Crime Taxi Driver Blocks Ambulance, Leading to Patient’s Death in Patong

[stevenl]

13 hours ago, connda said:

500 THB fine. 

Not necessarily.

 

 

[quake]

R.I.P. to the man in the ambulance.

 

No surprise some one blocking an ambulance.

Most Thai drivers are just angry, selfish, childish,  people. on the roads. 

 

 

 

 

[Photoguy21]

On 4/30/2025 at 5:46 PM, connda said:

This Is Thailand (TIT)  🇹🇭

Yes it is but that doesn't mean it cant make changes that are often life critical

[watchcat]

On 4/28/2025 at 10:02 PM, Georgealbert said:

a green-plate taxi allegedly refused to give way, driving slowly along the leftmost lane, thereby preventing the ambulance from gaining speed as the crew continued to administer critical cardiac resuscitation

 

Remove both his hands and to be sure he can't reproduce off with his willy.

[zackxx]

Shocking behaviour. My guess is that the driver of the green-plate taxi thought the ambulance turned on their siren just to get though the traffic and this was not an emergency case. Many ambulance drivers tend to be fairly liberal when they use their sirens and it is not unknown for emergency vehicles to use "their privilege" to wantonly to get through heavy traffic in non-emergency cases. A case of familiarity that has bred contempt.

 

Living near 6 Bangkok hospitals within a 3km radius, nary a day goes by without me hearing a loud wailing ambulance siren that does not get turned off even when it is stuck in traffic due to a red traffic light. In other countries there are signs to prohibit use of sirens or make loud noises when near a hospital.

[Kenneth White]

What is with Thai drivers? I find them inconsiderate of others. I keep saying it and will say it again: Thailand needs police patrols; checkpoints are useless. I hope this taxi driver gets a hefty fine and jail time.

[sambum]

On 4/29/2025 at 5:13 AM, Ralf001 said:

 

Reckless driving causing death should be the charge the Taxi driver faces.

Or even manslaughter! I wonder how the taxi driver would feel if it was his father whose death he had cause by his contemptible thoughtless behaviour?

[patman30]

not siding with anyone, blocking an emergency vehicle in an emergency is bad
but
this all stems from ambulance drivers driving with lights on when there is no emergency
happen to see it constantly near me
 

[Bundooman]

On 4/29/2025 at 6:24 AM, patongphil said:

I would suggest the chances of being "saved" at Patong Hospital would be pretty low anyway.

Says the 'guessing' god of patients......

 

[TTSIssues]

I doubt anything will happen to the taxi drivers as they seem immune to any prosecution. The taxi “club” will probably bung a few baht to the family and their behaviour will continue as ever.

 

Sadly it’s still very much a third world mentality.

[Baba Naba]

Let the deceased family alone in a room with the taxi driver for 10 minutes, then block the ambulance from arriving.. That would be fitting punishment. 

[thailand49]

Manslaughter!  SMF!

[BritManToo]

On 4/29/2025 at 6:25 AM, grumpyoldman said:

Lost my best pal this last March when he went into cardiac arrest as the ambulance could not get through Chalong traffic to get to him. His widow said it was 40 minutes before the ambulance got there and he was long gone. 59 years old.........

 

Too many people and vehicles in Phuket these days.

Nobody forces you to live there.

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

On 4/29/2025 at 6:25 AM, grumpyoldman said:

Lost my best pal this last March when he went into cardiac arrest as the ambulance could not get through Chalong traffic to get to him. His widow said it was 40 minutes before the ambulance got there and he was long gone. 59 years old.........

 

Too many people and vehicles in Phuket these days.

Nobody forces you to live there.

 

Rather a callous remark, are you suggesting he lives next door to a Hospital ?

 

 

 

[BritManToo]

8 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Rather a callous remark, are you suggesting he lives next door to a Hospital ?

If I had a dodgy heart, I would.

Wouldn't you?

[richard_smith237]

6 hours ago, Kenneth White said:

What is with Thai drivers? I find them inconsiderate of others. I keep saying it and will say it again: Thailand needs police patrols; checkpoints are useless. I hope this taxi driver gets a hefty fine and jail time.

 

There is certainly an element of that - While for the most part, Thai's in person are polite and generally 'giving' as soon as they get in a car, for a lot of drivers, something changes...   Its almost as if the every day frustrations of life manifest themsleves into 'selfishness' which is somewhat exaggerated when protected in a metal box...

[richard_smith237]

1 minute ago, BritManToo said:

2 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

Rather a callous remark, are you suggesting he lives next door to a Hospital ?

If I had a dodgy heart, I would.

 

Because everyone who has a dodgy heart knows all about it before hand, right ???

 

 

 

[ChipButty]

If you are going to have a heart attack make sure it's in the night when no traffic on the road, 

[LeRoux]

On 4/29/2025 at 1:16 AM, tomazbodner said:

In a country in Europe I'm just back from I've heard the announcement on radio that not moving to the side of the road to allow ambulance to pass carries a 5000 EUR fine. With number of such incidents reported in Thailand every year, maybe there's a way to discipline drivers into giving way to those trying to save lives...

Confiscation and auctioning of the Taxi Vehicle.

Unpaid Credit~Loans remain the responsibility of the Driver.

[grumpyoldman]

7 hours ago, BritManToo said:

Nobody forces you to live there.

That's not the point.

 

That Thailand has allowed some 150,000, people of a certain nationality (and their cars) to stay permanently has made the roads in Phuket one big cluster-truck.

 

Anyway, my pal built a beautiful home on right on the waters of Chalong Bay late 1990's when Phuket WAS ideal. Now it's not, unless you are good behind your gates in Kathu and enjoy going to Central Festival. Not my idea of living in island paradise, you could do the same in Blackpool.

[Bday Prang]

On 4/29/2025 at 5:02 AM, Georgealbert said:

“The road was narrow, but if the taxi had just pulled over for a moment, the patient’s life might have been saved,” one witness said.

on the other hand it might have made no difference. the views of a witness in this instance are irrelevant 

[Ralf001]

On 4/29/2025 at 8:11 PM, mancub said:

There's often the odd idiot who thinks it clever to "slipstream" the ambulance also.

 

I always do that on the 7 motorway... those meat wagons sure can get a move along when they need/want to !

[Jim Blue]

11 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

 

I always do that on the 7 motorway... those meat wagon sure and get a move along when they need/want to !

????,

[sambum]

On 5/4/2025 at 12:13 PM, patman30 said:

not siding with anyone, blocking an emergency vehicle in an emergency is bad
but
this all stems from ambulance drivers driving with lights on when there is no emergency
happen to see it constantly near me
 

 

How do you know there's no emergency?

[sambum]

23 hours ago, thailand49 said:

Manslaughter!  SMF!

 

"SMF"? "WTF" does that mean? It has 81 meanings in "Acronym Finder"! From "So Much Fun' to "Shaking My Fist"!