there has been so many so called accidents involving kids and these bloody vans packed full

[hotchilli]

Must've been crammed in behind the rear seat and the rear door?

[KhunLA]

Aside from dropping the wee one off a bit too early 

 

Driver illegally changing lanes at an intersection 🙄  Wonder how far down the road driver got before realizing door was open a 1 student missing.

[kidneyw]

Tough wee blighter.

[Tarteso]

Oh Dear!!! 🫤

[PETERTHEEATER]

3 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Must've been crammed in behind the rear seat and the rear door?

Yes, and it looks as if the kid had been laying down on the floor asleep. I suspect he climbed into the back of the van during boarding and did not  fully close the rear door due to the cramped space.

[black tabby12345]

Luckily, an approaching car managed to stop just in time, avoiding what could have been a disastrous incident. The child, appearing dazed, quickly got up, and a woman rushed in to assist, leading them to safety.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

The best during the worst.

Salute to the driver who could stop his car before impacting the unfortunate child.

As well as the stranger who rushed to the victim risking own life.

 

2 Unsung Heros of the day...

[Moonlover]

5 hours ago, KhunLA said:

Wonder how far down the road driver got before realizing door was open a 1 student missing.

The bus stopped on the right just after the junction. A close study reveals that the door was not closed properly. A gap can be seen at the bottom and I'm pretty sure that there is no door handle on the inside. 

[Georgealbert]

UPDATE
Schoolboy Falls from Overcrowded Minivan in Nakhon Si Thammarat

Pictures courtesy of Matichon.

 

The incident in Nakhon Si Thammarat has raised serious concerns about school transport safety after a seven-year-old boy fell out of an overcrowded minivan onto a busy road. The vehicle had been illegally modified to accommodate more passengers, with makeshift wooden seats replacing standard minivan seating.

 

The incident, which took place at the Benjamarachuthit intersection, was captured on video and widely shared on social media. The footage shows the minivan moving forward after a green traffic light, at which point the rear door suddenly swings open, and the young student falls onto the road. Fortunately, oncoming vehicles managed to stop in time, preventing a potentially fatal accident.

 

Authorities have identified the driver as 40-year-old Mr. Jakrapong. The boy, Thanakorn, a student at Ban Thuad Thong School, was unharmed but left shaken by the ordeal.

 

According to Nakhon Si Thammarat’s Department of Transport, the minivan had been illegally modified to increase its capacity. Instead of the standard seating arrangement, the driver had installed three rows of wooden chairs to fit up to 20 students. Additionally, the rear door’s locking mechanism was found to be faulty, which may have led to the door opening unexpectedly.

 

Transport officials have fined the driver 4,000 baht for operating an unauthorised school transport service, modifying the vehicle unlawfully, and using a vehicle with unsafe equipment. Meanwhile, local police have charged him with reckless driving, resulting in an additional 2,000-baht fine.

 

Mr. Jakrapong, who has been transporting students for several years, expressed remorse, stating that he routinely checked the vehicle before each journey. However, he admitted that he had not realised the rear door was insecure at the time.

 

“I never wanted this to happen. I sincerely apologise to the child, his parents, and the public,” he said.

 

Parents have voiced outrage over the incident, calling for stricter enforcement of safety regulations for school transport vehicles. One concerned parent stated:

 

“There are so many of these school vans in the city. They often drive recklessly just to stay on schedule. This time, the child was lucky. But what if the vehicle behind couldn’t stop in time? Would we still call it an accident, or would it be negligence?”

 

The incident has reignited discussions on the need for tighter safety regulations for school transport providers. Parents and local authorities have urged transport officials and police to conduct regular inspections and enforce stricter penalties against operators who fail to comply with safety standards.

 

 

-- 2025-02-26

 

[MikeandDow]

(Parents have voiced outrage over the incident, calling for stricter enforcement of safety regulations for school transport vehicles. )

There is no enforcement in any safety protocols in Thailand ??  the school has a duty of care for the students but that means Nothing !!! in Thailand, as for the driver well !! no attention to the vehicle, there should be a light on the dash meaning door is open ??

[JoePai]

fined the driver 4,000 baht 

 

A joke  😠

[thinguy]

Saw this on the news last night,they showed the door it would not shut because  the catch was broken off. So he didn't check that very well??

[roo860]

Here's one from Thai news Ch32 this morning, ferrying school kids, the minibus had bench seats! The rear door could not be closed, had no lock, was only it's weight holding it shut, this was discovered at the police station (I stopped recording before this), that kid was very lucky not to be hit by another vehicle, fortunately for him it happened at slow speed,  

 

 

that's how much care they take transporting children, disgusting.  

 

[petedk]

Surely most of the parents must have known about the illegal wooden benches, yet once again "no one cares."

[richard_smith237]

1 hour ago, roo860 said:

Here's one from Thai news Ch32 this morning, ferrying school kids, the minibus had bench seats! The rear door could not be closed, had no lock, was only it's weight holding it shut, this was discovered at the police station (I stopped recording before this), that kid was very lucky not to be hit by another vehicle, fortunately for him it happened at slow speed,  

 

 

that's how much care they take transporting children, disgusting.  

 

 

That speaks volumes of a) the general attitudes towards safety in Thailand and b) the general attitudes towards the welfare of Children.

 

Firstly the Driver - needs to be held on serious charges for driving this unroadworthy vehicle. 

Secondly The School Director / owners - needs to be held on serious charges permitting this unroadworthy vehicle to be used.

 

The reality - the school director / owner will blame the company they outsourced to.

The van company will blame the driver.

The driver will had no leg to stand on - he would have been fired had he refused to take the children.

 

Meanwhile - ALL of this is still safer than kids getting shunted in the back of Song Thaew or 4 up on a scooter... 

[ikke1959]

Normal in Thailand.... so no news