Bent My Baby On Saturday Morning :(

[saorsa]

Pulled out to overtake a car into the outside lane on Sukhumvit very early morning when it was quiet and there was a Fortuner waiting to U-turn with no indicators on. Straight into the back of it and knocked myself out cold. The driver thought I was dead so he just left me lying there while he went for a bite to eat with his GF and waited for the claims guy/police to show up. My friend found me there 20 mins after the crash had happened still lying in the street unconscious. He is in the police, so took care of things and called people to take care of me and the bike which was really lucky for me. Got a broken wrist, cant walk properly due to bruising/swelling on my legs, plus managed to get exhaust burn on my chest and my calf...no idea how! Due to being unconscious so long, had to get a CAT scan, but all ok. Mueng Thai 1st class insurance will pick the bill up for the hospital and take care of the bike and car I hope and all I have to pay is a 400b fine for being in the wrong lane while overtaking i think (i hope).

Hate to think how long I would have been left there if my friend hadnt finished work and gone to feed some soi dogs in the area.

[snowflake]

so sorry to hear that, hope that nothing more is wrong with you...

remember that one can always fix or buy a new bike... body parts are a bit harder to mend...

[Garry]

driver thought I was dead so he just left me lying there while he went for a bite to eat with his GF and waited for the claims guy/police to show up.

What an outstanding citizen.

Hopefully your injuries aren't permanent. Heal quickle and get back on the road

[appropriate]

Get well soon mate. Any problems for the fortwanke_r driver for u-turning with no indicators?

[BigBikeBKK]

Ouch! Bummer! Glad you are more or less ok.

Signal or not, rear-ending a car is a bit of a cock-up...

Out of curiosity, what kind of gear were you wearing?

Judging from the damage to your bike you couldn't have been going very fast.

Exhaust burns on the chest would lead me to believe you were riding in a T-shirt?

Hope you will heal quickly and learn from the accident.

Ride On!

Tony

[saorsa]

T-shirt and jeans, I only wear the jacket for long runs out of town and I wasnt going far at the time. I just went splat, no sliding down the road, so no gravel rash.

Ouch! Bummer! Glad you are more or less ok.

Signal or not, rear-ending a car is a bit of a cock-up...

Out of curiosity, what kind of gear were you wearing?

Judging from the damage to your bike you couldn't have been going very fast.

Exhaust burns on the chest would lead me to believe you were riding in a T-shirt?

Hope you will heal quickly and learn from the accident.

Ride On!

Tony

[CanInBKK]

Remarkable how classless some Car/Truck drivers are. They seem to think people who ride motorcycles are low class, maybe even lower than human.

Is there any kind of legal retribution you can enact? Suing for negligence (not calling for help after seeing you unconscious)? I think it's a hard sell for them to say they thought you were gone, a simple check of pulse is a no brainer

Edited February 1, 2011 by CanInBKK

[katabeachbum]

Remarkable how classless some Car/Truck drivers are. They seem to think people who ride motorcycles are low class, maybe even lower than human.

Is there any kind of legal retribution you can enact? Suing for negligence (not calling for help after seeing you unconscious)? I think it's a hard sell for them to say they thought you were gone, a simple check of pulse is a no brainer

Ouch saorsa, glad you are more or less ok

I believe its only considered hit and run/neglict if the other party doesnt report to Police within 24 hours. So even though Fortuna driver is a jurk to leave you behind, he is probably not in legal problems

[BigBikeBKK]

Remarkable how classless some Car/Truck drivers are. They seem to think people who ride motorcycles are low class, maybe even lower than human.

Is there any kind of legal retribution you can enact? Suing for negligence (not calling for help after seeing you unconscious)? I think it's a hard sell for them to say they thought you were gone, a simple check of pulse is a no brainer

The legal system here actually encourages the guilty party to run from an accident.

But of course, in this case the car was not at fault, so no reason to run.

You think can rear end someone and then sue them for negligence?

Thailand has no Good Samaritan law.

If the driver touched the victim, the victim survived but with permanent injuries, the victim could then turn around and accuse the "Good Samaritan" of causing the injuries.

I had a motorbike taxi bounch off my truck once. He was in a bad way but you can be assured I did not touch him.

Hey, at least the guy Saorsa hit didn't throw his truck in reverse to finish the job...

Lessons learned.

Ride On!

Tony

[RED21]

Hey, at least the guy Saorsa hit didn't throw his truck in reverse to finish the job...

Which is what most bus and lorry drivers here would do...

[rizla]

Sorry to hear about your bad luck mate get well fast....in this land of shit drivers and stupid U turns it aint easy for us....

Dont frett about those that say you were at fault "it WILL happen to them sooner or later" you`ve had your turn, cool down and count you`re blessings....good luck

[canuckamuck]

Another reason to be extra defensive driving in Thailand: if you get hurt no one gives a crap if you live or die.

Sorry to hear of your mishap, I expect you will make adjustments to your driving style.

[nikster]

Glad you're OK - out for 20 minutes is pretty serious, you must have a guardian angel.

I also think the guy in the car - eating or not - was wise not to touch you; if you had a neck injury and someone untrained drags you off the road they might kill you accidentally, or aggravate the injury.

And yeah if you rear end someone and you changed lane, chances are it's your fault.

I rear ended a motorsai once, was going too fast and the guy suddenly pulled across the entire highway at low speed to catch a u turn. He used indicators but didn't exactly look back to see who's coming. I *felt* at fault here because I should have seen him there on the side of the road, and should have anticipated him going for the u-turn, and in any case should have done a much better job avoiding him. My wife says it's his fault b/c he was the one who changed lanes. Hard to say.

Lessons learnt!

[CanInBKK]

…if you had a neck injury and someone untrained drags you off the road they might kill you accidentally, or aggravate the injury.

The sad part is that passersby walking past the scene of the accident probably have as much training as the so-called EMS crew whom I believe at one time were paid on a "per corpse" basis.

[Garry]

…if you had a neck injury and someone untrained drags you off the road they might kill you accidentally, or aggravate the injury.

The sad part is that passersby walking past the scene of the accident probably have as much training as the so-called EMS crew whom I believe at one time were paid on a "per corpse" basis.

Ain't that the truth. I'm a qualified First Aid/CPR/DeFibTrainer (adult & child) and some of the shit (read: poor handling) I see in Thailand and the Middle East is crazy. Some of these idiots (read: responders) create more harm than good to the injured party. Also tough choice whether people help or not. In short you do not have to. Morally wrong, perhaps yes. If I was there I would have helped you, but I wouldn't haven't moved you unless you were in more immediate danger. You got off lucky and I am glad for you.

[appropriate]

Had laugh with the missus one night with a bunch of these EMS guys on their scooters next to us at the lights. No helmets on and smoking on their revved up Finos.

[saorsa]

Spent yesterday at the police station and met the driver. He claims he thought a car hit him, looked in his mirrors, didnt see anyone, so went off for food, came back and found people around me. Oh well, no major harm done. Had to pay 400b fine for being in wrong lane and ins co will sort the rest out.

[ChangNoi1]

When you are with your back on the tarmac it doesn't matter much who was wrong and who was'nt it is then that you hope that medical care will be save & good.

Maybe a mooment to have a sticker on your bike, helmet and jacket saying "clear the road, do not move me and call the nearest hospital that has a real ambulance".

How to test if you might have a broken bone? Move the body-part and if patient starts screaming he/she probably has a something broken. No joke I have this practice on testing someone's neck.

Chang Noi

[submaniac]

Good to hear you are OK, and you're baby is on the way to being fixed. Chalk it up to a lesson learned, and no harm no foul.

[ajahnlau]

Ditto on the speedy recovery. Hope you waied the big budda a few tines.

[saorsa]

Went to see bike and looks like frame is bent just below headstock.

[BigBikeBKK]

Went to see bike and looks like frame is bent just below headstock.

Bummer, but sounds like you've got decent insurance. Will they repair or replace?

[saorsa]

Went to see bike and looks like frame is bent just below headstock.

Bummer, but sounds like you've got decent insurance. Will they repair or replace?

I want it replaced if it's bent...wouldnt trust it to be fixed properly here. Got to wait for full estimate and then speak to insurance guys and see what is what.

[BigBikeBKK]

Went to see bike and looks like frame is bent just below headstock.

Bummer, but sounds like you've got decent insurance. Will they repair or replace?

I want it replaced if it's bent...wouldnt trust it to be fixed properly here. Got to wait for full estimate and then speak to insurance guys and see what is what.

In most countries a bent frame means the vehicle is totaled. Thai insurance companies however can be a bit crazy in that regards- they often want to repair vehicles that in pretty much any other country would be written off as totaled... Good luck!

[ChangNoi1]

Well economically they might be written of as total loss (=cheaper) but technically (with the right tools) a bike or care can be set straight again. But I doubt if they have that tools here in Thailand. On the other hand if the frame is not straight anymore it is very easy to feel when riding handless.

Chang Noi

[Familyonthemove]

Good to hear you are reasonably OK .... could have been much worse. As others have said ... the bike can be fixed or replaced.

[floridaguy]

Sorry for your luck. Glad that you are OK. You are also luck that no one else ran over you while lying in the road. I am still recovering from my crash 2 months ago. Got clipped by a passing taxi on Petchburi Road and got sucked into the guard rail. Broke my foot in 4 places, and did some minor damage to the bike. Bent the gear shifter and foot peg and cracked my cowl. Bike is good as new, and my foot is only really stiff in the morning.

Count your blessings, perform tam boon, whatever you have to do to count yourself lucky. But don't be afraid to keep riding. I picked my bike up from the repair shop the day after my cast was removed from my foot and rode it home.

[Morien]

Glad to hear that you're ok.

[saorsa]

Sorry for your luck. Glad that you are OK. You are also luck that no one else ran over you while lying in the road. I am still recovering from my crash 2 months ago. Got clipped by a passing taxi on Petchburi Road and got sucked into the guard rail. Broke my foot in 4 places, and did some minor damage to the bike. Bent the gear shifter and foot peg and cracked my cowl. Bike is good as new, and my foot is only really stiff in the morning.

Count your blessings, perform tam boon, whatever you have to do to count yourself lucky. But don't be afraid to keep riding. I picked my bike up from the repair shop the day after my cast was removed from my foot and rode it home.

Don't worry, not going to stop riding just because of a wee crash. As soon as my wrist is working enough and I have wheels on the road, I will be back on two wheels again. Looks like the Harley will take a lot longer than me to heal, so might have to look around for something else to ride in the meantime.

[submaniac]

Went to see bike and looks like frame is bent just below headstock.

Bummer, but sounds like you've got decent insurance. Will they repair or replace?

I want it replaced if it's bent...wouldnt trust it to be fixed properly here. Got to wait for full estimate and then speak to insurance guys and see what is what.

You do know that Harley Davidson will replace a complete frame (and stamp the old VIN on the new frame), right? You have to send them the front section, but they will send a brand new frame.