Just now, save the frogs said:

I even met a guy back home who was afraid to drive cars after nearly getting into an accident.

He stopped driving and just used public transit.

Yeah, sounds like my father. He had an accident when he was around 35 years old. Not any big stuff, just got hit and run out on a field. However, he got so spoked out of that, he never drove again for the rest of his life.

1 hour ago, TedG said:

That's not all that fast. I'll get my BMW over 120 Kph on the US highways. You need to look ahead and always keep a safe following distance from other vehicles.

A safe following distance is something that is rarely practiced in Thailand. I do it all the time but then have to put up with everyone cutting into the space.

Leave a gap and someone immediately takes it. Many drivers here lack road sense and have zero awareness of their surroundings resulting in accidents like this. I don't know if it's first generation drivers syndrome or what but it needs to change

We've all these seen these guys in Thailand riding at high speeds and making dangerous moves on their high powered bike. Doesn't surprise me in the slightest this happened.

This guy had enough experience to know that Thai people on the road are unpredictable and rules are rarely followed. Even if the posted speed limit is 90k that speed is still dangerous because of all the U-turns and people crossing from side streets. You simply can not trust the open road you see in front of you will remain that way for the next 5 seconds.

Personally I keep to the left at all times and around 50 because I'm planning on something really stupid to happen at any moment. Once you get out on to remote roads with no U-turns or side streets then you can go faster.

31 minutes ago, MeRakThai said:

He came to thailand at age 22 and is a business development manager???To young for a retirement visa, no wife just a girlfriend so no marriage visa....can someone more learned than me tell me how he could have stayed so long on what visa?

Good question, That raises an important question what kind of business was he developing suring the past 12 years. Of course that detail along with his insurance coverage and police report were conveniently left out. But he did tell us that he never wanted to be that foreigner begging for money but he he swallowed his pride.

9 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, sounds like my father. He had an accident when he was around 35 years old. Not any big stuff, just got hit and run out on a field. However, he got so spoked out of that, he never drove again for the rest of his life.

Sad story. Driving is a real pleasure.

15 minutes ago, wmorris61 said:

A safe following distance is something that is rarely practiced in Thailand. I do it all the time but then have to put up with everyone cutting into the space.

Leave a gap and someone immediately takes it. Many drivers here lack road sense and have zero awareness of their surroundings resulting in accidents like this. I don't know if it's first generation drivers syndrome or what but it needs to change

You can’t leave any kind of gap when driving on the busy highways. Leave more than one car length and someone will surely go around you and cut in. Heck, some drivers will cut in if there’s 3/4 of a car length gap! Which is why driving here is so stressful. You have to anticipate the actions of four to six cars that are in front of, beside, and behind you.

And since this was initially about motorcycles, who among us doesn’t love the big bikes that squeeze between two lanes of cars, everyone going 80 to 120 kph. If I see them coming, I’ll help them out. But if they roar right up to me and I haven’t seen them coming, they’re on their own.

1 hour ago, spidermike007 said:

A good friend of mine got in a bad motorcycle accident some time ago. He almost lost his leg. He got his first of 11 operations at Bangkok Hospital Samui. It costs him over a million baht. They wanted to do a second procedure. They quoted him 1.4 million baht. He decided to transfer to Bangkok. He was quoted 460,000 baht for the same procedure, at a top private hospital there. The surgeon told him that he worked at a public hospital too, and could do the same operation there, for alot less money. He told him he would get him a quote.

In the interim, my friend called a buddy in San Diego, who is an orthopedic surgeon. Since my friend was a retired chiropractor, he knew all the terminology, and explained what he needed, and asked for the best price. His friend called him back, and quoted him $960,000, with cash discounts! And that was 15 years ago! The local surgeon got back to him, and told him he could do it for 46,000 baht. He transferred, and they did all the rest of his procedures.

So, 1.4 million at Bangkok Hospital, 460,000 at the other private hospital in Bangkok (I think it was Vejthani Hospital), and 46,000 at the public hospital, with an excellent surgeon. VS. 32,000,000 baht in the US. Again, no complaints from this peanut gallery.

Fascinating how @PhilipHabib does not like the idea of someone saving a fortune on medical bills. Huh.

Thailand has one of the world's highest road-traffic fatality rates, with about 70 people dying daily from road accidents, and 74% of those fatalities involve motorbike riders and passengers. Only a fool gets on a motorbike in Thailand no matter how great a rider you are.

Go fund yourself.

If you've been here so many years, you know the risks.

Business consultant, my ar$e

Your insurance at your age would have been very affordable, and here we go now, begging strangers for your errors of judgement in not prioritising your health.

2 hours ago, shackleton said:

How many articles do we read with people involved in motor bike incidents

And coming off worse injuries hospital bills ect

I would have thought as a expat in Thailand he would have known better

Insurance needed and so on to pay for any hospital bills ect

Or even better don't ride bikes in Thailand to dangerous

Wish him well hopefully other motor bike people will learn from this guys experience

Nobody will learn from this, as it always happens to somebody else.

One thing we do know: GoFundMe will always be the port of call for those too irresponsible to seek proper insurance.

44 minutes ago, Rockyroad said:

Sad story. Driving is a real pleasure.

Yeah, it is. Actually, really relaxing. However, people react different, and I guess that choice was right for him. A little bit sad for me and my sister too, as we only got to use public transport until 15 years of age, when it was time for motorbike. Mother never had a license in her life. 😂

1 hour ago, LennyW said:

100km/hr is not that fast, just sounds like a big number, it's only 62 mph, no mention in the post if this was in town or on a highway.

In the grand scale of speed, no it's not that fast. Personally I've ridden at 2.5x that and generally cruise at 135-140kph when on a motorway to minimise time sitting alongside other vehicles where you might get side-swiped. However, here it was obviously too fast for the conditions and the capability of the rider, regardless whether in town or on a highway.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by Trip Hop

Absolutely horrific thing to happen.

When will Thailand ban motorbikes and motorcycles?

Soon, we hope.

3 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

What is the situation with legal liability? Can the driver of the vehicle doing the uturn be sued for compensation, does the driver have insurance for third party? What is the minimum insurance requirements to licence a car in Thailand?

Do you think the other driver will be insured?

Are you a paid up member of the Thai optimist society?

4 minutes ago, GammaGlobulin said:

Absolutely horrific thing to happen.

When will Thailand ban motorbikes and motorcycles?

Soon, we hope.

Probably will happen organically when (if) the standard of living rises to the point where every family can afford to own automobiles.

3 hours ago, mikebell said:

Nowhere in the article or comments did I see the word Insurance. (Damn Ivor just beat me!) Can you buy or rent a motor bike without it?

Yeah, You almost certainly can !!

Not my problem. Good luck with recovery.

6 hours ago, SiSePuede419 said:

British expat Darren Cummins, 34

Maybe we should require a minimum age to be an "expat" in Thailand? Maybe 34 is too young.

And a Doctor's prescription to rent or buy a motorcycle, which sounds much more dangerous than cannabis.

Never saw anyone's leg dangling after smoking a joint.

And I prefer the smell of ganja to the smell of "road rash" -- human flesh dragged over asphalt so fast it heats up and starts to burn.

Doesn't seem like we're trying to regulate the most dangerous activity. 🤔

Why bring gangja into your comments. There was nothing in the article to indicate he was smoking — sad state of affairs but I don’t contribute to go fund me when you don’t maintain enough in ur bank or insurance to cover a misfortune “it will never happen to me” comes in play here

3 hours ago, Paul Henry said:

What is the situation with legal liability? Can the driver of the vehicle doing the uturn be sued for compensation

It was another bike...with a sidecar.

38 minutes ago, Front Row said:

Probably will happen organically when (if) the standard of living rises to the point where every family can afford to own automobiles.

I hope so.

I know a friend whose son rides a motorbike.

She can't sleep at night, just knowing he is riding one.

We need to ban motorbikes.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by GammaGlobulin

4 hours ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Riding a motorcycle without medical insurance, in Thailand, is just plain dumb.

Now he wants us to send him money for his irresponsibility.

keep the speed down.

And be on Ultra High Alert, at all times.

I wish him all the best on his recovery.

I used to have a motorbike when I first came to Thailand but after a couple of years I decided it was far too dangerous. Sold the bike and bought a car. Still alive but see many bike riders that would appear to be heading for a very short life.

3 hours ago, alanrchase said:

100 is obviously above the speed limit but not ridiculously excessive. Doing 100 in the left lane and passing vehicles in the two lanes to your right when there is a U- turn is not best practice.

The triple carriageway the incident happened on, what is the posted speed limit ?

2 hours ago, Front Row said:

he should try to go after the driver that did the illegal u-turn.

The motorcycle sidecar driver?

2 hours ago, riverhigh said:

That raises an important question what kind of business was he developing suring the past 12 years

No, that's not a good question, any context of the thread it's a completely irrelevant question.

2 hours ago, riverhigh said:

police report were conveniently left out.

What's viewing the police report got to do with this, or with any of us come to that?

39 minutes ago, Taboo2 said:

Not my problem. Good luck with recovery.

Being a callous, apathetic person is your problem, though. Lifelong affliction, I would guess. Good luck with recovery.

1 hour ago, Screaming said:

Thailand has one of the world's highest road-traffic fatality rates, with about 70 people dying daily from road accidents, and 74% of those fatalities involve motorbike riders and passengers. Only a fool gets on a motorbike in Thailand no matter how great a rider you are.

For those who don't understand the joy of motorcycling I guess it would be natural to call all of us fools. Many of us ride bikes here on a daily basis. I wouldn't advise it without a lot of experience and a lot of talent and even then one must be incredibly cautious, but accidents can be avoided and we all pick our spots in life, and find Joy from various things.

Many things in life carry some risk, the safest thing to do is just to lock yourself in your home and never leave the safety of that barrier.

Isn't it amazing that in every single accident involving foreigners in Thailand; it's always the other person's fault.?Yeah, sure.