German Tourist Arrested For Killing Thai Motorcyclist In Drunk Driving

[webfact]

German tourist arrested for allegedly killing Thai motorcyclist in drunk driving

Chon Buri - A 60-year-old German tourist was arrested in Pattaya early Monday for allegedly driving drunk, resulting in death of a Thai motorcyclist.

Police charged Quarz Gunter with drunk driving following an accident on Soi Naklua 16 in Bang Lamung district at 4 am.

At the time of the accident, Gunter appeared highly intoxicated, police said.

Police said Gunter allegedly sped his motorcycle against the traffic flow and crashed head-on with a motorcycle of Manop Kaewkamnerd, 43, who was killed in the accident.

-- The Nation 2011-01-03

[laurentbkk]

would have been nice to see the girl involved in killing 9 people on the tollway to be arrested that fast .... unless she was ....

[asiawatcher]

He was following the example of the Thai drivers, riding against the flow of traffic on the wrong side of the road, and yes he was drunk! Same same... recklessness causing death - will he be sent to a home like the expressway girl? No the drunkenness and one death takes precedent of 8 deaths and he is not underaged. Oh well

[Phuket Stan]

No...he is not under aged...he is a 60 year old man in a country that is not his birth place...he is meant to come from an educated society...driving drunk in a strange country u get what u deserve...driving drunk anywhere is a real no-no ...surely a man of that age should have more brains or did he leave them behind in Berlin

[asiawatcher]

No...he is not under aged...he is a 60 year old man in a country that is not his birth place...he is meant to come from an educated society...driving drunk in a strange country u get what u deserve...driving drunk anywhere is a real no-no ...surely a man of that age should have more brains or did he leave them behind in Berlin

He's German, and not in his own country so he will get nailed for sure! And yes, say no to drunk driving! Agree wholeheartedly.

[neverdie]

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.

[Boater]

he obviously didnt cough up the money.

[LuckyLew]

Money and contacts speak volumes in this country

[whybother]

Money and contacts speak volumes in this country

In any country.

If you have money, you usually have contacts. The average person doesn't have the contacts, so when they get into trouble, they don't have some one to call to help them, legitimately or not.

[sirchai]

Money and contacts speak volumes in this country

There's a German guy in our town who killed a Thai with his speeding Mercedes down in Hua Hin. He could get away paying one million baht. But to be honest, it's not about somebody's nationality, it's about the money.

And that's bullshit. :jap:

[rhino533]

would have been nice to see the girl involved in killing 9 people on the tollway to be arrested that fast .... unless she was ....

I agree!!!!!!

[moo9]

No regrets, just yesterday I met a girl who was hit by a drunken farang pickup driver the day before.

Why do all these <deleted> do things, they would never try at home? I am getting scared whenever I see a farang driving a pickup / fortuner nowadays. A good percentage is above any legal alcohol level. Shame!

[geriatrickid]

This case will disappear off the front pages very quickly. Assumptions are made that the German national will be able to buy his way out of the collision. Don't be so sure. Wealthy Germans age 60 do not usually drive motorcycles in congested urban areas. They have automobiles and often have drivers, just like other wealthy people. Chances are that this fellow has more in common with the typical TVF member living off his pension and retirement investments. The man might very well be a regular in one of the Pattaya bars where many TVF swill their beer and bitch about Thais and how corrupt the place is and how there is no law enforcement etc. etc. Chances are this incident will wipe out his retirement savings, earn him a criminal record and hopefully personna non grata status in Thailand. The payment of compensation to the victim may not necessarily make the criminal charge go away, especially now that there is a crackdown and examples have to be made.

This guy is in serious trouble.

[ignis]

He's German, and not in his own country...... They say drink blurs the mind so maybe he thought he was in Germany so was driving on the correct side..

[IMA_FARANG]

Not that this really has anything to do with the topic...at least not directly...but my Thai family and I went to Jomtien beach on New Years day. Some European looking Farang pulled out from a driveway into the oncoming traffic in front of us not far from the beach. He was riding a motorcycle and he came at least 2 meters out into the oncoming traffic before he was able to stop. Fortunately for him, the traffic was moving slowly, and my Thai son was driving. He is a good driver, his reaction time is fast, and he pays attention....so we were able to swerve and stop in time to avoid hitting the farang guy on that bike. But it was closer than I liked.

I was the front seat passenger, so I had a good view. He was trying to get over a speedbump in the driveway, so he gunned the bike to clear the speedbump...and then lost control of the bike when he cleared the bump. That's why he went out into the street as far as he did.

He was lucky that time. If we had been moving faster, if my Thai son hadn't been watching, or if his reaction time was slower....it could have been much worse.

At a driving safety class one time I heard this slogan, "Before putting your key in the ignition, put your mind into DRIVE."

[SPIKECM]

Actually I think the Thai culture of the acceptance of drunk driving has more to blame than the German biker.

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.

[JimsKnight]

would have been nice to see the girl involved in killing 9 people on the tollway to be arrested that fast .... unless she was ....

I thought that was a 17 year old boy?

This farang was captured / arrested at the scene and pretty much paralytic by accounts.

[neverdie]

Actually I think the Thai culture of the acceptance of drunk driving has more to blame than the German biker.

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.

Given that I think I know which context you made this is I will laugh.

The notion however is utterly idiotic. :jap:

[SPIKECM]

"utterly idiotic". Well, at a rough think about it, I don't think I know one person here in Chiang Mai (and i know a lot of people) who doesn't drink and drive. In the UK I don't know one who does. If a visiting farang jumps on a 1000 cc bike, drunk and wearing nothing to protect him other than a T shirt and shorts and just before driving off asks a passing Thai if he thinks it is OK to do stuff like this in Thailand, he will be told "It is up to you".

Farangs get drunk on the feeling of freedom to do what you want in Thailand as much as they do on alcohol.

I was sick of the nanny state controlling my every move in the UK. That is why I moved here. However, Thailand is just too free of regulation or moreover the enforcement of regulation and that is primarily the cause of road deaths.

Actually I think the Thai culture of the acceptance of drunk driving has more to blame than the German biker.

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.

Given that I think I know which context you made this is I will laugh.

The notion however is utterly idiotic. :jap:

Edited January 3, 2011 by SPIKECM

[Thailand]

Very sad for both of those involved. One dead, one life ruined through drink and ignorance, and grieving families all round.

Of topic but related- there was a thread on a forum here where somebody was asking where the police road blocks might be over the New Year period so they could be avoided -in order to beat the DUI laws one would assume.

[smedly]

I always opt for a motorbike taxi but I have encountered some that seem more worse for wear than me

drink driving in thailand is just pure madness perhaps not so much on a small motorbike but in a car, at least on a motorbike the chances are they will only injure themselves, I once watched a drunk falang try to drive out of a parking spot in a pickup and just couldn't co-ordinate his arms and feet, eventually the Thai parking attendent got his car out of the space (which required one reverse and a right turn of the steering) and amazingly let him back at the wheel to drive home, how he got there is beyond comprehension, the damage along the way must have been horrendous.

As for this German guy he obviously thinks he's invincible while drunk trying to ride, he has learned nothing in his 60 years of life, at least if you are going to ride home be aware that you are seriously impaired and drive accordingly rather than like a lunatic on the wrong side of the road and if he was so drunk he was unawhere what he was doing then lock him up for being so irresponsible

[robblok]

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.

I agree drunk drivers deserve no mercy at all.. Thai or foreign.

[chuang]

Not He was lucky that time. If we had been moving faster, if my Thai son hadn't been watching, or if his reaction time was slower....it could have been much worse.

At a driving safety class one time I heard this slogan, "Before putting your key in the ignition, put your mind into DRIVE."

But not be that lucky tne next time...

[foxteen]

:jap:Shame..shame and shame.............

[taichiplanet]

"German tourist arrested for allegedly killing Thai motorcyclist in drunk driving

Chon Buri - A 60-year-old German tourist was arrested in Pattaya early Monday for allegedly driving drunk, resulting in death of a Thai motorcyclist.

Police charged Quarz Gunter with drunk driving following an accident on Soi Naklua 16 in Bang Lamung district at 4 am.

At the time of the accident, Gunter appeared highly intoxicated, police said.

Police said Gunter allegedly sped his motorcycle against the traffic flow and crashed head-on with a motorcycle of Manop Kaewkamnerd, 43, who was killed in the accident."

Let's break this story down.

"appeared highly intoxicated" - what happened to breath and blood tests; i don't think 'appeared highly intoxicated' would cut it in a court.

"allegedly sped his motorcycle against the traffic flow and crashed head-on with a motorcycle" - who were the witnesses that saw he was going against the traffic and speeding?

Not saying the guy didn't do it but benefit of doubt before the hanging please! :jap:

[whybother]

<snip>

Not saying the guy didn't do it but benefit of doubt before the hanging please! :jap:

As in the tollway accident - hanging comes first, facts later.

[ginjag]

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.ld say

I agree drunk drivers deserve no mercy at all.. Thai or foreign.

No sympathy for the farrang-only the victim-------as for why he -or what he did,---in the north of England we would say--He hasn,t got all his chairs in 1 room. or he,s had a pheasant flown away or bungalow. NOWT UPSTAIRS. My reading is alcohol-and a lot of it makes you more stupid than you really are. another mistake like the tollway !!!!!!

Edited January 3, 2011 by ginjag

[Chunky1]

Sorry but the 16 yo girl was not driving drunk like this piece of garbage.

[smedly]

why no pictures of this man

[gregb]

Yes indeed. THROW away the key, what a grub deserves no mercy.

I agree drunk drivers deserve no mercy at all.. Thai or foreign.

People are responsible for their actions. Trying to claim that you shouldn't be punished because your judgement was impaired, whether due to alcohol or being under age, is simply disturbing. Nobody capable of driving a motor vehicle has any excuse for why they exercised bad judgement. It is entirely their own decision.

You did it, now you accept the consequences of your stupidity. Like the girl on the highway, this jackass killed someone while doing something he knew very well was illegal. He simply didn't think enough of anyone else to care. Selfish ass.

Tell me again why we are supposed to show mercy for these people? Does the fact that he's sorry really mitigate the life he took? I think better to try and make people behave more responsibly before they get behind the wheel. The only way to do that is to increase the consequences for carelessness until they really start to bite.

Lock him up. Don't let him buy his way out.