Saw My First Accident Happen This Morning.

[kenny999]

Okay I am an honest person, I have just explained your post to my gf she says if no one there we can stop to ask "you okay can we call someone for you etc" if someone there we not stop, although I disagree with the drive on by attitude we are as other posters have said in a different country and vastly different from where we come from, so in future I will be mostly driving on by!! if I am being honest, I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination so yes I now agree it is best to drive past mainly because I can not be sure that what other posters say about being blamed and ending up in deep trouble is not true!!

[kenny999]

Okay I am an honest person, I have just explained your post to my gf she says if no one there we can stop to ask "you okay can we call someone for you etc" if someone there we not stop, although I disagree with the drive on by attitude we are as other posters have said in a different country and vastly different from where we come from, so in future I will be mostly driving on by!! if I am being honest, I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination so yes I now agree it is best to drive past mainly because I can not be sure that what other posters say about being blamed and ending up in deep trouble is not true!!

In future I will asses the situation before deciding to stop!!

[stevenl]

Whilst your actions are noble, they also put you at financial risk, and possible physical danger, that also places your Thai girlfriend at financial risk and physical danger.

Would be interested why he put his girlfriend in fysical and financial risk.

There is a (small) risk to his own finances, sure, but don't the positives outweigh the negatives? IMO Kenny did the right thing, maybe not the wisest though.

[NamKangMan]

Okay I am an honest person, I have just explained your post to my gf she says if no one there we can stop to ask "you okay can we call someone for you etc" if someone there we not stop, although I disagree with the drive on by attitude we are as other posters have said in a different country and vastly different from where we come from, so in future I will be mostly driving on by!! if I am being honest, I am not wealthy by any stretch of the imagination so yes I now agree it is best to drive past mainly because I can not be sure that what other posters say about being blamed and ending up in deep trouble is not true!!

In future I will asses the situation before deciding to stop!!

You have just assessed the situtation - you have premeditated your actions should you be placed in this situation in the future. Your decision is confirmed as the best decision, not necessarily the the most eithical and/or moral, but the best decision, given the circumstances in which we live in, by other posters, and your Thai girlfriend.

Remember, the worse the accident you see, to stop and become involved, potentially means the higher the amount of money that may be extorted from you.

Edited January 12, 2012 by NamKangMan

[NamKangMan]

Whilst your actions are noble, they also put you at financial risk, and possible physical danger, that also places your Thai girlfriend at financial risk and physical danger.

Would be interested why he put his girlfriend in fysical and financial risk.

There is a (small) risk to his own finances, sure, but don't the positives outweigh the negatives? IMO Kenny did the right thing, maybe not the wisest though.

I am assuming Kenny is like most farang on the island and supporting, financially, his Thai girlfriend. Possibly even sending some money up to Issan every money as well.

If Kenny has to pay 1 or 2 million baht to a Thai family, to secure his release from gaol, because their husband/father etc is dead from a motorbike accident, but the family blames Kenny for the way he administered CPR as the cause of death, not the accident itself, would that not hit Kenny's household budget, to some degree? Maybe some assets like pick-up truck, condo etc would have to be sold. Does that not effect his, and his girlfriend's lifestyle? Hence, financial risk to the girlfriend as well.

The physical risk comes from the mob mentality that arises around an accident like this. Emotions are high, adreneline is flowing. A farang getting involved could be like waving a red flag to a bull, so, his girlfriend gets involved to try to "talk down" the crowd and get Kenny to safety. Is she not at risk of physical danger during a confrontation that could turn into an assault? Hence, she is at pysical risk of being assaulted as well. Of course, she would have to be with him at the time he saw the accident and stopped to render assistance.

Edited January 12, 2012 by NamKangMan

[barka]

Kenny999 i,i cant beleive you,you just go on and on and on,when posters have been honest with you,and all you do is dont listen and go on about how good you and yoru g f are.. im bored,im going to bed..no more ..listening to this topic..orr posting...yawn.

You are bored because you don't have the backbone to do what is right, full stop!! I am not good I am simply a person who does what is right, again I am not scared of these fictitious so called mobs that demand money!! I have never seen this and it has never happened to me and I will continue to do what is right, if other people are scared which forces them to run away from someone who needs help good for them!!

maybe i dont have the backbone you say,but having been here in PHUKET a very long time..i have common sense....and so far no cock ups

[stevenl]

Whilst your actions are noble, they also put you at financial risk, and possible physical danger, that also places your Thai girlfriend at financial risk and physical danger.

Would be interested why he put his girlfriend in fysical and financial risk.

There is a (small) risk to his own finances, sure, but don't the positives outweigh the negatives? IMO Kenny did the right thing, maybe not the wisest though.

I am assuming Kenny is like most farang on the island and supporting, financially, his Thai girlfriend. Possibly even sending some money up to Issan every money as well.

If Kenny has to pay 1 or 2 million baht to a Thai family, to secure his release from gaol, because their husband/father etc is dead from a motorbike accident, but the family blames Kenny for the way he administered CPR as the cause of death, not the accident itself, would that not hit Kenny's household budget, to some degree? Maybe some assets like pick-up truck, condo etc would have to be sold. Does that not effect his, and his girlfriend's lifestyle? Hence, financial risk to the girlfriend as well.

The physical risk comes from the mob mentality that arises around an accident like this. Emotions are high, adreneline is flowing. A farang getting involved could be like waving a red flag to a bull, so, his girlfriend gets involved to try to "talk down" the crowd and get Kenny to safety. Is she not at risk of physical danger during a confrontation that could turn into an assault? Hence, she is at pysical risk of being assaulted as well. Of course, she would have to be with him at the time he saw the accident and stopped to render assistance.

Extremely far fetched opn both accounts.

[katabeachbum]

So, lets say we follow what we are trained at and our consiousness, and stop to assist, how to avoid to get blamed?

My advice would be, never even consider it if you are alone in your vehicle

Photo scene before leaving your vehicle

Stop and park your vehicle before accident scene and photo again including your vehicles position.

Call local cops 191 and/or HWP 1193 depending on what kind of road.

approach scene and try to find out if ambulance has been called. If victims have Insurance try to redirect to Bangkok Hospital Ambulance as it reduces the risk for victim.

Looking for more risk?

First aid. Shock is not uncommon, so talking in victims assumed language, yeah Im not good at Russian.

and again, Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

[LivinginKata]

A serious of speculative posts about a member(s) have been removed. Use the REPORT function or PM a mod if you want to report a particular member.

[stevenl]

So, lets say we follow what we are trained at and our consiousness, and stop to assist, how to avoid to get blamed?

My advice would be, never even consider it if you are alone in your vehicle

Photo scene before leaving your vehicle

Stop and park your vehicle before accident scene and photo again including your vehicles position.

Call local cops 191 and/or HWP 1193 depending on what kind of road.

approach scene and try to find out if ambulance has been called. If victims have Insurance try to redirect to Bangkok Hospital Ambulance as it reduces the risk for victim.

Looking for more risk?

First aid. Shock is not uncommon, so talking in victims assumed language, yeah Im not good at Russian.

and again, Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

Thanks.

[kenny999]

So, lets say we follow what we are trained at and our consiousness, and stop to assist, how to avoid to get blamed?

My advice would be, never even consider it if you are alone in your vehicle

Photo scene before leaving your vehicle

Stop and park your vehicle before accident scene and photo again including your vehicles position.

Call local cops 191 and/or HWP 1193 depending on what kind of road.

approach scene and try to find out if ambulance has been called. If victims have Insurance try to redirect to Bangkok Hospital Ambulance as it reduces the risk for victim.

Looking for more risk?

First aid. Shock is not uncommon, so talking in victims assumed language, yeah Im not good at Russian.

and again, Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

Thanks.

Sorry but a few posters are very scared, my gf is a decent person just like me, we both want to do what is right, and we will continue to do what is right without fear, never had a problem here and do not expect a problem any time in the future, you all do what you think is right up to you!! enjoy your life as I do!! I have considered and thought about everyones posts, we will continue you to help someone who has an accident directly in front of us because it is the right thing to do, get over your paranoia people and be considerate!!

I think thread now closed!!

[HongKongPhooey]

Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

KBB, you obviously have a lot of experience living in Phuket and you have a lot of driving miles under your belt, but what are you basing your opinions on?

Do you actually know of times this has happened, gone to court and the witnesses who were lying have been believed and the Farang has been found guilty of the accident that he stopped at after the accident had already happened?

I don't think you do otherwise you would have mentioned it by now. Without any knowledge of this ever actually happening, all you can do at the very most is warn people that it is a possibility, but based on the past a very very unlikely one. To talk as if it is almost a certainty is highly missleading to say the least, and unlike most of your advice which is normally far better than the OTT scare mungering that we normally see.

A 3 page thread and not a single real life account of this ever having happened, not by any members or any press articles. Says it all for me.

[richard_smith237]

We all know that not stopping and providing help if you are one of the first to arrive at the scene of an accident is morally wrong.

Some don't want to stop and rightly or wrongly use any number of excuses not to.

Others stop regardless of the potential risks and pit falls - These are the heroes in my book.

All the Thai's I know say stop and help, but also be careful not to take the blame. Common sense usually prevails in these situations.

I also believe some of the posters who have had extremely negative experiences, so we have to be aware that while stopping is the right thing, its not always the best course of action especially if we are traveling with our own families.

Each situation is different and should be weighed up on its own merits. Right and wrong are clear, I would feel terrible if I didn't stop and hope that if I were to face a such a situation that the situation doesn't force me to become someone I don't want to be....

[kenny999]

So, lets say we follow what we are trained at and our consiousness, and stop to assist, how to avoid to get blamed?

My advice would be, never even consider it if you are alone in your vehicle

Photo scene before leaving your vehicle

Stop and park your vehicle before accident scene and photo again including your vehicles position.

Call local cops 191 and/or HWP 1193 depending on what kind of road.

approach scene and try to find out if ambulance has been called. If victims have Insurance try to redirect to Bangkok Hospital Ambulance as it reduces the risk for victim.

Looking for more risk?

First aid. Shock is not uncommon, so talking in victims assumed language, yeah Im not good at Russian.

and again, Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

Never heard such rubbish in all my life!! we are waiting for real experiences and not what you think might happen, except the fact that even though you have your little toy ID you still would not stop to help someone in need, so many posts and no evidence to back up what you are saying, am I worried about stopping absolutely not!! it is this simple if you are scared and have no conscience drive on by, let someone with a conscience who is not scared do the right thing!!

[HongKongPhooey]

We all know that not stopping and providing help if you are one of the first to arrive at the scene of an accident is morally wrong.

Some don't want to stop and rightly or wrongly use any number of excuses not to.

Others stop regardless of the potential risks and pit falls - These are the heroes in my book.

All the Thai's I know say stop and help, but also be careful not to take the blame. Common sense usually prevails in these situations.

I also believe some of the posters who have had extremely negative experiences, so we have to be aware that while stopping is the right thing, its not always the best course of action especially if we are traveling with our own families.

Each situation is different and should be weighed up on its own merits. Right and wrong are clear, I would feel terrible if I didn't stop and hope that if I were to face a such a situation that the situation doesn't force me to become someone I don't want to be....

Decent & honest post Richard, but I disagree with one part. You say that some posters have had extremely negative experiences??

I know for a fact that not one single person who has posted on this thread has EVER experienced this, either personally or to someone they know. Because I know for a fact that if they had, they would have shared it with us by now. The closest we have come is KBB who was actually involved in the accident himself and everything went on to work out just fine, didn't end up paying anything because the Thai bloke involved was honest.

So what we have here is thread full of people saying that something is true, yet not one single person can tell us how they know it's true. Which leaves us with nothing but guesses, hearsay, and scare mongering.

[LivinginKata]

So what we have here is thread full of people saying that something is true, yet not one single person can tell us how they know it's true. Which leaves us with nothing but guesses, hearsay, and scare mongering.

Happened to my son when he was here on holiday. That's how I know it's true.

[kenny999]

So what we have here is thread full of people saying that something is true, yet not one single person can tell us how they know it's true. Which leaves us with nothing but guesses, hearsay, and scare mongering.

Happened to my son when he was here on holiday. That's how I know it's true.

Please explain what happened to your son?

[HongKongPhooey]

So what we have here is thread full of people saying that something is true, yet not one single person can tell us how they know it's true. Which leaves us with nothing but guesses, hearsay, and scare mongering.

Happened to my son when he was here on holiday. That's how I know it's true.

It would be great if you could elaborate on that LivinginKata. Are you saying he stopped at an accident that had already happened and ended up being being hurt or made to pay for the accident as if he had been redponsible for it? Or was it a case that someone tried their luck but your son ended up being just fine and not paying anything?

If it's the former I am bewildered as to why you have contributed to this thread and not bothered to mention it before now.

[kenny999]

So what we have here is thread full of people saying that something is true, yet not one single person can tell us how they know it's true. Which leaves us with nothing but guesses, hearsay, and scare mongering.

Happened to my son when he was here on holiday. That's how I know it's true.

It would be great if you could elaborate on that LivinginKata. Are you saying he stopped at an accident that had already happened and ended up being being hurt or made to pay for the accident as if he had been redponsible for it? Or was it a case that someone tried their luck but your son ended up being just fine and not paying anything?

If it's the former I am bewildered as to why you have contributed to this thread and not bothered to mention it before now.

Maybe he is trying to get the story right before posting again.

In my opinion there is no smoke without fire. I will give an example, I posted a while back that I saw 2 falangs in a black pick-up driving like lunatics sticking there fingers up to everyone in there way, if they had caused an accident I would have expected everyone around them too be angry and possibly attack them and I would join in!! so these so called attacks and being blamed in my opinion is caused by the attitude of the person who has helped!!

[goober]

I am not a paramedic who can administer first aid and transport the injured.

I am not a policeman who can settle who is at fault at the scene.

If you are none of the above and a westerner, keep driving and let the locals deal with it in their backward style of justice (blame game for maximum compensation)

The whole good Samaritan thing is overated, Yes you might feel warm inside for helping someone but the financial burden that may occur far outweighs the need to help someone to feel good, my thoughts go back to when the pilot was struck on his parked bike and lost a leg and while he lay there suffering, he was robbed of his phone and belongings.

People aren't always stopping to help but rather see what they can pilfer from the injured.

Kenny999 prides himself on having no problems here and minding his own business in Thailand but stopping at an accident you're not involved in will soon change his tune.

[kenny999]

I am not a paramedic who can administer first aid and transport the injured.

I am not a policeman who can settle who is at fault at the scene.

If you are none of the above and a westerner, keep driving and let the locals deal with it in their backward style of justice (blame game for maximum compensation)

The whole good Samaritan thing is overated, Yes you might feel warm inside for helping someone but the financial burden that may occur far outweighs the need to help someone to feel good, my thoughts go back to when the pilot was struck on his parked bike and lost a leg and while he lay there suffering, he was robbed of his phone and belongings.

People aren't always stopping to help but rather see what they can pilfer from the injured.

Kenny999 prides himself on having no problems here and minding his own business in Thailand but stopping at an accident you're not involved in will soon change his tune.

I stopped at an accident recently and had no problems what so ever!! no Thai's formed a mob,no one tried to extort money from me instead the 3 Thai's who also helped just went on there way!!

Also as sad as it is to say thieving from the injured is a world wide problem!!

Edited January 13, 2012 by kenny999

[LivinginKata]

So what we have here is thread full of people saying that something is true, yet not one single person can tell us how they know it's true. Which leaves us with nothing but guesses, hearsay, and scare mongering.

Happened to my son when he was here on holiday. That's how I know it's true.

It would be great if you could elaborate on that LivinginKata. Are you saying he stopped at an accident that had already happened and ended up being being hurt or made to pay for the accident as if he had been redponsible for it? Or was it a case that someone tried their luck but your son ended up being just fine and not paying anything?

If it's the former I am bewildered as to why you have contributed to this thread and not bothered to mention it before now.

Maybe he is trying to get the story right before posting again.

In my opinion there is no smoke without fire. I will give an example, I posted a while back that I saw 2 falangs in a black pick-up driving like lunatics sticking there fingers up to everyone in there way, if they had caused an accident I would have expected everyone around them too be angry and possibly attack them and I would join in!! so these so called attacks and being blamed in my opinion is caused by the attitude of the person who has helped!!

This incident happened over 10 years ago, long before the days of Thaivisa. My son was driving my m/bike along Nanai Rd and witnessed a m/bike taxi with passenger sitting side saddle turn into Nanai 2. An oncoming car caused the taxi to stall and fall over. My son stopped to help (he was brand new to Thailand). The police were called and the 'locals' told that it was my sons fault (the car never stopped so someone had to pay). The taxi driver demanded 5,000 baht. my son had not enough money on him and came home to borrow some money from me. I looked at the motorbike damage and reeled off the cost of the parts to the poilce, less than 1,000 baht, the police agreed and I gave the taxi driver 1,000 baht and told my son never to stop if he witnessed an accident in Thailand.

[kenny999]

Lets just say it is up to the individual, until this happens to me I will continue to do what your son did, don't forget I have only witnessed one accident in 3 yrs I helped with no problems at all !

[katabeachbum]

Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

KBB, you obviously have a lot of experience living in Phuket and you have a lot of driving miles under your belt, but what are you basing your opinions on?

Do you actually know of times this has happened, gone to court and the witnesses who were lying have been believed and the Farang has been found guilty of the accident that he stopped at after the accident had already happened?

I don't think you do otherwise you would have mentioned it by now. Without any knowledge of this ever actually happening, all you can do at the very most is warn people that it is a possibility, but based on the past a very very unlikely one. To talk as if it is almost a certainty is highly missleading to say the least, and unlike most of your advice which is normally far better than the OTT scare mungering that we normally see.

A 3 page thread and not a single real life account of this ever having happened, not by any members or any press articles. Says it all for me.

cant comment on ongoing court cases. next one in april, but anyone with any knowledge of TH law knows 2 witnesses is all it takes

Thus my advice stands, do not stop unless you have your own witness

[stevenl]

This incident happened over 10 years ago, long before the days of Thaivisa. My son was driving my m/bike along Nanai Rd and witnessed a m/bike taxi with passenger sitting side saddle turn into Nanai 2. An oncoming car caused the taxi to stall and fall over. My son stopped to help (he was brand new to Thailand). The police were called and the 'locals' told that it was my sons fault (the car never stopped so someone had to pay). The taxi driver demanded 5,000 baht. my son had not enough money on him and came home to borrow some money from me. I looked at the motorbike damage and reeled off the cost of the parts to the poilce, less than 1,000 baht, the police agreed and I gave the taxi driver 1,000 baht and told my son never to stop if he witnessed an accident in Thailand.

Yes, I remember LIK telling this before.

I'm still wondering though why you paid up the 2,000 baht, including the 1,000 for the motorbike driver. I presume just to get it out of the way, but I seriously wonder what would have happened if you would have said: nah, my son did nothing wrong, I'm not paying anything.

[thaiIand]

you can always keep a singha beater in the back of your car and some flipflops and flashy pink shortshorts

no 1 will try to exort money from you

[NamKangMan]

Thai law needs 2 witnesses against you and you are done, so never stop without having your own witness

KBB, you obviously have a lot of experience living in Phuket and you have a lot of driving miles under your belt, but what are you basing your opinions on?

Do you actually know of times this has happened, gone to court and the witnesses who were lying have been believed and the Farang has been found guilty of the accident that he stopped at after the accident had already happened?

I don't think you do otherwise you would have mentioned it by now. Without any knowledge of this ever actually happening, all you can do at the very most is warn people that it is a possibility, but based on the past a very very unlikely one. To talk as if it is almost a certainty is highly missleading to say the least, and unlike most of your advice which is normally far better than the OTT scare mungering that we normally see.

A 3 page thread and not a single real life account of this ever having happened, not by any members or any press articles. Says it all for me.

cant comment on ongoing court cases. next one in april, but anyone with any knowledge of TH law knows 2 witnesses is all it takes

Thus my advice stands, do not stop unless you have your own witness

"all you can do at the very most is warn people that it's a possibility"

Ok, so, it's possible it can happen - so, on that basis, drive by and don't stop. Even if it's a one chance in one hundred possibility that it can happen, why take the risk???? If the injuries are severe, or, the person dies, it's a "game ender" for you having a nice lifestyle on Phuket. Big money will be extorted from you.

Is it possible it can happen - YES.

Has it happened before - YES.

Will it happen again - YES.

Wil I be stopping - NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

[katabeachbum]

"all you can do at the very most is warn people that it's a possibility"

Ok, so, it's possible it can happen - so, on that basis, drive by and don't stop. Even if it's a one chance in one hundred possibility that it can happen, why take the risk???? If the injuries are severe, or, the person dies, it's a "game ender" for you having a nice lifestyle on Phuket. Big money will be extorted from you.

Is it possible it can happen - YES.

Has it happened before - YES.

Will it happen again - YES.

Wil I be stopping - NOOOOOOOOOOOO.

as there are more than 100 accidents a day in Phuket, and if it "only" happens in one of hundred, based on this it happens every day. so lets say its one in a thousand

[LivinginKata]

This incident happened over 10 years ago, long before the days of Thaivisa. My son was driving my m/bike along Nanai Rd and witnessed a m/bike taxi with passenger sitting side saddle turn into Nanai 2. An oncoming car caused the taxi to stall and fall over. My son stopped to help (he was brand new to Thailand). The police were called and the 'locals' told that it was my sons fault (the car never stopped so someone had to pay). The taxi driver demanded 5,000 baht. my son had not enough money on him and came home to borrow some money from me. I looked at the motorbike damage and reeled off the cost of the parts to the poilce, less than 1,000 baht, the police agreed and I gave the taxi driver 1,000 baht and told my son never to stop if he witnessed an accident in Thailand.

Yes, I remember LIK telling this before.

I'm still wondering though why you paid up the 2,000 baht, including the 1,000 for the motorbike driver. I presume just to get it out of the way, but I seriously wonder what would have happened if you would have said: nah, my son did nothing wrong, I'm not paying anything.

I'm sure I mentioned this incident before, maybe on another forum. Before my days on Thaivisa.

No no, only paid 1,000 baht all up, nothing to the cops. They seemed to know this was all bogus. As for trying not to pay, cops said he would be locked up in Patong police station until the case resolved. My son was shitting himself, first week in Asia, can't understand what's going on, and he's from a country that respects policemen (or at least used to respect).

[stevenl]

This incident happened over 10 years ago, long before the days of Thaivisa. My son was driving my m/bike along Nanai Rd and witnessed a m/bike taxi with passenger sitting side saddle turn into Nanai 2. An oncoming car caused the taxi to stall and fall over. My son stopped to help (he was brand new to Thailand). The police were called and the 'locals' told that it was my sons fault (the car never stopped so someone had to pay). The taxi driver demanded 5,000 baht. my son had not enough money on him and came home to borrow some money from me. I looked at the motorbike damage and reeled off the cost of the parts to the poilce, less than 1,000 baht, the police agreed and I gave the taxi driver 1,000 baht and told my son never to stop if he witnessed an accident in Thailand.

Yes, I remember LIK telling this before.

I'm still wondering though why you paid up the 2,000 baht, including the 1,000 for the motorbike driver. I presume just to get it out of the way, but I seriously wonder what would have happened if you would have said: nah, my son did nothing wrong, I'm not paying anything.

I'm sure I mentioned this incident before, maybe on another forum. Before my days on Thaivisa.

No no, only paid 1,000 baht all up, nothing to the cops. They seemed to know this was all bogus. As for trying not to pay, cops said he would be locked up in Patong police station until the case resolved. My son was shitting himself, first week in Asia, can't understand what's going on, and he's from a country that respects policemen (or at least used to respect).

Yes, I understand the decision, just have the feeling he would have gotten out without any problems. But I guess it is worth preventing that experience for 1,000 baht.

I'm sure though we talked about this on TV before, as I recall there was somebody else with a story opposite Dino Park, you told your son's experience. Must have been some years ago though.