2 hours 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.

A nation of mostly poor aren't going to be able to afford as many cars as there are scooters, as witnessed in all SE Asia. Many are farmers who's most driving is from house to field. The trouble is not wearing helmets, driving drunk, letting kids drive from age 8, with 3 or more on scooters, and a daring attitude, thinking they're going to die someday anyway, and can't avoid that.

If they actually cared, most wouldn't be dying daily as they are. Even mandatory helmet wear with immediate penalties would reduce the number by half at least.

Had my only motorbike accident in 50 years of driving last year here, when a boy cut right in front of me on a scooter with sidecart, crossing the road without looking. Couldn't avoid it so ran into him. Luckily no injuries, but I'll still drive scooters, just trying to avoid everyone.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by fredwiggy

They should require everyone entering Thailand to buy accident insurance to include any motorcycle injuries. I wonder what it would cost?

Anyway, I gave this guy's GoFundMe a little money.

Does his "Thai GF" contribute to GoFundMe?

What strikes me is this line:

“He said he has cried himself to sleep over the prospect and doubts he will be able to ride again.”

He now has a GoFundMe page, but there is no explanation of why insurance will not cover the costs—or whether he had any insurance at all.

After an accident when you are not at fault, your insurance company handles your immediate bills and then steps into your shoes to sue or collect from the negligent driver's insurer.

Understanding the 4 Steps of Subrogation

1. You File a First-Party Claim
   You report the accident to your own insurer to get your car repaired or medical bills paid quickly.

2. You Pay Your Deductible
   Your insurer pays out the claim amount minus your policy deductible, which you must pay out-of-pocket upfront.

3. Your Insurer Pursues the Third Party
   Your insurance company contacts the at-fault driver's insurance company to demand full reimbursement for what they paid.

4. You Get Your Deductible Back
   Once your insurer successfully recovers the money, they legally must refund your deductible.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by Dave1954

To much chatter to read all

WAIT - The other driver did Not Stop.

Review

Section 78 of the Road Traffic Act, B.E. 2522 (1979).

It implies that even of the other driver caused an accident but there was no collision with their vehicle they must stop, provide assistance.

Where is the other driver. Why isn't the other driver mentioned in the article?

27 minutes ago, Dave1954 said:

After an accident when you are not at fault, your insurance company handles your immediate bills and then steps into your shoes to sue or collect from the negligent driver's insurer.

Understanding the 4 Steps of Subrogation

1. You File a First-Party Claim
   You report the accident to your own insurer to get your car repaired or medical bills paid quickly.

2. You Pay Your Deductible
   Your insurer pays out the claim amount minus your policy deductible, which you must pay out-of-pocket upfront.

3. Your Insurer Pursues the Third Party
   Your insurance company contacts the at-fault driver's insurance company to demand full reimbursement for what they paid.

4. You Get Your Deductible Back
   Once your insurer successfully recovers the money, they legally must refund your deductible.

If you are totally incapacitated how do do you contact your Insurance Company? Not trolling. A serious question.

5 hours 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.

And even with all precautions and special protective gear, accidents still happen !!

Seems to be epidemic these British people begging for money for issues they create. Don't drive a motorbike without a license!. Don't go on vacation without propper insurance! How simple can it be?

5 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

The only time I've seen money successfully recovered in Thailand from an automobile accident when someone else was at fault is when you have a good insurance company that goes after the responsible party.

Doing it on your own would likely cost a fortune, it would likely take years, and who knows what the result would be?

LOL, As if they have money? Many of them drive cars without insurance and or a license. They don't have any money in the bank and are broke. Goodluck getting any money out of that.

"Every single procedure now we get hounded for money before they work on me - even if it's an emergency you have to have the money," he said.

Welcome to the land of smiles.... The only thing that counts is the money. They really don't care about you if you don't have it.

6 hours ago, Srikcir said:

PS: no mention of a helmet)

no mention of any head injuries either , so what's your point?

Even if he had a decent insurance on his bike, the max they will payout is 50% and much less if you were speeding, under influence etc, He got what he paid for. Unfortunately too many people don't understand this or the need of any insurance it's so cheap when you are his age you'd be a fool not to have it, Saying that I worked with some guys that didn't want it till they got older. Mind numbing, but at least they had social security health coverage from the company. You should always be prepared for the worse things that can happen and count your lucky starts if they don't.

9 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. 🤔

What a facile and fatuous post!

A lot of people are being wise after the event – except they're not wise, as they really don't seem to have a clue about road safety or motorcycling.

13 minutes ago, jcmj said:

if he had a decent insurance on his bike, the max they will payout is 50%

where do you get that information from? THey will cover full costs depending on policy.

6 hours ago, bannork said:

Driving at motorbike at 100kph is insane in Thailand.

There could be anything on the road: strewn sugarcane, empty sacks blowing across the road, tractors crossing, dogs meandering looking for bird carcasses.

I'm sorry but his actions were reckless.

Pfft, my scooter will do 100.

I take my GSXR1000 out for blat evey othe weekend..260+ on the 36 weaving through traffic is hella fun.

10 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Cummins said he was thrown about 30 yards from his motorbike, was in and out of consciousness and went into shock. He recalled seeing his "leg just dangling off" and screaming uncontrollably before waking in hospital with an oxygen mask on

The crash caused a compound fracture at the top of his tibia, with five inches of bone lost. He also suffered comminuted fractures to his ankle and shin and lost the use of his Achilles tendon.

"I lost five inches of tibia, smashed out of my knee, [it] scattered across the road," he said. "I'm lucky to be here

Ouch, that's gotta hurt

Edited July 17Jul 17 by SAFETY FIRST

All big bike riders are on suicide mission. Even does not have to be really a big one, as long as they hit something hard it does not matter 50kmph or 100. Lucky one Remains alive, but in pieces 🤔

2 minutes ago, OneManShow said:

All big bike riders are on suicide mission. Even does not have to be really a big one, as long as they hit something hard it does not matter 50kmph or 100. Lucky one Remains alive, but in pieces 🤔

I stopped riding "real bikes" when I came to Thailand because the situation described here is inevitable. The roads are simply too dangerous to be doing 100 km/h on two wheels.

It seems that, once again, many people on this thread have learned very little from the incident itself.

From the photo, the rider appears to have been travelling without a helmet, gloves or any meaningful protective clothing. That significantly increases the risk of serious injury before you even consider how the crash occurred.

As for his account of the collision, it's only one side of the story. It's a perfectly natural human reaction to explain events in a way that minimises our own mistakes, but until we hear from the other driver—or see a proper collision investigation—we simply don't know what happened. Unfortunately, proper crash investigations are still rare in Thailand.

We don't even know exactly where the collision occurred. Darren lives in Hua Hin, but that doesn't necessarily mean the crash happened there. Location matters, particularly if there was a U-turn involved, as these are well-known conflict points on Thai roads and demand a very defensive approach.

One important lesson that is often overlooked concerns insurance. After any road traffic collision in Thailand, the first priority—assuming you're physically able—is to contact your insurance company immediately. They will send an agent to the scene, who acts as the intermediary between you, the other parties and the police. Trying to deal with a collision without your insurer's representative present can create major problems later if liability is disputed.

The article doesn't mention whether he had comprehensive motorcycle insurance. Many people assume the compulsory insurance (Por Ror Bor), included with annual road tax, provides adequate cover. It doesn't. It mainly covers emergency medical treatment and limited third-party liability. Anyone who owns or regularly rides a motorcycle—particularly a larger machine—should seriously consider proper comprehensive insurance.

There are also legal considerations. To ride a motorcycle legally in Thailand, you need a full motorcycle licence from your home country together with a valid International Driving Permit. If you remain in Thailand long-term, you should obtain a Thai licence and ensure you have appropriate health insurance as well.

Finally, Thailand's emergency response system is still highly variable. Ambulance services are not nationally standardised, and the quality of emergency care can differ considerably depending on where the incident occurs.

Having driven extensively throughout Thailand since the 1990s, one thing I've noticed time and again is that many foreign motorists—whether on two wheels or four—never really adapt to the Thai driving environment. They continue to drive as though they were back home, expecting Thai traffic to follow the same conventions. It doesn't. Safe driving in Thailand requires adapting to local conditions, anticipating behaviour that would be unusual elsewhere, and accepting that the road environment is fundamentally different.

7 minutes ago, OneManShow said:

All big bike riders are on suicide mission. Even does not have to be really a big one, as long as they hit something hard it does not matter 50kmph or 100. Lucky one Remains alive, but in pieces 🤔

I hit a medium sized dog on my Z650 Kawasaki, I was travelling at around 60kph, it ran out of the hedge bank, I made no attempt to brake, that would have been a mistake, kept the bike upright, went back, it was stone dead, a guy in a pickup stopped, said he'd sort it. Friend of mine made the mistake of braking, 2 broken legs.

On another site, the victim says it wasn't a car it was a saleng with a Myanmar fella riding it.

Edited July 17Jul 17 by roo860

8 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Does he not have SSO coverage ?

Not in the boiler rooms jobs, where they have these kind of titles

Would his bike insurance not cover the hospital costs etc. Assuming he had it. As a business consultant, I wonder if had done his due diligence and worked out the some kind of cost analysis re getting additional health insurance?

16 minutes ago, roo860 said:

I hit a medium sized dog on my Z650 Kawasaki, I was travelling at around 60kph, it ran out of the hedge bank, I made no attempt to brake, that would have been a mistake, kept the bike upright, went back, it was stone dead, a guy in a pickup stopped, said he'd sort it. Friend of mine made the mistake of braking, 2 broken legs.

Imagine what would happen if it was another motorcycle, not a dog.

4 hours ago, Liverpool Lou said:

The motorcycle sidecar driver?

Are we reading the same article because what I read didn’t mention anything about a motorcycle sidecar.

11 hours ago, Georgealbert said:

Cummins said he was travelling at 100kph when a car allegedly made a U-turn across oncoming traffic on a triple carriageway.

"The driver was travelling in the opposite direction to me so he was on the other side of the triple carriageway and he wanted to do a U-turn," he said.

U-turns are the most dangerous places of all on thai roads. I witness daily, how inconsiderate drivers are making u-turns and crossing all three lanes of a triple carriageway simply out of convenience. Crossing lanes in connection with or immediately after u-turns should be forbidden by law and punished hard. Drivers should also be extra cautious and reduce speed when overtaking other vehicles to the left. Personally I never slow down and give way for any vehicle wanting to make a u-turn, because I very well know, that it could easily create a dangerous situation, with other drivers overtaking on my left side.

1 minute ago, OneManShow said:

Imagine what would happen if it was another motorcycle, not a dog.

Was on a straight dual carriageway, I'd have probably had better chance of seeing another bike than a dog flying out of the bushes.

2 hours ago, spidermike007 said:

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.

The inference being, if you don't choose to ride because of safety concerns you are too cowardly to participate in life!

One common sense choice doesn't colour how you live your whole existence. I choose to not ride a motor bike in the same way I chose not to jump off mountains in a flying suit; to not live with grizzlies hoping they won't devour me, to not let some young twerp tie a bit of rubber to my ankle and then leap off a high bridge hoping my large frame wouldn't cause it to snap. And, to not ride a motorcycle in places like Thailand.

Common sense decisions in lieu of bravado is more a sign of intelligence than cowardice.

1 hour ago, OneManShow said:

All big bike riders are on suicide mission. Even does not have to be really a big one, as long as they hit something hard it does not matter 50kmph or 100. Lucky one Remains alive, but in pieces 🤔

I'd say you don't know much bout motorcycling or driving in Thailand.