Phuket Tourist Mum Dies, Son Seriously Injured In Motorbike Accident

[Lite Beer]

Phuket tourist mum dies, son seriously injured in motorbike accident

Phuket Kusoldharm rescue workers attend to Mrs Wittig and her son at the scene. Photo: Wichai Wittawat

PHUKET: A German tourist was killed and her son seriously injured in a motorbike accident on Wednesday about 100 meters ahead of her husband and the boy’s twin brother, who were on another motorbike.

Nicole Wittig, 47, was driving the motorbike at about 11pm on a road near the Laguna resort complex with her 17-year-old son, Mark, riding pillion when she crossed the center line and hit an oncoming Toyota Camry, said Cherng Talay Police Officer Boonlert Champa.

Mrs Wittig died while being transported to Thalang Hospital after suffering severe chest trauma in the accident, Kusoldharm Rescue Foundation workers said.

Mark remains unconscious in Bangkok Hospital Phuket’s Cardio-care Unit, a hospital official told the Phuket Gazette this morning.

At the time of the accident, the Wittigs were returning to their room at the Laguna Beach Resort after having dinner, explained Sen Sgt Maj Boonlert.

Mrs Wittig’s husband, Ruediger, was driving another motorbike with Mark’s twin brother, Tom, on board.

Mr Wittig said that he was too far behind his wife’s motorbike to see what happened, but he heard a “crash” and came upon the scene to find his wife and son lying unconscious and bleeding in the road with their smashed motorbike lying nearby, a reliable source told the Gazette.

It appears as though Mrs Wittig and Mark were not wearing helmets at the time of the accident, Sgt Boonlert said.

The driver of the Toyota Camry, Chalermpol Thavorn, 32, told police that when he reached a curve Mrs Wittig’s Yamaha Mio crossed the line and collided with his vehicle.

Police seized the car for further examination. Mr Chalermpol, a Phuket native, did not flee the scene, Sgt Boonlert said.

Police presume that Mrs Wittig’s unfamiliarity with the road and poor lighting were factors in the accident. Sgt Boonlert said that the lack of night-time visibility in the area has led to numerous accidents, adding that he would like to see lighting installed.

The Wittig family had checked into the resort only hours earlier after arriving from Khao Lak and were due to return to Germany the next day, a source said.

German Honorary Consul Dirk Nauman told the Gazette that he was aware of the accident but had yet to be contacted by police, as is customary in accidents involving foreign nationals.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/archives/articles/2011/article11315.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-10-28

[Boater]

very Sad, RIP and hope the other son makes a full recovery...

Also, hats off to the driver for not fleeing the scene, and staying to give his account ( i assume he wasnt drunk to stay )

i have seen many times before on samui more then phuket, a family of four on 2 bikes, mother - father driving with the kids on the bike ( the father always seems to be in better control then the mother ) , and to see them drive with there kids on the bike is shocking, as you can clearly see they have NO EXPERINCE in driving a bike !, i have seen many forigners crash when they panick and put there hand to hard on the throttle and cannot stop !

Europe, you have to have a licence and test to ride a bike, so why do people ride bikes in thailand with no experience????

NOTE -

The Phuket Gazette should really keep names like this as blanks, or intials only, as with reporting that they where on Scooters, at night, with no helmets, possible that the mother hand a glass of wine or 2 , that the insurance company could come across this story and not pay up for the body to be taken home or the medical care needed......

Edited October 28, 2011 by Boater

[iang]

Europe, you have to have a licence and test to ride a bike, so why do people ride bikes in thailand with no experience????

Simple. Because they don't want to get ripped off by exorbitant tuk tuk charges! Cheaper by far & more reasonable to rent a scooter! If tuk tuk charges were similar to air con taxi rates in Bangkok, far fewer would risk their lives driving a scooter with no, or next to no riding experience!

Edited October 28, 2011 by iang

[rotary]

Sad story.........Another lesson in the dangers of motorbike rental for people who seldom ride one. And no helmet to boot. The helmet should come with a motorbike rental in my opinion.My best wishes to the family.

[falang07]

The helmets that come with rental motorcycles are only a joke, not a safety device.

[Beetlejuice]

The problem is that many tourists arrive in Thailand, rent out these motorbikes and have little or no experience of driving motorbikes and Thailand`s road systems.

Some years ago I witnessed a Spanish tourist in Chiang Mai, drive out of his guesthouse and straight into a pickup on a main road. He suffered multible injuries, broken bones and cuts.

It soon became obvious that this was his first time he had ever used a motorbike.

[Boater]

The problem is that many tourists arrive in Thailand, rent out these motorbikes and have little or no experience of driving motorbikes and Thailand`s road systems.

Some years ago I witnessed a Spanish tourist in Chiang Mai, drive out of his guesthouse and straight into a pickup on a main road. He suffered multible injuries, broken bones and cuts.

It soon became obvious that this was his first time he had ever used a motorbike.

i have seen this many times over , and sometimes it is also the thais !.. drunk

but how do you solve the problem?

[mezzy]

The thing is if you do get caught without a licence here the fine is only around 300THB. They do stop motorbikes and check them, up on the hill from Patong to Kathu, but there are side roads to duck down if you know them. They need to increase the fines on not being licensed and also not wearing a helmet (100THB).

When I got here to start working I decided to rent a car for a couple of months so that I could get used to traffic here, then when I went back to Aus I went off and did my motorcycle learners course (8 hours) so that I could learn all about emergency braking and counter-steering, all of that defensive driving stuff. I would never ride a bike here without having learnt all that stuff. But that is me being sensible because I lived in China for five years and they really are crazy drivers, Phuket drivers are much easier to predict.

Years ago in Koh Samet a friend and I rented scooters, I had never been on one in my life and the resort didn't care, they told me I would get the hang of it pretty quick.

But as long as taxi's and tuk tuks rip people off they will continue to rent bikes and continue to have these tragic accidents. Let's face it, bike rental companies don't check to see if you have a motorcycle licence, fortunately car companies do.

[scotto]

Sad story hope the boy is ok!

However people say that to rent a motorbike is cheaper than tuk tuks i agree but if you do not have riding ability

or very limited ability you have to stop and think what is my life worth? or someone elses life?

when people are on holidays they tend to leave their brains behind in there home country!

Please stop for a minute and think.

I ride here all the time and have more than 30 years of riding motorcycles and still am amazed at how thais ride and drive cars sometimes

you have to be very careful here all the time and look at everything as well as behind you please take care on the roads here