Cape Panwa (Khao Khad) Accident

[pagallim]

Yesterday I set off on what is my usual Saturday/Sunday bike ride around Cape Panwa. The route is about 30 kms or so, with some good steep hills to get the heart and lungs going.

There's a particularly scenic part of the route, where it passes several viewpoints overlooking Chalong Bay (the area is called Khao Khad). In spite of having (for me at least) the best views anywhere in Phuket, the road is very quiet, which makes it ideal for cycling.

Anyway, came across these scenes this afternoon. An old type Ford Ranger pick up must have been travelling up hill towards the highest viewpoint, didn't manage to make the bend, and went through some concrete (looks like wood but isn't) railings and landed about 15 metres down what is a sheer drop. I didn't ask the question of any of the few onlookers, about the state of the driver (and passengers?), as it can't have been good. The occupant(s) had already been evacuated when I got there. There's a white painted kerbstone, and a grassed verge where the vehicle entered. No tyre marks anywhere, so it must have been airborne.

Photos taken with my phone.

[thaiIand]

quite far from the road. An other driver who doesnt know that the wheels turn?

[kartman]

Truck looks OK though 3days in a bodyshop and it will be ready to go again.

[ScubaBuddha]

I keep saying it...the way people drive here, and the state of many of the vehicle, it's amazing there aren't more accidents than there are. I think most people think the speed limit is how fast your vehicle can go. And I honestly believe that most Thai's don't believe that there is a law saying you must stop at a red light then go when it turns green...it's just a suggestion it would seem.

Yesterday as the Ms. and I were pulling out into Patak Rd. from the Kata post office, one of those youngish Thai blokes with a thin tired Click or whatever is zipping along way to fast in busy traffic, weaving around the other road users with mere cm's to spare seemingly without a care in world, no helmet. You know the guys. All of a sudden a samlor pulls out from the other side of the road. Evil Knievel anticipates it stopping before crossing and does a little weave towards the middle of the road, towards us. But instead the samlor bounds out and onto the center yellow which, unfortunately for Mr. Knievel, was the precise location where he was counting on the samlor to not be. This was just 3 or 4 meters behind us. The gf and I both knew what was about to happen. Evil barely had any time to brake at all before colliding with the samlors sidecar at almost full speed. He hit with such force the front end of his bike folded like an accordion with that sickening, unmistakable sound of plastic meeting metal meeting asphalt. He and what was left of his bike flipped up and over, half cartwheeling through the air towards us. The landing looked like so many Knievel landings. I had to punch the throttle to keep his increasingly road rash covered body and Honda Debris from sliding into us. To be honest, I couldn't feel much sympathy for him. Som nam na.

[thaiIand]

Last week i was driving home in the morning. A thai woman was on her bike with 2-3 bag of food and a bag with a iced coffee tied to her wrist... i was following traffic at maybe 30kph on a semi small road, just like every other bike she was following me from way too close trying to find an oportunity to pass by me when there's absolutely no space with all the parked carts and cars and the traffic signal ahead. Car in front of me starts breaking slowly, i break she starts turning her bike left and right trying to balance her drink in her mouth instead of putting it down.. i decided to completely break because the guy in front of me wasnt a skilled driver and i was worried about getting to close.. bam, she decided to fall instead of putting down her stupid drink and using 2 hands to drive. Every thai on their bikes were laughing. Som nam na.

Yesterday driving to chalong on chaofa west, decent traffic. Right in front of kajonkiet im driving on the left lane after having had 1 pickup and 1 minibus cut in front of me at the same time coming 2cm from colliding together in front of me while i was coasting at a slow 60kph in the fast lane about 50 meters in front of the red light which wasnt close to turning green. Light turns green i accelerate normaly. i see a bike behind me with those geniuses. Im driving at about 40kph because of a slow car in front of me so with his brains he decided that he cant slowdown with all those unstable bags and needs to have his 44kph speed or nothing else not thinking that in 5secs ill be able to drive faster once the slow thai pedal reaches lower so he cuts me instead of staying on the far left and starts to slow me down less than 2secs later. As usual i dont care about bikes who cost me gas so i just keep going straight and im right next to him at some point not moving towards him, he can see 30% of my car in front of him now(im 5-10cm on the side) and theres an obstacle oncoming. He decides to slowly move right as they always do without concern for traffic but im not behind him im right there and he knows it so he bumps into my mirror and starts going left and right losing balance..

I seriously feel as if driving a bike with 2 hands and with both feet straight ahead is a crime here.Worse crime than actually slowing down when people slowdown in front of you or accelerating to pass someone when there's other cars coming.

Edited September 26, 2011 by thaiIand

[kenny999]

Last week i was driving home in the morning. A thai woman was on her bike with 2-3 bag of food and a bag with a iced coffee tied to her wrist... i was following traffic at maybe 30kph on a semi small road, just like every other bike she was following me from way too close trying to find an oportunity to pass by me when there's absolutely no space with all the parked carts and cars and the traffic signal ahead. Car in front of me starts breaking slowly, i break she starts turning her bike left and right trying to balance her drink in her mouth instead of putting it down.. i decided to completely break because the guy in front of me wasnt a skilled driver and i was worried about getting to close.. bam, she decided to fall instead of putting down her stupid drink and using 2 hands to drive. Every thai on their bikes were laughing. Som nam na.

Yesterday driving to chalong on chaofa west, decent traffic. Right in front of kajonkiet im driving on the left lane after having had 1 pickup and 1 minibus cut in front of me at the same time coming 2cm from colliding together in front of me while i was coasting at a slow 60kph in the fast lane about 50 meters in front of the red light which wasnt close to turning green. Light turns green i accelerate normaly. i see a bike behind me with those geniuses. Im driving at about 40kph because of a slow car in front of me so with his brains he decided that he cant slowdown with all those unstable bags and needs to have his 44kph speed or nothing else not thinking that in 5secs ill be able to drive faster once the slow thai pedal reaches lower so he cuts me instead of staying on the far left and starts to slow me down less than 2secs later. As usual i dont care about bikes who cost me gas so i just keep going straight and im right next to him at some point not moving towards him, he can see 30% of my car in front of him now(im 5-10cm on the side) and theres an obstacle oncoming. He decides to slowly move right as they always do without concern for traffic but im not behind him im right there and he knows it so he bumps into my mirror and starts going left and right losing balance..

I seriously feel as if driving a bike with 2 hands and with both feet straight ahead is a crime here.Worse crime than actually slowing down when people slowdown in front of you or accelerating to pass someone when there's other cars coming.

Nothing is surprising here, many people go too fast and a red light means go, som nam na is something I say constantly, Last yr whilst walking down the beach road in Patong, a powerful bike sped past us on one wheel, the driver was young with no top on, a few seconds later we heard a very big crash, we walked down to the scene, laying in the road was this lad holding his thingy and weeing over him self, blood was coming from his head, he was obviously seriously injured and in shock, I said the words Som nam na a cruel thing to have said but did he even think about the many people he could have seriously injured or even killed by his stupidity.. so many people here think it is clever to speed through red lights and ignore many rules designed to protect them, up to them as long as they keep out of my way and don't involve me in their eventual accident!!

[glassdude007]

I keep saying it...the way people drive here, and the state of many of the vehicle, it's amazing there aren't more accidents than there are. I think most people think the speed limit is how fast your vehicle can go. And I honestly believe that most Thai's don't believe that there is a law saying you must stop at a red light then go when it turns green...it's just a suggestion it would seem.

Yesterday as the Ms. and I were pulling out into Patak Rd. from the Kata post office, one of those youngish Thai blokes with a thin tired Click or whatever is zipping along way to fast in busy traffic, weaving around the other road users with mere cm's to spare seemingly without a care in world, no helmet. You know the guys. All of a sudden a samlor pulls out from the other side of the road. Evil Knievel anticipates it stopping before crossing and does a little weave towards the middle of the road, towards us. But instead the samlor bounds out and onto the center yellow which, unfortunately for Mr. Knievel, was the precise location where he was counting on the samlor to not be. This was just 3 or 4 meters behind us. The gf and I both knew what was about to happen. Evil barely had any time to brake at all before colliding with the samlors sidecar at almost full speed. He hit with such force the front end of his bike folded like an accordion with that sickening, unmistakable sound of plastic meeting metal meeting asphalt. He and what was left of his bike flipped up and over, half cartwheeling through the air towards us. The landing looked like so many Knievel landings. I had to punch the throttle to keep his increasingly road rash covered body and Honda Debris from sliding into us. To be honest, I couldn't feel much sympathy for him. Som nam na.

Great post I would have love too see that crash ZOOOM ZOOOM

[bunta71]

I keep saying it...the way people drive here, and the state of many of the vehicle, it's amazing there aren't more accidents than there are. I think most people think the speed limit is how fast your vehicle can go. And I honestly believe that most Thai's don't believe that there is a law saying you must stop at a red light then go when it turns green...it's just a suggestion it would seem.

Yesterday as the Ms. and I were pulling out into Patak Rd. from the Kata post office, one of those youngish Thai blokes with a thin tired Click or whatever is zipping along way to fast in busy traffic, weaving around the other road users with mere cm's to spare seemingly without a care in world, no helmet. You know the guys. All of a sudden a samlor pulls out from the other side of the road. Evil Knievel anticipates it stopping before crossing and does a little weave towards the middle of the road, towards us. But instead the samlor bounds out and onto the center yellow which, unfortunately for Mr. Knievel, was the precise location where he was counting on the samlor to not be. This was just 3 or 4 meters behind us. The gf and I both knew what was about to happen. Evil barely had any time to brake at all before colliding with the samlors sidecar at almost full speed. He hit with such force the front end of his bike folded like an accordion with that sickening, unmistakable sound of plastic meeting metal meeting asphalt. He and what was left of his bike flipped up and over, half cartwheeling through the air towards us. The landing looked like so many Knievel landings. I had to punch the throttle to keep his increasingly road rash covered body and Honda Debris from sliding into us. To be honest, I couldn't feel much sympathy for him. Som nam na.

Great post I would have love too see that crash ZOOOM ZOOOM

"The landing looked like so many Knievel landings" that cracked me up (no pun intended). I have had many similar landings but all were in the dirt, and always with a helmet and a Virgin statue. (Not the Catholic kind)