Farang Driver Running Away After An Accident...

[sibeymai]

I think the scenario of a mob attacking a farang rendering assistance after a traffic incident is a complete myth.

Given the number of falangs who are in Thailand, the number of years they have been here for, the off chance that some of them may drive vehicles and the even slimmer chance that some may even be involved in traffic incidents which may even be the falang's fault, doesn't it strike anyone as slightly peculiar that the newspapers are not full of reports of falangs being lynched by angry mobs ?

I've been here 10 years and I can't recall any such report. So either falangs involved in traffic incidents commonly drive off without redering assistance, which I suspect would also be reported by the media if it was a regular practice, or the vast majority do stop and render assistance without being lynched.

Considering the logic above the answer is to stop and render assistance. Any other course of action is barbarism.

[LivinLOS]

I have many examples of them being brave, helpful and heroic. The latest example of this was in the Phuket air crash. While most survivors were running for their lives, there were two separate accounts of Thai people going back into the burning plane to pull people out. I salute their heroism!

Not trying to dig at you but thats not factually correct.. For a start those that got out had to jump from the plane (some sustained broken legs).. No one 'went back into a burning plane'..

I think your confusing the Thai man at the emergency exit who pulled a farang out as he leapt out.

[ade100]

I have many examples of them being brave, helpful and heroic. The latest example of this was in the Phuket air crash. While most survivors were running for their lives, there were two separate accounts of Thai people going back into the burning plane to pull people out. I salute their heroism!

Not trying to dig at you but thats not factually correct.. For a start those that got out had to jump from the plane (some sustained broken legs).. No one 'went back into a burning plane'..

I think your confusing the Thai man at the emergency exit who pulled a farang out as he leapt out.

I'll see if I can dig out the articles. One came from the BBC, the other from the Phuket Gazette.

[ade100]

I have many examples of them being brave, helpful and heroic. The latest example of this was in the Phuket air crash. While most survivors were running for their lives, there were two separate accounts of Thai people going back into the burning plane to pull people out. I salute their heroism!

Not trying to dig at you but thats not factually correct.. For a start those that got out had to jump from the plane (some sustained broken legs).. No one 'went back into a burning plane'..

I think your confusing the Thai man at the emergency exit who pulled a farang out as he leapt out.

I'll see if I can dig out the articles. One came from the BBC, the other from the Phuket Gazette.

OK, after extensive research, it is true that they didn't "go back into" a burning plane but they were "staying behind (in a burning plane) to help others escape" (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/6998997.stm). The two Thais who did this were:

Chatri Suksawas

Phaiboon Phaphan

Chatri was with her Canadian girfriend and after making sure whe was safe, he stayed behind to pull others out. Phaiboon, also stayed there to pull out an Australian guy Mr Borland (http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=126&art_id=nw20070919145312109C201667)

But my point is there are many examples of Thai people risking their lives to save others (regardless of nationality)

[torrenova]

Lets get a few facts right right here. Irrespective of the real law, the law of the road is that the bigger vehicle pays. Westerners often have cars and have accidents with motorbikes driven by uninsured Thais. Jackpot, cash time. No-one cares who is to blame, the police don't care and they sure as hel_l won't be getting any cash from the Thai so you're to blame.

Now as well as thinking they may get some cash, bystanders and witnesses in certain areas would just like to see the westerner get screwed over and they'll cheer on a convicted child murderer if he is Thai.

Of course we'd all like to stop but its impractical and downright stupid in certain situations. Just the way it is.

[Theyreallrubbish]

Lets get a few facts right right here. Irrespective of the real law, the law of the road is that the bigger vehicle pays. Westerners often have cars and have accidents with motorbikes driven by uninsured Thais. Jackpot, cash time. No-one cares who is to blame, the police don't care and they sure as hel_l won't be getting any cash from the Thai so you're to blame.

Now as well as thinking they may get some cash, bystanders and witnesses in certain areas would just like to see the westerner get screwed over and they'll cheer on a convicted child murderer if he is Thai.

Of course we'd all like to stop but its impractical and downright stupid in certain situations. Just the way it is.

This isn't true in my experience. As well as the experience with the motorcycle taxi drivers I described before I had one other accident in Bangkok.

I was in a line of traffic in front of the entrance to Lumpini and I started watching some attractive women by the side of the road and my foot wasn't hard enough on the brake and I rolled forward and bumped the taxi driver in front of me. I stopped and got out and so did he and so did his passenger who was a well dressed young woman who spoke very good English. She told me she'd call the police for me and to wait.

The taxi driver couldn't speak English and I pretended to not be able to speak Thai. He looked at his back bumper which has a mark on it but no real damage that i could see and started telling his passenger he wanted 6000 Baht. She told me that in English then told me to just wait for the police to arrive.

A policeman arrived a few minutes later and I was expecting to have to pay and was just waiting for the negotiations to begin, after all it was completely my fault and I had hit his car, and I was a farang in a nice car. The policeman spray painted the road around my tires while ignoring the taxi driver. The taxi driver started babbling at the policeman saying now that he wanted 12,000 Baht. I couldn't understand the rest of it and the woman had got back in the taxi to get out of the sun. The policeman had a look at his bumper and I went to the back of my car to get a bottle of water for the negotiations I expected to begin. When I turned back the taxi driver was looking sheepish and he got back in his taxi and drove off without saying another word.

I stood there looking and feeling dumb as the policeman got on his motorbike without a word and drove off. I stood around for a bit longer before I realised they'd gone and weren't coming back and got in and drove off myself.

The policeman had obviously told the taxi driver his car wasn't hurt and to stop being an idiot.

So the police and the Thais aren't always completely biased against farang.

[farang prince]

A friend of mine used to work for the German goverment here in Thailand and their advice was to leave straight away and sort it out later if anything ever came back to them. Basically leave and save yourself, i know i would do the same if it happened to me.

but imagine if the one that they are leaving lying on the road is your relative, may God forbid, what would you feel?

Believe the US Gov' advises the same for their personel working here in LOS as well as large multinational companies

Bullshit. The U.S. Government has specific instructions for their personnel. First is to stop and determine if anyone is injured. Second is to contact the Embassy staff to report the accident and location. Third is to contact the Royal Thai Police. Fourth, personnel are instructed to remain at the accident scene. U.S. Government representatives will go to the accident scene and assist the personnel who were in the accident. If a U.S. Government employee flees the scene of an accident and it was proven that he/she did, they will be severely disciplined and usually recalled to the United States where their career will be in tatters. And I'm sure that is the case for most other governments who have personnel in Thailand.

[thai_narak]

about 90% of the posters here will leave/escape from the accident scene because they are worried about their own safety but what about the other party that is injured and may be 50/50 to live or die? IMHO, people in the scene will not just lynch someone who is trying to help and i'm sure there are also good samaritan in the mob that will try to help the injured party than trying to lynch the other.

but if the driver in question flee without even trying to help then yes, let the mob chase him and lynch him to death!

Edited December 12, 2007 by thai_narak

[asiaworld]

A friend of mine used to work for the German goverment here in Thailand and their advice was to leave straight away and sort it out later if anything ever came back to them. Basically leave and save yourself, i know i would do the same if it happened to me.

but imagine if the one that they are leaving lying on the road is your relative, may God forbid, what would you feel?

Believe the US Gov' advises the same for their personel working here in LOS as well as large multinational companies

The real advantage of the embassy staff , thou that even if later cops come knocking.. Diplomatic immunity Will cover up the deed ... & that would apply even in the west.

[chanchao]

Anyway, this topic is the perfect medicine to quote the next time some smug idiot makes a joke or reference about 'Somchai fleeing the scene'.

Thanks, all. (or most).

Edited December 12, 2007 by chanchao

[Prakanong]

A friend of mine used to work for the German goverment here in Thailand and their advice was to leave straight away and sort it out later if anything ever came back to them. Basically leave and save yourself, i know i would do the same if it happened to me.

but imagine if the one that they are leaving lying on the road is your relative, may God forbid, what would you feel?

Believe the US Gov' advises the same for their personel working here in LOS as well as large multinational companies

The real advantage of the embassy staff , thou that even if later cops come knocking.. Diplomatic immunity Will cover up the deed ... & that would apply even in the west.

They will negotiate the pay off too - like the US Navy paid off the girl with 40,000 THB in Pattaya after a handful of their guys raped her.

[smartecosse]

well their is a mob mentality here that very quickly turns into a Thai v's Farang.

Last night on the way home i saw one farang being hauled off his bike by about three or four thais whilst the other party that had been involved in the accident (thai) was trying to crawl off the road. The Thais that waded in seemed far more interested in grabbing the Farang than helping their fellow countryman off the road.

[kmart]

well their is a mob mentality here that very quickly turns into a Thai v's Farang.

Last night on the way home i saw one farang being hauled off his bike by about three or four thais whilst the other party that had been involved in the accident (thai) was trying to crawl off the road. The Thais that waded in seemed far more interested in grabbing the Farang than helping their fellow countryman off the road.

I've seen this happen firsthand too. But I've also seen Thai people first to the scene of an accident help any farang person involved.

If you suspect some guy you knocked off a motorcy is drunk, then it might be best to get out of Dodge before his drinking buddies turn up to "teach you a lesson".

The outcome is difficult to predict, but generally if there is an injured Thai person involved, with blood and screaming at the scene, things might turn into a total cluster-<deleted> very quickly. Adrenaline = danger.

[lannarebirth]

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/index.php?s=...t&p=1376019

[saraburioz]

I've knocked over a couple of motorbikes and a cow. I stopped for the cow as he probably had more brains than the idiots on the bikes.

[thai_narak]

I've knocked over a couple of motorbikes and a cow. I stopped for the cow as he probably had more brains than the idiots on the bikes.

i'm sure it's the motobikes fault as usual, but what about the COW?