Pictures courtesy of Naewna

A fatal motorcycle crash on Jomtien Second Road has claimed the first reported death in Pattaya, of the new year, killing a Russian national and leaving another injured. The crash occurred at 08.50 on Thursday, 1 January 2026, on a bend locally known as the “death curve” near Lumpini Condominium, Chonburi. Police said the motorcycle rider lost control and struck the central reservation, causing catastrophic injuries.

The crash prompted an immediate response from Pattaya City Police Station officers and rescue workers, with traffic briefly affected as emergency services secured the area. The severity of the impact was evident from debris scattered across the roadway and damage to roadside infrastructure. Authorities confirmed the victim died at the scene, marking the first fatal road incident reported in Pattaya this year.

Police identified the deceased as Mr Zubairu Zalkepov, a 28-year-old Russian national. He was wearing a black shirt and long trousers and suffered severe facial injuries, a fractured skull and heavy blood loss. A second Russian man, identified only as Mr Nikolai, aged 27, sustained injuries believed to include abrasions and was transported to Jomtien Hospital prior to police arrival.

The motorcycle involved was a green Yamaha Aerox with registration number from Chonburi. It was found overturned on the central island, while a tree on the reservation had been split apart, by the force of the collision. Officers from Pattaya City Police Station, led by Pol Lt Col Pakorn Prakobnan, deputy investigation inspector, documented the scene with rescue workers from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation.

A nearby condominium security guard, Mr Seksan Buangam, 35, told police he heard a loud crash and ran to investigate. He reported finding two Russian men at the bend, one unconscious and the other sitting nearby watching over his friend. Emergency services were contacted immediately, but rescuers later confirmed one man had already died, when they arrived.

Preliminary investigations suggest the motorcycle was travelling at high speed before the rider lost control on the curve. Police noted the location has a long history of serious crashes, with more than 10 fatalities recorded there in the past year alone. Investigators are continuing inquiries to determine the precise circumstances of the crash.

Naewna reported that further steps may include a review of road safety measures and warning signs along the stretch of road. The injured survivor remains under medical care, while authorities consider whether additional preventative actions are needed to address the recurring dangers at the site.

Key Takeaways

• One Russian man, Mr Zubairu Zalkepov, 28, was killed and another injured in a motorcycle crash on 1 January 2026.

• The accident occurred at 08.50 on Jomtien Second Road at a bend known locally as the “death curve”.

• Police believe excessive speed caused the rider to lose control, with the site linked to more than 10 deaths in the past year.

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Adapted by ASEAN Now from Naewna 2026-01-02

 

 

Video courtesy of SiamChon

It may be the first but it seems to be an annual event, a Russian getting killed on a motorcycle on this road. Not a crotch rocket though surprisingly......

I gather the Russia was playing Russian roulette by not wearing a helmet.

2 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Not a crotch rocket though surprisingly......

Aerox 155

115 km/h or a bit more and it looks like a light slope down?

And who cares about the 60 signs.

More than enough to kill.

looks like the same spot...a big bike driver came 'a croper' a few weeks ago...I said back then the road is tricky the bend 'sneaks up' have to lean more than you think, road surface not so good.

No matter what you put in place to warn those riders that throws caution to the wind and with few drinks in them no doubt will find a way to harm themselves, it's like road deaths has to occur, when and where remain to be seen.

1 hour ago, KhunBENQ said:

And who cares about the 60 signs.

3 sets? No don't need them?

RIP Mr Zubairu Zalkepov, 28 is way too young to go.

10 dead last year. Isn't it time for the police to get active? Speedsters can be discouraged by frequent arrests using CCTV; as can redlight runners and the police don't even need to leave the Air Con.

Right where the traffic breaks free and throttles open.

I was walking and heard a guy singing loudly.

I turn around and see a farang on his motorbike with big wireless headphones and singing along loudly to the music.

This seems a bit reckless as you cannot hear oncoming traffic.

That's the second fatal accident in a few months there. Something needs to be done about the speed on that stretch.

26 minutes ago, giants49 said:

That's the second fatal accident in a few months there. Something needs to be done about the speed on that stretch.

There are plenty of signs leading up to that stretch.
Riders are responsible for their own safety and that includes following the rules and wearing the appropriate protective gear.
There will always be folks who flout the rules & advice and sometimes this is the result.

Yet another tourist who would likely still be alive if tourists were prohibited from renting motorcycles. Luckily, no innocent pedestrians were killed or injured. Perhaps Thailand should follow the lead of Bali, which is planning to ban international tourists from renting motorcycles due to bad behavior such as this.

On 1/2/2026 at 9:35 AM, jacko45k said:

It may be the first but it seems to be an annual event, a Russian getting killed on a motorcycle on this road. Not a crotch rocket though surprisingly......

Oh don't be prejudice,

But I believe you may be right ,I recall a similar accident a few months ago exactly same place, a Russian man and Thai lady on the back

Oh please don't be judgemental

23 minutes ago, newnative said:

Yet another tourist who would likely still be alive if tourists were prohibited from renting motorcycles. Luckily, no innocent pedestrians were killed or injured. Perhaps Thailand should follow the lead of Bali, which is planning to ban international tourists from renting motorcycles due to bad behavior such as this.

People need to take responsibility for their own actions

No use banning things

Is it the Darwin theory where "idiots " die?

Half the time these kids don't have any licence for riding a bike , have never even ridden before yet off they go wind in their hair no helmet, living the dream.

When I lived on Koh Chang the amount of people hobbling around bruised and bandaged was insane.

I rode my bike for years all over UK lived and worked and commuted through central London daily fully leathered up with the most expensive helmet I could buy.

Rented a scooter on Koh Chang, no helmet offered or even available so went as careful as possible still I ended up run off the road by a songthaw. Fractured skull and having bounced all over the road, naked I looked a like a smurf woman.

Never tried it since. Even if you're competent you can't account for other road users, especially here.

Young, stupid, whatever it's a tragic waste of a young life.

1 hour ago, newnative said:

Yet another tourist who would likely still be alive if tourists were prohibited from renting motorcycles. Luckily, no innocent pedestrians were killed or injured. Perhaps Thailand should follow the lead of Bali, which is planning to ban international tourists from renting motorcycles due to bad behavior such as this.

Can't punish everyone for the actions of a few. There isn't any way anyone can judge how well or bad a person is as a driver. Renting scooters isn't the problem. Renting without helmets is, although that won't stop driving behavior.

I feel really sorry....for the tree.

Jeez he gave that palm tree a fair old belting.

2 hours ago, Chutney said:

Half the time these kids don't have any licence for riding a bike , have never even ridden before yet off they go wind in their hair no helmet, living the dream.

When I lived on Koh Chang the amount of people hobbling around bruised and bandaged was insane.

I rode my bike for years all over UK lived and worked and commuted through central London daily fully leathered up with the most expensive helmet I could buy.

Rented a scooter on Koh Chang, no helmet offered or even available so went as careful as possible still I ended up run off the road by a songthaw. Fractured skull and having bounced all over the road, naked I looked a like a smurf woman.

Never tried it since. Even if you're competent you can't account for other road users, especially here.

Young, stupid, whatever it's a tragic waste of a young life.

19 years back, Koh Chang was more or less the last place I road a bike in earnest here. I was forced off on a switchback by a guy driving a pickup on the wrong side of the road. Fortunately, because I was going uphill I wasn't going very fast and just dropped the bike near the side of the road. The fact hit me there and then that no matter how much bike riding I'd done at home, it stood for nothing here, It was only time before some idiot would do for me.

That will mess a guy up.

Was it a hired bike by yet another shop that just did not bother th check the proper licence qualifications for such a bike ? Nevertheless, some bikers can tend to challenge laws of physics and gravity and overspeed. This can have a very tragic outcome. No matter who the biker is, Russian or not, a death is always a tragedy and it is vicious to have irony, based on the nationality, when a dead man is involved. RIP.

The victim here was obviously no kind of innocent abroad assuming the report of speeding is true. He paid the ultimate price for his folly. However, I really find it distasteful when there is undue focus on nationality in such incidents. I learned of this accident on Facebook. The consensus of comments was truly disgusting of the type like because he's Russian, I don't care, etc. I acknowledge when I hear about meat grinder deaths of Russian soldiers who signed up for the money payout that I'm not sympathetic, as they are going to Ukraine to kill for money (or more likely money for their familes when dead). But Russian people indeed no people are a monolith. Bigotry over the accident of our nationalities is similarly despicable as racism. When you meet a Russian person or any person in Thailand give them the benefit of the doubt at first. They might prove to be horrible. But that's them, not all Russians.

7 hours ago, giants49 said:

That's the second fatal accident in a few months there. Something needs to be done about the speed on that stretch.

No cure for stupid. Idiots die daily on the roads. Good riddance. Hopefully they don't kill innocents.

3 minutes ago, Jingthing said:

The victim here was obviously no kind of innocent abroad assuming the report of speeding is true. He paid the ultimate price for his folly. However, I really find it distasteful when there is undue focus on nationality in such incidents. I learned of this accident on Facebook. The consensus of comments was truly disgusting of the type like because he's Russian, I don't care, etc. I acknowledge when I hear about meat grinder deaths of Russian soldiers who signed up for the money payout that I'm not sympathetic, as they are going to Ukraine to kill for money (or more likely money for their familes when dead). But Russian people indeed no people are a monolith. Bigotry over the accident of our nationalities is similarly despicable as racism. When you meet a Russian person or any person in Thailand give them the benefit of the doubt at first. They might prove to be horrible. But that's them, not all Russians.

Russians are seen as arrogant I guess.

8 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Oh don't be prejudice,

But I believe you may be right ,I recall a similar accident a few months ago exactly same place, a Russian man and Thai lady on the back

Oh please don't be judgemental

It was an American man with a Thai woman passenger. Also killed when hitting a tree at great speed.

I live not far from there apart from the bend to negotiate often there is sand on the road helps tremendously with grip 🤔

15 hours ago, georgegeorgia said:

Oh don't be prejudice,

But I believe you may be right ,I recall a similar accident a few months ago exactly same place, a Russian man and Thai lady on the back

Oh please don't be judgemental

And the infamous one some years prior where he hit a road sign and sliced himself into a couple of pieces. Used to be people going off the end the flyover ramp to Hwy 7 off Suk that got all the racers.

Alcohol, marijuana involved I wonder?

Why are there no rumble strips on that curve?