Thai Tour Bus Packed With Russians Crashes, Two Dead

[ratcatcher]

Two Russian tourists killed in bus accident on motorway

BANGKOK: -- At least two Russian tourists were killed Wednesday in suburban Bangkok's Lat Krabang district when a chartered tour bus hit a roadside barrier before overturning on the Bangkok-Chonburi Motorway.

The coach packed with 38 Russian holidaymakers was enroute from Pattaya to the Grand Palace in central Bangkok.

Dozens of injured persons were sent to four different hospitals.

The accident was caused by the slippery road conditions after morning downpour, according to local police.

After the incident the bus driver fled the scene and is still at large.

--TNA 2008-02-27

Told ya

Two tourists killed, 22 hurt in bus smash

A tour coach carrying Russian tourists from Pattaya to Bangkok's Temple of the Emerald Buddha overturned Wednesday, killing two women and injuring 22 others.

The accident occurred on the inbound BangkoktoChon Buri motorway in Lat Krabang district at 10am.

Rescue workers retrieved two bodies and took 22 injured to nearby hospitals.

Bus driver Somjit Saleephan, 40, said rain forced him to drive slowly in the left lane. A pickup vehicle cut in front of him from the right, forcing him to brake suddenly. The coach collided with a roadside barriฌer and overturned several times.

Tour organiser Srisak Prathumrangsi, 42, said the 38 Russian visitors departed Pattaya at 7am to visit Bangkok.

Russian Embassy officials visited the accident scene and spoke with victims. Some were taken to the Highway Police Bureau, along with Srisak, to make statements.

Police charged Somjit with reckless driving causing death.

The Nation.

If the driver fled the scene, who were the police charging with reckless driving?

[lazeeboy]

when they flee where do they expect to go

[geriatrickid]

when they flee where do they expect to go

isan.

[Jai Dee]

Don't know where you got that picture from, but that's not of the bus that crashed this morning.

Having driven on that road myself quite a number of time I too suspected the validity of the photo. However, it was the photo that accompanied the news bulletin from Itar-Tass.

[Scott]

Bus drivers (and others) flee for their own safety. There is a tendency for others to beat them senseless--even if they were not the cause of the accident. I have seen this on the roads before. They usually are found at home, or at their relatives houses. But staying can be a very dangerous situation for them.

I also want to express my condolences and sympathies for the dead and injured and to their family and friends. Our thoughts are with you.

[Scott]

I fail to understand how fleeing would help with insurance. The insurance is on the vehicle, not on the driver. But that said, there are many reasons why people flee (here and elsewhere), it's just that in Thailand they seem to find it a viable solution to things. I've also seen accidents where there was no danger--unless a 45 year old woman alone is going to beat the crap out of 20 year old guy--but flee they do.

Sadly, the default position when there is an accident is to flee.

[Tony Clifton]

Bus drivers (and others) flee for their own safety. There is a tendency for others to beat them senseless--even if they were not the cause of the accident. I have seen this on the roads before. They usually are found at home, or at their relatives houses. But staying can be a very dangerous situation for them.

I also want to express my condolences and sympathies for the dead and injured and to their family and friends. Our thoughts are with you.

I don't believe that for one second. If they were ready to beat them up after an accident, surely they would get up from their seat at some point before the accident and tell the driver to slow the f$% down. But, Thais never do get up from their seat and gice the driver a blast. I've been it in a double decker packed with too many kids, some sitting in the aisles, while the teachers heads just swayed back and forth from Chonburi to Suphan Buri and back because of a stupid and dangerous driver. When I asked what was wrong with the driver? "Oh, it's normal" was the reply

Find me one incident between a bus driver and a Thai who walked up to a bus driver telling him to slow down.

^ The owner of a Bangkok haulage company I know tells his drivers to flee the scene if they have an accident so they can try to escape being held responsible for insurance purposes and liable for damages so it is not always the case that the driver is fleeing to protect himself.

Many companies that hire drivers in Thailand give them explicit instructions to flee depending on the severity of the incident.

That's exactly what was explained to me by my wife.

Fleeing drivers are given another bus or new route providing they can come up with new fake ID.

[sriracha john]

Don't know where you got that picture from, but that's not of the bus that crashed this morning.

Having driven on that road myself quite a number of time I too suspected the validity of the photo. However, it was the photo that accompanied the news bulletin from Itar-Tass.

I've encountered the same from some of their articles....

This was one of theirs that accompanioned an article about Pattaya beach....

I think they got it from one of those real estate advertisements for Pattaya condos.

[sriracha john]

Just for the record, here is a photo of the real bus crash:

Russian tourists comfort one another as they look at the Wednesday accident scene on Bangkok-Chon Buri Motorway where two people are killed and 22 others injured.

The Nation

[toptuan]

That's more like it. I couldn't see the bus driver being able to flee from the bus in that last picture (in which the driver was probably killed or seriously injured).