Accident Motorcyclist Killed Instantly in Collision with Lorry on Sukhumvit Road

[Georgealbert]

 

Picture courtesy of Khaosod.

 

A man was killed instantly after his motorcycle slammed into the side of an 18-wheel lorry making a U-turn on Sukhumvit Road in Bang Lamung.

 

Rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation, along with officers from Bang Lamung Police Station, were called to the scene of the fatal crash near the Sun Ruam Lek intersection U-turn on the inbound lane to Pattaya in Bang Lamung subdistrict.

 

At the scene, authorities found the articulated lorry, registration from Chonburi, stationary across the roadway. A black Yamaha NMAX motorbike, from Chonburi, was discovered nearby. Lying a short distance away on the other side ot the lorry, was the body of a man, estimated to be between 30 and 40 years old, with no form of identification on his person. He had suffered severe head trauma, including a fractured skull and was pronounced dead at the scene.

 

The lorry driver told police he was in the process of making a U-turn to head towards Pattaya when the motorcycle, travelling at high speed, collided with the trailer’s side section. The driver said he did not see the motorbike before starting to turn and immediately called emergency services upon realising the crash had occurred.

 

Pol. Lt. Sarasuphan Odtonsri-anan, Deputy Inspector at Bang Lamung Police Station, led the preliminary investigation. Officers reviewed nearby CCTV footage and began efforts to identify the deceased. The victim’s body has been transported to a local hospital where it will remain until relatives can be located to arrange religious rites.

 

Police are continuing their investigation into the incident, with a focus on visibility, signage and road conditions at the U-turn.

 

  Adapted by Asean Now from Khoasod 2025-08-01

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

Most vehicles will pull out Infront of a motorcycle, part of the might has right rules. 

a motorcycle rider needs to be ready for it.

I wonder if the lorry driver will receive any punishment.... banned from HGV driving might save a few more lives. 

[lordgrinz]

54 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

Most vehicles will pull out Infront of a motorcycle, part of the might has right rules. 

a motorcycle rider needs to be ready for it.

I wonder if the lorry driver will receive any punishment.... banned from HGV driving might save a few more lives. 

 

He hit the side of the trailer, not the cab, looks more like a motorcycle rider not paying attention. 

[Ralf001]

1 hour ago, jacko45k said:

Most vehicles will pull out Infront of a motorcycle, part of the might has right rules. 

a motorcycle rider needs to be ready for it.

I wonder if the lorry driver will receive any punishment.... banned from HGV driving might save a few more lives. 

Looks like dumbo ran into the driver side of the truck... why was the scoot trying to over take a turning truck ?

[jacko45k]

1 hour ago, lordgrinz said:

 

He hit the side of the trailer, not the cab, looks more like a motorcycle rider not paying attention. 

That does not mean the truck did not pull in front of the motorcycle in the slightest. He should not pull out if that would require the motorcycle to brake or evade. The reality is trucks mostly do.  Near where I live trucks actually do this slowly, force the traffic on the highway to come to a stop, and seemingly help all those waiting for the U-Turn to get across,  I have the misfortune to live near Hwy 36, lots of HGVs, and U-turns. 

 

Not saying a few motorcycles don't try to nip across a bit late, but reading the above i don't get a sense of that. 

[lordgrinz]

15 minutes ago, jacko45k said:

That does not mean the truck did not pull in front of the motorcycle in the slightest. He should not pull out if that would require the motorcycle to brake or evade. The reality is trucks mostly do.  Near where I live trucks actually do this slowly, force the traffic on the highway to come to a stop, and seemingly help all those waiting for the U-Turn to get across,  I have the misfortune to live near Hwy 36, lots of HGVs, and U-turns. 

 

Not saying a few motorcycles don't try to nip across a bit late, but reading the above i don't get a sense of that. 

 

I highly doubt that this was the lorry drivers fault, this looks more like a motorcycle driver not being very careful, and driving recklessly. Plus this is a flatbed, I bet he didn't notice it when he decided to speed into it with no helmet or glasses, which is the norm here. The thickness of the trailer isn't much, and the color is very neutral as well, he hit the trailer at what looks like the mid to back of the trailer and slid under it. I don't see anything that implicates the lorry driver here, this looks completely on an inattentive motorcycle driver.

[Ralf001]

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

That does not mean the truck did not pull in front of the motorcycle in the slightest. He should not pull out if that would require the motorcycle to brake or evade. The reality is trucks mostly do.  Near where I live trucks actually do this slowly, force the traffic on the highway to come to a stop, and seemingly help all those waiting for the U-Turn to get across,  I have the misfortune to live near Hwy 36, lots of HGVs, and U-turns. 

 

Not saying a few motorcycles don't try to nip across a bit late, but reading the above i don't get a sense of that. 

Truck doing a U-Turn... had to turn wide and scoot came up the inside and slammed into the trailer is how I recon it happened.

[2long]

Very sad.

I would say it's a combination of..

- stupidly-designed roads that allow u-turns, especially for trucks

- high speed and lack of awareness by the rider, but we have no evidence of this

- poor lighting (looks like at night)

We have no idea if the truck indicated or not, but even if he did everything right, a bike going straight on at a speed high enough to be fatal is often going much faster than a turning truck

RIP fellow biker

 

[lordgrinz]

1 hour ago, 2long said:

- high speed and lack of awareness by the rider, but we have no evidence of this

 

He hit the rear side trailer section, not the cab. Plenty of evidence he was using lack of awareness, and unless he was asleep, speed would most likely be the reason he couldn't stop in time for this giant trailer truck in front of him. 

[Will B Good]

Side Lights on Trailers

 

UK

 

Under the Road Vehicles Lighting Regulations 1989, trailers must meet specific lighting requirements .......

 

•  Side marker lamps (amber) are mandatory for trailers over 6 meters in length.

•  These lights must:

  ⁠◦  Show white to the front and red to the rear.

  ⁠◦  Be spaced evenly along the sides.

  ⁠◦  Be visible from specific angles and distances.

 

Thailand

 

Not required.

 

 

[richard_smith237]

These U-Turns should simply not exist... 

 

Every day there is a U-Turn fatality...  multiple... 

 

At night, these U-Turns are often in dark area's...   I don't think the lorry driver is at fault, they have no other option than to commit to a turn which not a 'quick' process - a motorcycle can easily be out of sight when they commit to the turn and on these roads a fast vehicle must be prepared to slow for turning traffic....    This motorcycle may well have been travelling at high speed and simply not notice the turning truck.

 

How many times do we read news of one vehicle driving or riding into a stationary vehicle at the side of the road - it doesn't surprise me that the 'observation' and self preservation skills are so lacking that a motorcyclist will ride directly into the side of a truck at speed.

[Will B Good]

4 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

These U-Turns should simply not exist... 

 

Every day there is a U-Turn fatality...  multiple... 

 

At night, these U-Turns are often in dark area's...   I don't think the lorry driver is at fault, they have no other option than to commit to a turn which not a 'quick' process - a motorcycle can easily be out of sight when they commit to the turn and on these roads a fast vehicle must be prepared to slow for turning traffic....    This motorcycle may well have been travelling at high speed and simply not notice the turning truck.

 

How many times do we read news of one vehicle driving or riding into a stationary vehicle at the side of the road - it doesn't surprise me that the 'observation' and self preservation skills are so lacking that a motorcyclist will ride directly into the side of a truck at speed.

 

 

They scare me witless.....always slow down, sit up and watch, watch, watch.

 

 

[lordgrinz]

12 minutes ago, Will B Good said:

 

 

They scare me witless.....always slow down, sit up and watch, watch, watch.

 

 

 

I try to avoid them, but I have to use one to get home every day. I do choose the one that is marked as a "U-Turn" and also has a large speed bump before oncoming cars can slam into you, that is no guarantee though, as large SUV's fly over it at twice the speed limit. 

[NorthernRyland]

5 hours ago, lordgrinz said:

 

He hit the side of the trailer, not the cab, looks more like a motorcycle rider not paying attention. 

 

Exactly. Thai's tend to just go straight and and keep their pace then try to avoid obstacles as they present themselves. This guy probably tried that and didn't make it. you see this stuff every day so I'm not surprised in the slightest.

[hotandsticky]

3 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

Exactly. Thai's tend to just go straight and and keep their pace then try to avoid obstacles as they present themselves. This guy probably tried that and didn't make it. you see this stuff every day so I'm not surprised in the slightest.

 

 

Watch...................you will get a thumbs down from someone for that comment.......................everyone else who suggests the rider may be at fault got one.

[hotandsticky]

8 minutes ago, hotandsticky said:

 

 

Watch...................you will get a thumbs down from someone for that comment.......................everyone else who suggests the rider may be at fault got one.

 

 

Oh look........................now I've got one.

 

 

 

A badge of honour

[lordgrinz]

14 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

Exactly. Thai's tend to just go straight and and keep their pace then try to avoid obstacles as they present themselves. This guy probably tried that and didn't make it. you see this stuff every day so I'm not surprised in the slightest.

 

In fact, the picture shows where he hit, the rear red/white guard bar is broken on the trailer (you can see it dangling in the picture), he literally hit directly in front of the rear wheels. Pretty cut and dry who is at fault here, just another inattentive and suicidal motorcycle driver, there are millions of them here.

[BarraMarra]

Risk assesment failure on the bike rider, big trailor needs time to complete the turn. Looks like he misjudged the distance he had to miss the trailor or wasn't watching at a high speed.

[Rimmer]

To get around the U Turn The truck driver would have to pull left into the slow lane then sharp right across the carriageways to get into the U Turn, at which point the truck could be horizontal to the carriageway, it then becomes a small profile in the dark with no lights that I can see along the truck side.

 

Other countries have red lights along the sides for just such an event like this and a strong bar at the back to prevent a vehicle going under the back, small low cost mods like this that could save lives..... 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

49 minutes ago, NorthernRyland said:

 

Exactly. Thai's tend to just go straight and and keep their pace then try to avoid obstacles as they present themselves. This guy probably tried that and didn't make it. you see this stuff every day so I'm not surprised in the slightest.

 

Possibly one of the most pervasive traits on the roads here is that slowing down is always the last resort.

 

I witnessed it just yesterday, right outside our soi. The Grab driver inched forward, cautiously nosing out into the main soi, but instead of committing, the driver hesitated. Meanwhile, a pickup truck came barrelling down the road at speed, showing no sign of slowing. It looked certain he’d simply swerve around us.

 

At the very last moment, the pickup slammed on the brakes and stopped uncomfortably close to our vehicle.

 

In truth, the GrabCar had more than enough time to pull out safely, but the driver’s hesitance created uncertainty. The pickup driver, on the other hand, was clearly determined to assert his right of way, aggressively closing the gap to prevent anyone from merging ahead of him.

 

The result? Both drivers effectively delayed one another, thanks to a stubborn refusal to yield or show any flexibility. And this sort of encounter is all too common - an unwillingness to give way, where braking is seen as a defeat rather than a basic courtesy. The traffic suffers as a result.

 

In the end, these micro-standoffs are exactly what lead to the more serious accidents. When nobody wants to be the one to ease off, the damage only happens once it's too late.

 

 

That said: In this case (this thread) I suspect the motorcyclist simply failed to look far enough ahead and / or simply failed to see the lorry until it was too late - So many vehicles here collide with stationary other vehicles - the amount it happens is astonishing.

 

 

[lordgrinz]

1 hour ago, richard_smith237 said:

 

Possibly one of the most pervasive traits on the roads here is that slowing down is always the last resort.

 

I witnessed it just yesterday, right outside our soi. The Grab driver inched forward, cautiously nosing out into the main soi, but instead of committing, the driver hesitated. Meanwhile, a pickup truck came barrelling down the road at speed, showing no sign of slowing. It looked certain he’d simply swerve around us.

 

At the very last moment, the pickup slammed on the brakes and stopped uncomfortably close to our vehicle.

 

In truth, the GrabCar had more than enough time to pull out safely, but the driver’s hesitance created uncertainty. The pickup driver, on the other hand, was clearly determined to assert his right of way, aggressively closing the gap to prevent anyone from merging ahead of him.

 

The result? Both drivers effectively delayed one another, thanks to a stubborn refusal to yield or show any flexibility. And this sort of encounter is all too common - an unwillingness to give way, where braking is seen as a defeat rather than a basic courtesy. The traffic suffers as a result.

 

In the end, these micro-standoffs are exactly what lead to the more serious accidents. When nobody wants to be the one to ease off, the damage only happens once it's too late.

 

 

That said: In this case (this thread) I suspect the motorcyclist simply failed to look far enough ahead and / or simply failed to see the lorry until it was too late - So many vehicles here collide with stationary other vehicles - the amount it happens is astonishing.

 

 

 

Yup, most Thai's drive offensively, not defensively. When I am driving back home, 95% of the people are driving defensively, those who don't have bad driving records and huge insurance premiums. Here it's like a sport to be the most aggressive driver possible, show their dominance over others. The sheer fact that they actually flash their headlights to assert dominance is bonkers, back home it's to let someone know your giving them the right of way.