Death By Dump Truck

[track61]

My brother-in-law works for an electrical supply house in BKK. The other day a 22 year old that works for him running errands, delivering materials, etc. was hit by a dump truck. He was hurt so bad he couldn't get out of the road and before the scumbag driving the truck fled the scene, he backed over the kid to make sure he was dead. I understand this is not unusual in this situation. The truck had no markings or plates so they will never find the a**hole.

This was just a poor kid from the country trying to make an honest stang or two. I've been around a fairly long time and seen life deal thousands of unfair hands, but for some reason this is really grating on my nerves, and I never met the guy. Maybe my skin is getting thinner too. I am a much kinder and gentler old man than I was a youth, but if I could get my hands on the murdering twit, I think I would rip off his head and s**t down his neck.

Anyway, just wanted to holler a bit. Thanks for the space.

[the highlander]

Life is cheap in the land of smiles!!!!

Condolences to his family!!

[PhilHarries]

Life may be cheaper in Thailand than back home but I never thought it would become this cheap. This kind of heartless action is one you'd expect in some central African hel_lhole not in a supposed Buddhist developing country. I have never heard of this kind of behaviour in Thailand and would like to brush it off as another urban myth but, assuming your report is fact (and I've no reason not to), it is just another example of how low human nature can sink.

RIP to the lad and condolences to his friends and family.

[highlander76]

A horrible story poor bloke that was plain simple murder but this is thailand the lifes of the poor is cheap

[Bluelotus]

Sadly it is a common practice , and the only training many drivers get .

[prakhonchai nick]

No doubt the truck driver is now in some Wat in outer Isaan, pretending to be holier than thou and soliciting food and goodness knows what from the local villagers ignorant of the truth!

[Scott]

My condolences to the family, friends and co-workers, including the OP, of this young man. When bad things strike close to home, we feel the pain more. That pain,however, pales in comparison to that of his family who will be having a very unhappy Songkhran festival this year.

[ThNiner]

If your brother-in-law saw what happened, he should report to the police. I don't know if he's remembered the license plate number...etc. This is indeed very sad.

Edited April 9, 2008 by ThNiner

[Sakeopete]

Life may be cheaper in Thailand than back home but I never thought it would become this cheap. This kind of heartless action is one you'd expect in some central African hel_lhole not in a supposed Buddhist developing country. I have never heard of this kind of behaviour in Thailand and would like to brush it off as another urban myth but, assuming your report is fact (and I've no reason not to), it is just another example of how low human nature can sink.

RIP to the lad and condolences to his friends and family.

Unfortunately its no an urban myth but practiced often in Thailand, from what my wife tells me they do it because if the get caught or can't get away and the person is dead they pay less because the accident is blamed on the deceased.

I remember a couple of years ago a lady from a village near my wife's hit and killed a young boy with her new truck. There were many witnesses she didn't stop but bought booze and went to the local cop shop with the booze, money and promise of horizontal favors for the 2 police to say she was with them all afternoon. She got away with vehicular homicide and didn't have to pay the boys parents anything.

[Dakhar]

Easy now.... we do not know the details...

The truck driver may have just had a heated argument with his wife... and felt running over some one would some how solve his problems.

Thai logic 101

[Scott]

Dakar, that's not nice; you know that if you have a heated argument with the Mrs., then you throw rocks at passing trucks and kill young boys riding along.

Surely the driver has some 'other' problem that this is the solution to.

[micksterbs]

I don't know what I'd do if I witnessed something like that, I really don't. What a horrible way to meet your end.

R.I.P.

[ThNiner]

I don't quite understand why anyone sensible would use a tragedy to make fun of the whole nation or race. Would Americans have found it funny, had someone mocked America/Americans when the virginia tech or columbine high school tragedy happened? Strange people.

Edited April 9, 2008 by ThNiner

[ThNiner]

I don't know what I'd do if I witnessed something like that, I really don't. What a horrible way to meet your end.

R.I.P.

I would try my best to remember the license plate number of the truck, the general appearance of the truck...etc and then report to the police. That's what I'd do I guess.

[TopDogger]

People have obviously seen what happened, why did they not follow the dump truck? Can't imagine it going that fast?!?

[micksterbs]

I don't know what I'd do if I witnessed something like that, I really don't. What a horrible way to meet your end.

R.I.P.

I would try my best to remember the license plate number of the truck, the general appearance of the truck...etc and then report to the police. That's what I'd do I guess.

Yes, that's exactly what I'd do but if you read the OP again, you'll see that the truck had no plates or markings.

[ThNiner]

I don't know what I'd do if I witnessed something like that, I really don't. What a horrible way to meet your end.

R.I.P.

I would try my best to remember the license plate number of the truck, the general appearance of the truck...etc and then report to the police. That's what I'd do I guess.

Yes, that's exactly what I'd do but if you read the OP again, you'll see that the truck had no plates or markings.

Oh, thanks. I've read it again and yeah I missed that.

[Thaiboxer]

Many truck drivers don't carry insurance and are under the influence of "yaa baa" (amphetamines) so they'll often flee the scene of an accident. However, this if the first time I've heard of a trucker actually finishing off the person he hit. My condolences to the delivery guy's family.

[Dakhar]

I don't quite understand why anyone sensible would use a tragedy to make fun of the whole nation or race. Would Americans have found it funny, had someone mocked America/Americans when the virginia tech or columbine high school tragedy happened? Strange people.

Actually, I don't think Americans would find it funny, I think they would recognize the truth in the statement. For example, in America, most of the strangest, heinous forms of murder or crimes against humanity are performed by white people. So there is a common inside joke is that if you get abucted in America & the guy is white, check him for a salt shaker.... "tastes like chicken"

.... and not only was there the rock throwing event, but the BMW road rage too.

[RY12]

Life may be cheaper in Thailand than back home but I never thought it would become this cheap. This kind of heartless action is one you'd expect in some central African hel_lhole not in a supposed Buddhist developing country.

This is an interesting idea, do certain cultures value life less than others? the politically correct mentality would tell us absolutely not, but i'm inclined to believe there is a difference... it might not be so much that they value life less that they VALUE STRANGERS less, i.e. there's an assumption of the worthlessness of strangers. I actually think Thailand, despite the cliches about its kindness, DOES have less respect for the stranger than the Western world. in the West, we tend to befriend and empathize with strangers a lot quicker, whereas in Thailand social interaction with strangers seems to be highly rigid and based on class more than anything else. But of the places I've been to China is much, much worse... and I imagine India to be up there as well.

[TokyoT]

I am a much kinder and gentler old man than I was a youth, but if I could get my hands on the murdering twit, I think I would rip off his head and s**t down his neck.

Kinder and gentler indeed.

RIP to the young lad.

[RY12]

I'm not defending any soul-less truck driver, but there is something to be said for the argument that, at least in Western countries, the cumbersome torts system can often be unreasonably harsh and blind to the fact that 'accidents happen'. Accidents happen, and I don't want some biased jury or judge deciding what percentage i was negligent or some vauge thing. Actually, I'm talking more about hitting other cars, not so much people. if i hit a person, i can't imagine fleeing... the last thing i'd be thinking about was liability. but if i scratch a mercedes with my 10 year old van trying to get out of some parking spot he got me into, I'm not going to 'take responsibility' if i scratch his car.

[BigSnake]

Sorry to hear of your lost. RIP

[chiangmaibruce]

Yes. I also checked with the (thai) Missus. I told her about the post and asked if she thought it could be true. "Sure". Have you ever heard of something like this happening. "Yes, all my life" and she explained the bit about them paying more if the victim is alive but badly injured - perhaps permanently disabled.

For the benefit of those that didn't read this closely ... we are not talking about someone 'just' fleeing the scene of the accident - we are talking about the driver reversing over him to finish him off!

Beyond callous, it's absolutely repulsive and inhuman behaviour. I hope the guy comes back 100 times as the most miserable soi dog in Thailand - and then some

[girlx]

A Thai acquaintance I know tells his truck drivers to flee in case of an accident.

I have been in 3 accidents in Thailand and in every case the driver ran from the scene of the crime. One of them was a taxi driver!

[Prakanong]

A Thai acquaintance I know tells his truck drivers to flee in case of an accident.

I have been in 3 accidents in Thailand and in every case the driver ran from the scene of the crime. One of them was a taxi driver!

Facing up to responsibility is not a strong cultural trait in Thailand.

And yes there are national cultural traits with plenty of well founded academic research into this before someone takes the notion of "This happens everywhere" as some of the defenders of the realm on here tend to do.

[toptuan]

A Thai acquaintance I know tells his truck drivers to flee in case of an accident.

I have been in 3 accidents in Thailand and in every case the driver ran from the scene of the crime...

"Better than getting beat to death by an angry crowd or the other driver," thinks the offender. It's not a totally unfounded fear in Thailand.

On another TV thread a surprising number of foreign posters agreed they would do the same here in LOS. So, now it's more than just an "irresponsible Thai" problem, isn't it?

[MISTERBONK]

It is usually in motorists interest to flee the scene after an accident. The Police rarely take any action to find the driver, and his vehicle is usually handed back to a family member or employer claiming it for a small "fee"

In the UK, fleeing the scene after any accident, no matter how minor, is in itself an offence, often more so than causing the accident itself. If all motorists fleeing the scene were to receive a minimum 12 months prison sentence, and the Police took steps to find them (can't be difficult as they usually leave the vehicle behind and flee on foot), then such things would be unlikely to happen.

But of course here in Thailand there are so many "If only's"

Forever a third world country - and getting worse!

[AaBbCcDd]

I've heard that it is cheaper to kill a pedestrian rather than injure him/her as if the person is injured you will have to pay all the medical bills and compensation for that persons injuries whilst if the person is dead you just pay B20000 for funeral costs and a bit of comp to the families.

[Thanh-BKK]

Question:

The truck driver reversed over the guy to nmake sure he's dead. HOW do they know that?

Someone must have seen it, right?

Now where i come from, that person would already be sitting in jail now for not immediately calling the police and thereby assisting a criminal (as the "backing up" was not part of an accident but plain murder).

Also everyone and their kid has a camera phone. Can't be too difficult to snap a pic of the truck and have it posted to every newspaper? SOMEone must know that truck, license plates or not.

Following that truck in a save distance and informing the police about it's destination would also be a good idea (and sure using a cellphone to talk to the cops during that ride wouldn't be considered violating the law against cellphone use during driving).

But seems like Thais in general are cowards, never get involved in anything. Often i have seen scenes of accidents where 100 people stand and watch a poor guy lying in the middle of the road after being struck by a bus or a taxi, yet nobody dares to assist.

In my country, in order to be approved for a driving license (i.e. before you are even allowed to sign the contract with a driving school) you must provide proof of having passed a course in "life saving measures at an accident scene" and should you come across an accident scene you are OBLIGED to assist the hurt and immediately alert police and ambulance. A car without a first-aid kit and a warning triangle on board will not pass the road-worthiness inspection and is hence not permitted to use public roads.

As much as i hate many regulations of my country, SOME of them should be implemented the world over.

R.I.P. for the poor guy.

Regards

Thanh

Edited April 9, 2008 by Thanh-BKK