Car Accidents

[onnut]

if you were driving down the road and right in front of you some guy drives out accross the road on the wrong side on a motorbike and gets driven over buy a dump truck would you stop to help. the guy on the bike ended up being a 20 metre skid mark, nothing left of him, so for sure he was a gonna.

I slowed down and was about to stop but then chose to drive on as I saw the truck driver himself running across the field.

My stomach still turns when I think of it. this happened out side Pattaya on the way to Bangkok on one of the roads that are makeshift while the highway is being constructed.

the reason why I drove on was because I can remember my wife saying I should not stop if I saw an accident because I could end up getting the blame somehow.

another time when driving to Pattaya from Bangkok I passed a dead guy in the road that had just been hit, this time the person who hit him was on the phone calling insurance by the looks of it. I nearly stopped then, but was told to keep going by my passenger (a Farang) because of the same reason.

Makes me feel terrible to drive on and leave that there.

[petedk]

Sad to say I have been given the same advice by my Thai friends.

I don't really know what I would do though as thankfully I haven't been in that situation in Thailand and I hope I never will be. I have seen enough accidents though and usually the scene of the accident has been surrounded by many many bystanders. Not sure if they help or just gaze.

In England I did stop to help 5 badly injured young people from a car that had overturned. One guy died on us and it was a pretty traumatic experience. I still slow down when I am in England and pass that particular spot even though the accident happened 20 years ago.

[GuestHouse]

I stopped to help at a road accident in Thailand - and I'll never do it again.

I was driving down a quiet country road up near Chai Nat when I came across a woman (aged about 50) and a young girl (aged about 10) layed out on the road, their motorbike along side of them with the egnine still running. They were both cut up pretty badly and the old lady had a huge gash to the side of her head.

I had a first aid kit in the car so I slapped a first aid bandage on the old lady's head wound and was washing the girls arm would before bandaging it when a pick-up came by.

Two young Thai guys jumped out - ran over to where I was with the to accident victims and then proceded to pick the old lady up and put her in the back of the truck, moments later they took the young girl, put her in the back of the truck, loaded the bike into the truck said somehting along the lines of Jai Dee Farang and and then headed off to the local hospital.

They even refused an offer of cash to help with any incidental bills.

I'm disgusted that they a) took over the situation didn't bow scrape and grovel infront of my own largesse and c) refused my furhter offer of help with minor bills.

Worst of all the old lady thanked me for stopping and helping.

I'm sooooo disapointed to have found such normal people needing help.

Edited September 30, 2007 by GuestHouse

[JimsKnight]

Saw a thai girl on a motor bike in front of me get hit by a car turning in front of her (head-on) it was quite a slow speed impact and the girl was only knocked unconcious. I jumped off my bike to help. The pick-up that hit her just reversed a bit then tore off into the night, followed by a pursuing thai car! Meanwhile I went to give first aid but before I could do anything another pick-up driver and friend rushed in, scooped her up and belowed to me 'YOU GO NOW!' (ie fck off! We are thai and you are farang, don't get involved) before roaring away to the hospital. :D

[onnut]

Worst of all the old lady thanked me for stopping and helping.

why is it bad that she thanked you?

[onnut]

Saw a thai girl on a motor bike in front of me get hit by a car turning in front of her (head-on) it was quite a slow speed impact and the girl was only knocked unconcious. I jumped off my bike to help. The pick-up that hit her just reversed a bit then tore off into the night, followed by a pursuing thai car! Meanwhile I went to give first aid but before I could do anything another pick-up driver and friend rushed in, scooped her up and belowed to me 'YOU GO NOW!' (ie fck off! We are thai and you are farang, don't get involved) before roaring away to the hospital.

strange how some people are. well, now I am glad I did not stop..........

[GuestHouse]

Worst of all the old lady thanked me for stopping and helping.

why is it bad that she thanked you?

Doh!

[tingtong]

as we live a sometimes strange country, i rather keep driving, sorry, just afraid in a way some might involve me in the accident as a reason or such.

no, thank you. lets thai deal with thais.

[onethailand]

I tend to believe that they're not telling you to fck off - in a strange way they are trying to help you out, because the police are not exactly the most understanding people around.

GH, you should be commended. But you should also beware, particularly if the victim is not conscious.

Edited September 30, 2007 by onethailand

[elkangorito]

Unless you know First Aid or you were involved in the accident, what are you going to do at the scene (besides get in the way)?

[plachon]

I once stopped to help at the scene of an accident and would probably do so again, under similar circumstances.

Was on a bike with my wife and daughter and came out of a lane on to a main road to see a bike on the road about 50m to the right. There was a bus shelter right next to the junction with a monk and another guy just sitting in it, looking up towards the accident. We stopped and went up to see what was up. The bike was on its side on the hard shoulder, and beyond it there was a spreadeagled body down the side of the embankment. Was trying to discern signs of life, when another bike came along looking out for bodies and ploughed into the first bike.

Plonkers were just accident tourists and became one themselves! Luckily not too badly hurt and they could look after themselves, unlike the bloke on the bank who was now starting to groan, move a bit and spit up a mouthful of teeth. Was trying to work out the extent of his injuries and whether it was safe to move him, when I became aware of another body about 10 m further along lying in the long grass and groaning, who turned out to be in a similar bad way, with multiple injuries incl. head wounds and blood coming out his ears.

Despite these injuries, just then a pick-up truck pulled up, a guy with a mobile jumped out and started phoning cops/hospital, and said "mai pen rai", he'd take them to hospital himself. So with no first aid, we lifted both these young guys on to the back of the truck and he sped off towards town. With no paramedics around, it may be the best tactic, to try and get them to hospital asap, (or it may have killed them.). No way of knowing, but there does seem to be a section of people in Thailand, who seem only too happy to stop at the scene of an accident and take off the injured pronto to the hospital without thought for the consequences.

The two badly injured guys were pissed up teenagers coming back from a "boon baan" loaded up with "kao poon" noodles, which were all over the shop, though whether they just totalled the bike and went flying over the handlebars, or were hit by something else that failed to stop, we'll never know.

The most interesting thing about the whole incident was though, the monk and other guy, who must have witnessed the accident just sat there the whole time and did nothing but stare. Not sure if the monk earned any merit that day, but he was a silent witness. Hope I never have an accident near those dudes.

[qualtrough]

If you witness an accident and you can help but do not then you are pretty much worthless scum, in Thailand or anywhere. Do not try to justify your inaction with all the urban legends and stories you have heard.

[intumult]

I do wonder.....

Has this 'picking them up and putting them into the truck' got anything to do with the cost of Ambulance rides in Thailand ?

I recall hearing it is very expensive and by the Kilometre. Maybe people would rather take them to hospital to save money and add to that the fact of limited paramedics available.

Just an abstract thought.

As for stopping, the g/f always told me to never stop. Though this goes against the grain I am inclined to do as told.

[Neeranam]

If you witness an accident and you can help but do not then you are pretty much worthless scum, in Thailand or anywhere. Do not try to justify your inaction with all the urban legends and stories you have heard.

Agreed - of course you should stop, unless for maybe a dog or a Vigo driver

Maybe if you have, 'I'm a clueless gullile farang who will accept any blame put on me', you should carry on.

[Tony Clifton]

Saw one in Paknam where I was following a guy on a scooter who got badly bumped twice in a second to the side of the road by a taxi driver who seemed to be looking for an address and kept swerving. The poor guy flew up in the air and threw his arms forward, like he was giving a hug, just before he hit the back corner of a parked car, hard and right in the chest and face. He fell back onto the road, I was in the other lane and I immediately started pulling over with my wife who immediately insisted I drive on and that there were enough people around to take care of him, and, I may either get the blame or some other crazy cr@p.

I would not keep on driving should I be the first to arrive on the scene, especially in a quiet area.

[Neeranam]

Then again, when in Rome........

[asiaworld]

Well those mentioned guys on pick-ups, who tend to show up @ the scenes of accidents, are Potektung, or similar volunteers, who earn merit, by patrolling the different areas, and assist the accident victims, they r mostly all right , and they do what they do much faster, than any ambulance would, just wonder how do they always know about where & when accident happens, coz usually they get there within 10 min, esp. @ nite.

[GuestHouse]

Well those mentioned guys on pick-ups, who tend to show up @ the scenes of accidents, are Potektung, or similar volunteers, who earn merit, by patrolling the different areas, and assist the accident victims, they r mostly all right , and they do what they do much faster, than any ambulance would, just wonder how do they always know about where & when accident happens, coz usually they get there within 10 min, esp. @ nite

The guys who turned up at the accident I stopped for were just regular guys - shocking to think regular Thai guys would help someone they don't know and not rip off a Farang at the scene... I'm deeply disappointed.

[meemiathai]

if you were driving down the road and right in front of you some guy drives out accross the road on the wrong side on a motorbike and gets driven over buy a dump truck would you stop to help. the guy on the bike ended up being a 20 metre skid mark, nothing left of him, so for sure he was a gonna.

I slowed down and was about to stop but then chose to drive on as I saw the truck driver himself running across the field.

My stomach still turns when I think of it. this happened out side Pattaya on the way to Bangkok on one of the roads that are makeshift while the highway is being constructed.

the reason why I drove on was because I can remember my wife saying I should not stop if I saw an accident because I could end up getting the blame somehow.

another time when driving to Pattaya from Bangkok I passed a dead guy in the road that had just been hit, this time the person who hit him was on the phone calling insurance by the looks of it. I nearly stopped then, but was told to keep going by my passenger (a Farang) because of the same reason.

Makes me feel terrible to drive on and leave that there.

You are doing the right thing. I don't see anything you can help here so I think it is better doing what you have done.

No need to feel sad about it.

[Acquiesce]

Amazing that someone would feel the need to ask this question in the first place.

[onnut]

Amazing that someone would feel the need to ask this question in the first place.

Why?

like I said, I have been told not to stop, once by my Thai Wife and once by a bloke who has lived here for 10 years or more.

I asked the question because I felt bad for not stopping and was wondering what other people would do.....

the person who I am, would not normally think about it, I would stop and help in anyway I could, but have been warned that if I stop maybe I could end up with the blame for someones death. is it worth trying to help someone you dont know with the risk of being framed????

thats why I asked mate. what would you do?

[greenwanderer108]

I've read enough...

That is crap...certain Thais (and clearly Farangs as well) will not help because they're afraid of being framed. I've never heard in any news about someone being aprehended in a case where they claimed they were just helping a victim.

Those Thais who want nothing to do with helping in a roadside accident are likely the same that are afraid of ghosts, and probably the same exact ones who would run away if they were the person that caused the accident.

Buddhist minded Thais (and farangs) would stop to help!

However, certain cases that you don't get directly involved here would be more like some Thai guy backhanding his girl.

not unless you are armed anyway..but that's a different story

[Scott]

Well, no, I wouldn't stop to help, but I would stop to stare--isn't that what your supposed to do?!!

[geriatrickid]

I recognize that the scoop and dash approach is sometimes valuable particularly when there are bleeders, but what about someone with spinal cord trauma? Often you can't tell if the cord is severed or just compressed or ripped etc. and an unsecured trip to the ER can cause more damage than had the victim been left to moan & groan until the head board etc. arrived.

Or am I being naive again?

I've been staring at this thread wondering.

[Scott]

Naive, naive, naive!!

Let me see, I've seen two rescue groups arrive once and fight over the injured--I mean pulling in two different directions--must have hurt (from the sounds of the yelling), since there were what appeared to be broken bones!

I must say, however, it is getting a little better than in previous years.

[Spaniel]

Every accident is different so I guess it would depend on the circumstances. If there are several Thais already on the scene I wuld advise to keep driving. Several years ago I read about a German guy that stopped to assist at an accident upcountry and quickly a crowd gathered and someone started the rumor that the German caused the accident resulting in him getting a severe beating.

[kmart]

I've stopped to help at an accident scene a few times before. The offer to help was usually politely rebutted by the existing people at the scene, and the injured persons (usually, a young kid knocked off his bike) were lifted into the back of a pickup (as is the norm) and driven off.

I've been involved in a couple of minor accidents myself and was assisted enormously by passing Thai motorists, who just wanted to help.

Depends on your Thai language skills; and if you can keep calm during scenes of trauma and agitated people. If not, you might be advised to take a back seat.

[Sanpatong]

I stopped to help at a road accident in Thailand - and I'll never do it again.

I was driving down a quiet country road up near Chai Nat when I came across a woman (aged about 50) and a young girl (aged about 10) layed out on the road, their motorbike along side of them with the egnine still running. They were both cut up pretty badly and the old lady had a huge gash to the side of her head.

I had a first aid kit in the car so I slapped a first aid bandage on the old lady's head wound and was washing the girls arm would before bandaging it when a pick-up came by.

Two young Thai guys jumped out - ran over to where I was with the to accident victims and then proceded to pick the old lady up and put her in the back of the truck, moments later they took the young girl, put her in the back of the truck, loaded the bike into the truck said somehting along the lines of Jai Dee Farang and and then headed off to the local hospital.

They even refused an offer of cash to help with any incidental bills.

I'm disgusted that they a) took over the situation didn't bow scrape and grovel infront of my own largesse and c) refused my furhter offer of help with minor bills.

Worst of all the old lady thanked me for stopping and helping.

I'm sooooo disapointed to have found such normal people needing help.

You do have your moments... Thanks for posting!

And.. I agree. Some people seem intent on forwarding Urban-Legend-Bar-Stool-Myths so they have one more excuse to stop showing basic humanity, beacause 'this is Thailand', somehow.

[jackr]

Although slightly different tack, couple uni students crashed head on outside a restaurant I happened to be eating at in Chiang Mai. Nothing serious but I went out and helped them up along with their bikes, to the consternation of the restaurateur . This is a fairly busy, inner-city junction with traffic coming in left, right n centre. In certain circumstances I guess it doesn't pay to get involved but I'll be dam[n]ed if I'll watch someone suffer on the deck... especially when it happens to be a couple black n whites

[qualtrough]

There are people back home that will drive by someone in need. Thailand's little different. There are good and bad people everywhere.