Deliberate Truck Crash In Phuket

[george]

Deliberate truck crash in Phuket

The 22-wheel truck after the crash on the Kamala

to Kalim Road in Phuket.

Tinnakorn Phonboon, the driver who deliberately

crashed rather than risking hitting other road users.

PHUKET: -- A tractor-trailer carrying 27 tons of building materials ended up in a roadside drainage ditch Wednesday afternoon after the driver decided to crash rather than risk hitting other vehicles.

The 22-wheel rig was on its way from Bangkok to Patong with a shipment of ceramic tiles to be used on a building project at the Baan Laimai Beach Resort.

At around 4pm, 37-year old driver Tinnakorn Phonboon was trying to get the 320-horsepower tractor to pull the flatbed and its 27-ton container load of ceramic tiles up a steep section of the Kamala to Kalim Road.

The rig almost made it, but just before reaching the crest the force of gravity won out and the truck started to roll back down the hill.

Mr Tinnakorn later told the Gazette he was unfamiliar with Phuket roads. He said he decided to back into the drainage ditch and crash into the nearby embankment to bring the rig to a halt.

“There was a long line of small cars following me. If I had let the truck roll down, those cars would have been damaged. So I decided it was better to hit the hillside instead,” he said.

Mr Tinnakorn had a word of caution for people driving behind large vehicles on steep hills.

“Don’t follow too close behind. Try to keep some space between you and them,” he advised.

The following morning the ceramic tiles were delivered to the resort by a six-wheeled truck.

-- Phuket Gazette 2010-02-27

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[surayu]

what about the brakes? they don't teach about them at the local driving schools for heavy vehicles or what?

[shaunoro]

Probably did not have working brakes.

[billythehat]

Phew!....thank heavens the tiles made it...Somchai’s mp3 player looks like it pulled through as well..

[Chang_paarp]

what about the brakes? they don't teach about them at the local driving schools for heavy vehicles or what?

Or using the correct gear to control the speed by use of accelerator, called engine braking. If the truck is loaded within the spec it is possible to control the truck with the throttle. Oh I forgot that would not include overloaded vehicle.

[Valentine]

what about the brakes? they don't teach about them at the local driving schools for heavy vehicles or what?

Or using the correct gear to control the speed by use of accelerator, called engine braking. If the truck is loaded within the spec it is possible to control the truck with the throttle. Oh I forgot that would not include overloaded vehicle.

Not sure how the use of the correct gear will work when rolling backwards. It seems the truck driver took the best available option.

[petercallen]

what about the brakes? they don't teach about them at the local driving schools for heavy vehicles or what?

Or using the correct gear to control the speed by use of accelerator, called engine braking. If the truck is loaded within the spec it is possible to control the truck with the throttle. Oh I forgot that would not include overloaded vehicle.

I have never heard of engine braking when the truck is rolling backwards.

The driver took the sensible action and probably save lives.

[LivinLOS]

Sensible action would surely be to not overload the truck and to have a well maintained vehicle that could go up the hills with a load, without failing.

[katabeachbum]

Sensible action would surely be to not overload the truck and to have a well maintained vehicle that could go up the hills with a load, without failing.

not up to the driver.

50% overload is common, I v seen them on the highway road scales and I have taken delivery of sand, tiles, steel rebars, ready mixed concrete with load weight not within vehicles capacity.

a 4 m3 concrete truck bring only one extra m3 is 25% overload. seen 10x dayly on phuket roads

again not up to the driver. he gets payed by the trip. take it or leave it.

this driver did the only sensible thing.

[Carib]

Good for him !!

[BusyBee123]

best not apply for a job as an ice road trucker

[Thongkorn]

The driver is a stupid lieing man, more like nodded off because he has driven for the last 24 hours. I have driven wagons for 35 years from containers to tankers, The air keeps the brakes off, so no air, the brakes come on , if the wagon is road worthy. It does not matter how many horse power you have it depends on how you use the gears, In the UK people are taught not to use the engine as a brake, because brakes are cheaper than clutches, Most modern wagons are now automatic.

[TheVinylMan]

The driver is a stupid lieing man, more like nodded off because he has driven for the last 24 hours. I have driven wagons for 35 years from containers to tankers, The air keeps the brakes off, so no air, the brakes come on , if the wagon is road worthy. It does not matter how many horse power you have it depends on how you use the gears, In the UK people are taught not to use the engine as a brake, because brakes are cheaper than clutches, Most modern wagons are now automatic.

Think you need to learn to read before calling him stupid........." The rig almost made it, but just re reaching the crest the force of gravity won out and the truck started to roll back down the hill."

[Thongkorn]

Think you need to learn to read before calling him stupid........." The rig almost made it, but just before reaching the crest the force of gravity won out and the truck started to roll back down the hill."

Load of <deleted> . wagons do not roll back, unless no brakes, also if you look at the position of the wagon in the photo the rear end is not the first point in the dich at the side of the road, he has got his front wheel off the road and the weight has dragged him in, After swerving.I have seen this dozens of times,

[Spoonman]

If thats a wagon I see what the issue is, the horse cut free almost at the top hence it rolled backwards.

[Valentine]

It cannot be easy to swerve into a ditch whilst going up a hill heavily laden & slow enough that it is almost stopped. It looks pretty straightforward to me when looking at the photo. When he started rolling back he turned the wheel, the back end of the trailer went the opposite way, where the trailer joins the rig the wheels went into the ditch. I agree his brakes might not have been in good condition but it seems like he took the best option & to say "The driver is a stupid lieing man" is totally out of order.

BTW it seems most of the trucks on this island do not have reliable brakes as can be seen whenever one stops on any kind of rise someone quickly puts something under the wheel to prevent it from rolling away.

[saintofsilence]

The driver is a stupid lieing man, more like nodded off because he has driven for the last 24 hours. I have driven wagons for 35 years from containers to tankers, The air keeps the brakes off, so no air, the brakes come on , if the wagon is road worthy. It does not matter how many horse power you have it depends on how you use the gears, In the UK people are taught not to use the engine as a brake, because brakes are cheaper than clutches, Most modern wagons are now automatic.

The brakes would only automticaly go on on the trailer if he lost air pressure . And the front of the truck has been dragged in.