Accident Elderly Motorcyclist Killed Instantly in U-Turn Collision with Speeding Pickup

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

An 80-year-old man was killed instantly after his motorcycle was rear-ended by a speeding pickup truck while he was attempting a U-turn near a school on a main highway in Amnat Charoen province.

 

The fatal crash occurred around midday, along the four-lane Yasothon–Amnat Charoen highway inbound towards the city centre, just before reaching Nayom Witthayakhan School in Nayom Subdistrict, Mueang District.

 

Police and emergency services were dispatched to the scene after receiving a report of a fatal crash. On arrival, officers found extensive crash debris strewn across the road, with a damaged Toyota Vigo pickup truck bearing Bangkok plates and a black Honda Wave motorcycle, lying near the median strip at a designated U-turn point.

 

The rider, later identified as Mr. Thonglang Rakprathet 80, was found dead at the scene. He had sustained catastrophic head injuries, with visible skull fractures and heavy bleeding.

 

Initial investigations revealed that Mr. Thonglang had been attempting a U-turn when the pickup struck the rear of his motorcycle with significant force. The impact threw the motorbike onto the central divider, crushing the front end and leaving the elderly man fatally injured.

 

The pickup truck driver told police he had been driving towards the city in the right-hand lane at a moderate speed when the motorbike abruptly changed lanes. He said he sounded the horn but was unable to stop in time due to the short distance between the vehicles.

 

Authorities are now reviewing footage from the pickup truck’s dashcam to determine the exact sequence of events and assess possible legal action.

 

Family members of the deceased arrived at the scene shortly after being informed. Visibly distraught, they mourned the sudden loss of a beloved family member.

 

The investigation continues, with police urging drivers to exercise caution, particularly around U-turn points.

 

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khaosod 2025-06-29

 

 

 

 

[JoePai]

Collision with Speeding Pickup

Even if it was "speeding" the bike turned in front of it on a main road - stupid

 

and assess possible legal action

Presumably against the bike rider for causing the crash 

 

[gargamon]

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Mr. Thonglang had been attempting a U-turn when the pickup struck the rear of his motorcycle with significant force.

 

25 minutes ago, JoePai said:

Collision with Speeding Pickup

Even if it was "speeding" the bike turned in front of it on a main road - stupid

 

and assess possible legal action

Presumably against the bike rider for causing the crash 

 

The driver of the truck is at fault. Any accident where a vehicle is struck from the rear is the fault of the vehicle in the rear. If he hit the side of the bike, different story.

[NE1]

3 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

The pickup truck driver told police he had been driving towards the city in the right-hand lane at a moderate speed when the motorbike abruptly changed lanes. He said he sounded the horn but was unable to stop in time due to the short distance between the vehicles.

 

The brakes are what slow you down not the horn....🙂

My first reaction to something this dangerous and imminent is to hit the brakes .

The horn is a secondary action .

[atpeace]

8 minutes ago, gargamon said:

 

The driver of the truck is at fault. Any accident where a vehicle is struck from the rear is the fault of the vehicle in the rear. If he hit the side of the bike, different story.

No - not if they are entering a new lane and definitely not if they are u-turning into oncoming traffic.  You are mostly right though when it comes to traffic going in the same direction.  His dashcam should have the details needed.  I just got a better  dashcam for this reason.

[atpeace]

9 minutes ago, NE1 said:

 

The brakes are what slow you down not the horn....🙂

My first reaction to something this dangerous and imminent is to hit the brakes .

The horn is a secondary action .

I doubt he hit the horn but maybe he has quicker reflexes than most or He was pissed and let his temper overcome common sense and this was the result. Another possibility is he did hit the horn and the older guy panicked and swerved into his pathway.

[KhunBENQ]

Thai traffic does not forgive.

An 80 year old on a motorcycle. Bad chances.

 

If you are on slow bike: drive up on the far left to the turn, wait for a gap and then short way over to the turn.

I am not the only one to do so.

On highway 12 speeds of a 120 km/h or more are usual.

There is a reason why a couple of U turns on Pattaya Sukhumvit have been closed.

Too many deaths.

[quake]

Quote

The pickup truck driver told police he had been driving towards the city in the right-hand lane at a moderate speed when the motorbike abruptly changed lanes. He said he sounded the horn but was unable to stop in time due to the short distance between the vehicles.

 

I wonder how much of that is the truth. 

[gargamon]

19 minutes ago, atpeace said:

No - not if they are entering a new lane and definitely not if they are u-turning into oncoming traffic.  You are mostly right though when it comes to traffic going in the same direction.  His dashcam should have the details needed.  I just got a better  dashcam for this reason.

I was in an accident in a first world country as a teenager. The car turned from a side street onto the main road where my motorcycle was driving. This scenario is similar to doing. U-turn. I struck the car from the rear. The investigating officer said that if the entering vehicle made it completely into the lane then it's the fault of the rear vehicle, in that case, me. Once a vehicle is in the lane, the overtaking vehicle is always at fault.

[atpeace]

11 minutes ago, gargamon said:

I was in an accident in a first world country as a teenager. The car turned from a side street onto the main road where my motorcycle was driving. This scenario is similar to doing. U-turn. I struck the car from the rear. The investigating officer said that if the entering vehicle made it completely into the lane then it's the fault of the rear vehicle, in that case, me. Once a vehicle is in the lane, the overtaking vehicle is always at fault.

Yes it is assumed if no other info is available that the car doing the rear-ending is at fault.  It is determined that the car in front is at fault or nobody is at fault depending on many scenarios.  Below are just a few from AI.   BTW- I wasn't the person that attached the laughing whatever you call it pic on your post.

 

• Sudden, Unnecessary Braking:

  If the front driver slams on their brakes for no apparent reason, and this causes a rear-end collision, they could be partially or fully at fault. 

   
• Malfunctioning Brake Lights:

  If the front driver's brake lights are not working, the following driver may not have adequate warning of a stop, and this could shift some liability according to Drake Injury Lawyers. 

   
• Sudden Lane Changes:

  If the front driver makes a sudden lane change without signaling and cuts off another driver, leading to a rear-end collision, they could be held liable. 
• "Brake Checking":

  If the front driver intentionally slams on the brakes to intimidate or retaliate against the driver behind, they are likely at fault for any resulting collision. 
• Mechanical Failure (with prior knowledge):

  If the front driver's car has a mechanical issue (like brake failure) and they continue driving without addressing it, and this leads to a rear-end collision, they could be held liable according to Steinger, Greene & Feiner. 

[Keeenok Powell]

23 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

Thai traffic does not forgive.

An 80 year old on a motorcycle. Bad chances.

 

If you are on slow bike: drive up on the far left to the turn, wait for a gap and then short way over to the turn.

I am not the only one to do so.

On highway 12 speeds of a 120 km/h or more are usual.

There is a reason why a couple of U turns on Pattaya Sukhumvit have been closed.

Too many deaths.

I live on the dark side and always cross at traffic lights.U turns on Suk are all accidents waiting to happen.

[atpeace]

3 minutes ago, Keeenok Powell said:

I live on the dark side and always cross at traffic lights.U turns on Suk are all accidents waiting to happen.

Yep, head/ shoulder check prior to entering traffic are not popular here for some reason.  To each his own but something that I would NEVER do.

[NorthernRyland]

Well maybe Thailand should enforce basic speed limits in residential areas. Decades after getting access to cars they still haven't figured out it's not safe to let people drive at any speeds they want. They literally have trucks going 90k/hour in front of markets where elderly people are trying to shop and no one thinks anything of it. 

[NorthernRyland]

42 minutes ago, KhunBENQ said:

There is a reason why a couple of U turns on Pattaya Sukhumvit have been closed.

Too many deaths.

 

They've been shutting down U-turns everywhere in Chiang Mai and it's been going on for years. The useless Thai police are unfit to enforce basic speed limits so doing a u-turn is often too dangerous to lets people attempt. So now people need to drive longer distances to u-turn and big queues form. Driving in Chiang mai gets worse every year with no end in sight.

 

 

[KhunBENQ]

5 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

Well maybe Thailand should enforce basic speed limits in residential areas

Even the existing are ignored.

Law is not worth if it's not enforced.

[Thailaw]

1 hour ago, gargamon said:

 

The driver of the truck is at fault. Any accident where a vehicle is struck from the rear is the fault of the vehicle in the rear. If he hit the side of the bike, different story.

"Any accident where a vehicle is struck from the rear is the fault of the vehicle in the rear." -- complete nonsense. In motor vehicle accidents there are no absolutes. 

[quake]

31 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

They've been shutting down U-turns everywhere in Chiang Mai and it's been going on for years. 

 

They have been slowly doing the same on Sukhumvit pattaya.

Also a few new under and over passes haver been added heading south out of town

A good thing. 

[impulse]

1 hour ago, gargamon said:

The driver of the truck is at fault. Any accident where a vehicle is struck from the rear is the fault of the vehicle in the rear. If he hit the side of the bike, different story.

 

You can say that, but I'll bet you'd change your tune if you rear ended someone who changed lanes right in front of you.

 

This is a good cautionary tale to install a good dash cam.  Unless it's more likely to implicate your driving than to exonerate you.