Girl, 16, Struck Dead By Pickup Truck On Main Phuket Road

[Lite Beer]

Girl, 16, struck dead by pickup truck on main Phuket road

Phuket Gazette

The impact left the pickup truck with a dented hood and crushed grille. Photo: Wichai Witthawat

Kusoldharm rescue workers stand beside the body of Dao, 16, which was flung onto the median strip by the force of the impact. Photo: Wichai Witthawat

PHUKET: A 16-year-old Burmese girl was struck dead by a pickup truck while crossing Thepkrasattri Road, the main road to Phuket Airport, in Thalang last night.

The girl, named only as “Dao”, was crossing the busy road with her father in front of Baan Porn Furniture store just before 10pm when the pair were hit by a black Toyota Vigo pickup truck.

Rescue workers from the Kusoldharm Foundation arrived at the scene to find that her father, a 38-year-old Burmese laborer named only as “Mr Chart”, had sustained only minor injuries.

Dao’s body, however, had been sent flying onto the median strip.

The force of the impact left the front of the pickup, which was loaded with three large ice boxes, with a dented hood and crushed grille.

Dao lived with her father at the labor camp behind the furniture store.

“The father and the girl walked across the street together to go to a grocery store opposite the camp. All of a sudden, the truck came at high speed and hit the girl,” said a local villager who witnessed the accident.

Thalang Police consider Dao’s death to be the result of a genuine accident.

The driver did not flee the scene.

“The man was not drunk. He waited until police officers arrived and explained himself to me,” said Lt Col Somkid Khaosang of Thalang Police.

“I didn’t smell any alcohol on his breath and he didn’t behave like he was drunk. So I questioned him, wrote down details of the accident in the police log, and let him go,” Lt Col Somkid said.

The scene of the accident last night was only a few hundred meters from the point at which a car spun out of control at high speed and slammed into a power pole on November 27, killing two

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...ticle11800.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2011-12-24

[clockman]

Life is treated so cheaply!

[Jimi007]

Life is treated so cheaply!

Especially if you're Burmese... But hopefully she will be reincarnated to a better life.

[yougivemebaby]

i know thailand roads are generally very dangerous but it seems right around the airport cars drive very quickly around a lot of blind corners. i was in phuket two months ago and drove upon a man who just got hit by some construction equipment . poor guy prob needed a closed casket .

[Boater]

Life is treated so cheaply!

Especially if you're Burmese... But hopefully she will be reincarnated to a better life.

again shabby police work, witness stated the truck was travelling at high speed, it would have needed to break, so they could have taken the tyre marks to indicate the speed at impact, oh he didnt smell of booze, did they breath test him???

this man should be charged with death by dangerous driving, and let the courts decide from the evedince if or not to let him go

Amazing thailand

[Jimi007]

Life is treated so cheaply!

Especially if you're Burmese... But hopefully she will be reincarnated to a better life.

again shabby police work, witness stated the truck was travelling at high speed, it would have needed to break, so they could have taken the tyre marks to indicate the speed at impact, oh he didnt smell of booze, did they breath test him???

this man should be charged with death by dangerous driving, and let the courts decide from the evedince if or not to let him go

Amazing thailand

How long have you been driving here? Haven't you had people do stupid things in front of you many times? As the officer was quoted; "Thalang Police consider Dao’s death to be the result of a genuine accident." Unlike the west, it seems accidents happen without so much energy attached to blaming someone. If the people weren't in the road at a non crossing area, would there have been this tragedy? Cars and trucks in that area do travel at a high rate of speed. If you want to prevent these tragedies then have more pedestrian bridges. Would people actually use them? I kind of doubt it, that would mean they would have to walk further!

[Rorri]

That road is posted as 60 km/h...nearest pedestrian crossing is 780 meters away...a return walk of3120 meters...where else could they cross...they don't have money to fix the landslides on Patong Hill, where to they get money for your very expensive suggestion.......if the speed limit was enforced maybe there'd be less accidents...but then again, you still need to teach drivers to respect pedestrians and to be aware of their surroundings, their mind set seems to be stuck in the days of riding water buffalo.

[steelepulse]

If it was a foreigner that hit a Thai, would it be a genuine accident and nothing happens to the driver? Even a Thai hitting a Thai would result in something, but if you're an unfortunate Burmese than there is no justice or accountability on the offending party.

[thaiIand]

at least the patong sign looks cool.