4 Young Swedes, 1 Thai Dead In Horror Smash Near Phuket

[ALFREDO]

I once road in a mini-bus from Chumpon to Ranong, for a visa run. It was terrifying, the van/bus driver kept passing other cars on blind corners as it was a windy route. I was so afraid of dying. I wanted to sleep because I was really tired, but no way that was going to happen being thrown from side to side going around corners so fast. I also used to drive a lot myself to a province outside BKK and saw some absolutely insane driving and a few horrible accidents with one van smashed from driver seat back to the last seat. Saw people under sheets on the side of the road, even a few kids across from my school. Thailand's roads are so unsafe and it's despicable the lack of appreciation for human life in the country.

And why not stop with that Visa and Borderruns, with Tens of Thousands of Kilometers for nothing and flying miles! by Bus ect to Ranong-on this same road, Penang-crazy long drive, Aranyaprathet-Poipet, Phnom Penh, Nong Khai, Vientiane ect!!!

Why not make it same in -Cambodia- can pay your Visa Extension inside country-Official and even with agents, without moving your ass from the beachchair!!! Convinient and not same dangerous same in Thailand! And the Thai Goverment gets the money, not the border taxes have to be paid to Lao, Cambodia or Myanmar!

Edited February 2, 2012 by ALFREDO

[witsawakorn]

sincerest condolences to the families of the victims.

but yet another senseless tradgedy caused by irresponsible driving. so commonplace in Thailand that it's hardly news anymore.

"the driver fled the scene". nothing new about that. that's standard practice. Where I'm from that would result in two things: 1) Carges of vehicular manslaughter. 2) Fleeing the scene of an accident involving death. The driver WOULD be found and, and most likely spend a minimum of 20 years in prison.

But TIT where "responsibility" is unheard of, and even if the driver feels "remorse" and turns himself in, very little will happen to him.

You might think that where you are from justice would be served and nobody flees because the people are so responsible but I think you'll find that life isn't so perfect. My personal experience of hit and run goes like this:

Crossing the well lit city centre road late one night with my 21 year old female friend

Speeding car blows a red light and hits us both dead centre.

Driver stops the car looks back then flees the scene. Friend scratches the plate number on a curbstone before car leaves.

Police inform that they have located driver who had been drinking. Police say that Forensic experts have sufficient evidence to charge driver with causing death by reckless driving as driver was DUI at the time of accident. Such a charge normally results in jail time they say

24 hours later friend is taken off life support and dies. I am a lucky survivor but injuries result in 6 months of work, 1 year of physiotherapy and no more sports ever!

End result. DUI and "causing death" charges against driver are dropped. He is charged with driving without due care and attention and failing to stop and report an accident gets 6 points on his license and walks out of court laughing ( no kidding).

Where did all this take place? Thailand? No Philppines? No. UK? Yes How did the driver manage to get off? His father had a good connection to the Police Chief in the area where the accident occured. The connection was that they were both Freemasons. There is no corruption in UK ha! Just join the FM and your new friends will take care of you. There is plenty of incentive to flee an accident if you are drunk. If you refuse a breath or blood test you are automatically convicted of DUI but if you flee you get off with a couple of points and a fine. I have to rely on Karma for my justice!!

when driving in India I recall that the police recommended not stopping at road accidents involving pedestrians in rural areas to avoid on the spot lynch mobs. They recommend driving to the next town and reporting to the police station

Sorry I don't believe this - unless it was 30+ years ago or something. It is not the police who decide to prosecute in the UK it is the CPS (Criminal Prosecution Service). With evidence it would be extremely difficult for a police office, whatever rank, to quosh it. The arresting officer would simply say no and go ahead with the charges - especially so if s/he was in another police region/service. If it got as far as blood tests and forensic investigation, there would be records that are indelible, so a senior officer would be chancing his career by trying to get someone off. The only way this could happen is if the evidence was not as you say, or was corrupted, and thus inadmissable. However, the DUI would still result in an immediate year ban - not just 6 points - unless the police officer had sway over judiciary too (which I doubt even more).

The UK is not Thailand, there are swings and balances that protect against such things. The process is completely computerised and in several places with their own independant staff (Police systems, court systems, CPS systems, etc). Once the police officer filed his/her report, then it is not a case (like in the 70's) of calling in a favour and having the paperwork lost - reports on the network can not be deleted, but only archived (after they have been officially closed). I have experience of the police systems in the UK.

There is no "vehicular manslaughter" anymore, and there is no "causing death by reckless driving as driver was DUI", there is "causing death by driving when under the influence of alcohol or drugs" which (since 2004) carries a maximum of 14 years imprisonment. This has been under review since 2010, however, to lower the limit of units per 100ml of blood (almost halving it to 50mg from 80mg) and increase police powers and repeat offender penalties.

My father had a friend in the UK that was run down by a police car. The police car mounted the kerb and hit a pedestrian railing and crushed the guy underneath it. He died on his way to hospital. The next morning the railing had been replaced by the council (fastest job ever) and the police driver had tried to say that he had been staggering drunk in the road. It was investigated and paperwork was found and the officer was fired from his job. He had not been drunk, just misshandled a corner whilst reacting to a call - he was fired for the attempt to cover it up. The police paid out almost a millioj pounds in damages - the biggest payout by the police ever at the time - this was back in 1978 - before networked computers were in police use, but paperwork was still found and an investigation was still carried out. The big payout was due to the fact that it could not have been the lowly copper that got the council to speed fix the railing, it must have come from someone higher up - that person was never, to my knowledge, found, but the police was ordered to pay regardless. Incidently my dad's friend left a 5 year old son and a young wife behind.

You don't have to believe it but it did occur in 1986. I know the CPS make prosecution decisions not individual police but surely they proceed based on evidence supplied by the police and or forensic techs. All I know is that about a week after the incident the Desk Sargeant at the station that dealt with the incident called me at home and advised me that he had been informed by Forencics that they had sufficient evidence to allow prosecution for Drink Driving to proceed. A further week later the same guy called me back and told me that there was a mistake in the information that he had given to me and the driver wasn't going to be charged with DUI He refused to answer any questions about the matter. The Masons connection came from a friend who told me that his father was a mason and had somehow come across the information about the link between the driver's father and the top Cop. Bear in mind that the driver had tried to hide the car and it was hours after the accident before the police had tracked him down and breathalysed him and he answered the door drinking a bacardi and coke. To me it seems possible that pressure could have been applied to the Forensic staff to change the report conclusion. I do have copies of all docs including the forensic report which does conclude that there was insufficient evidence to support a DUI prosecution but the assumptions and calculations are not fully detailed.The statements given by the driver and his girlfriend were sufficient to convince me that the guy was over the limit at the time. I think it said that he had drunk 2 or 3 large cans of Special brew before getting in the car to buy some more! Anyway I realise that things may be different now but my point was that there is a pretty good incentive to flee the scene for the guy that hit me. FYI 5 years later I got 10,000 pounds compensation from the insurance company big deal. I have no memory of the accident but I have very strange"flashback" type episodes if I watch a movie which has cars driving straight at the camera in an accident e.g. one of the Final Destination series

[samui1]

Makes me wonder where the Thai driver ran off to, its quite a remote area

[crudy21]

Heart breaking.

[Mugg]

What would have been the outcome if the truck driver had been a Swedish farang and the car passengers Thai.

Five young people would have been lost in a tragedy...

[Patron]

The door swings both ways....Google Amy Senser

A good Thai man dies in hit and run in U.S.A. Driver is wife of ex-pro football player.

According to phone records,he called a drug rehap center the next day.The Benz was covered

in blood. Her lawyers turned her in a week later.The case is still pending.

She is in big trouble,as the press and the public are all over her.

[gopnarak]

Another car trying to pass are a car going slower,

or safely due to the conditions. That is over pass overtake.

Can anyone translate this English teachers post?

Sorry, but that bunch of English words has not been constructed in a way that makes sense to me.

Pity about the students, eh?

Maybe he isn't a English teacher, but a driving instructor.

[moskito]

I once road in a mini-bus from Chumpon to Ranong, for a visa run. It was terrifying, the van/bus driver kept passing other cars on blind corners as it was a windy route. I was so afraid of dying. I wanted to sleep because I was really tired, but no way that was going to happen being thrown from side to side going around corners so fast. I also used to drive a lot myself to a province outside BKK and saw some absolutely insane driving and a few horrible accidents with one van smashed from driver seat back to the last seat. Saw people under sheets on the side of the road, even a few kids across from my school. Thailand's roads are so unsafe and it's despicable the lack of appreciation for human life in the country.

And why not stop with that Visa and Borderruns, with Tens of Thousands of Kilometers for nothing and flying miles! by Bus ect to Ranong-on this same road, Penang-crazy long drive, Aranyaprathet-Poipet, Phnom Penh, Nong Khai, Vientiane ect!!!

Why not make it same in -Cambodia- can pay your Visa Extension inside country-Official and even with agents, without moving your ass from the beachchair!!! Convinient and not same dangerous same in Thailand! And the Thai Goverment gets the money, not the border taxes have to be paid to Lao, Cambodia or Myanmar!

As soon as you have TESCO Lotus, SuperCheap, BigC and Central shopping mall plus some proper hospitals and girls for more decent prices as Baankok or Pattaya or Phuket you will hate it to make such big advertisement here in ThaiVisa (((: but btw, OFF TOPIC

[moskito]

Another car trying to pass are a car going slower,

or safely due to the conditions. That is over pass overtake.

Can anyone translate this English teachers post?

Sorry, but that bunch of English words has not been constructed in a way that makes sense to me.

Pity about the students, eh?

Maybe he isn't a English teacher, but a driving instructor.

is it not spelled aN English teacher? sorry i am german and I dont know but btw, how is your german guys?

or your skills in other languages? I always thought its forum rule to oversee some mistakes ... like this confusing post .. btw,

[gopnarak]

"...Police are now hunting the driver, who fled the scene."

It seems this is true in the majority of tragic motorway accidents. And 99% of the time the driver is found, usually within a few hours. Why do they do it? It's a mystery to me.

1 ) Because they don't like taking responsibilty for their actions

2 ) It could invariably involve paying some form of compensation.

Agree with points 1 and 2. There is also the issu of

3) avoiding a possible drug/alcohol test

4) fear of being lynched to exact revenge for the accident. Can happen in thailand. Cambodia is quite common and ambulances are often escorted by military with automatic weapons to deter mob behavior at road accident scenes.

5) suffering an acute stress reaction or psychological shock.

Must be quite traumatic to be involved in such accident and/or maybe the driver was injured too a heavy bang on the head. In this case people don't act rational (fleeing the scene because point 1.- 4.) but irrational.

[Colin Yai]

RIP to the victims,lock up & throw away the key for the driver who fled the site of the accident.

Just another of the fatalities on Thai roads from maniac drivers that think a licence & a trip to the local Wat gives them immunity from all consequences.

Most Roads are good,its the drivers that are dangerous & unskilled.

Of Course I agree with what you write ,but why did you not add extremely Impatient cos it would appear that to save 5 seconds on their journey they are many times willing to risk their lives and other"s to attain it., courtesy here on the roads is totally unheard of.

[z12]

Another car trying to pass are a car going slower,

or safely due to the conditions. That is over pass overtake.

It is a divided road with 2 lanes on each side, 2 going north, 2 going south, the only overtaking would be going thsame direction as it is a bit difficult to cross the divide into the opposite 2 lanes to overtake anybody. It appears the truck, for what ever reason or cause, crossed the divide and came into the north bound traffick. Maybe he had equipment failure, a heart attack, lost control, what ever. But that is what it appears to be. They have not reported if the truck driver was thai or something else, they may know from the trucks owner, but they have not said that I know of.

You can see from the pictures this was a two lane road.

Truck pretty clearly was overtaking another car,

came into the other lane to pass and took out the car.

Probably because the Thai car driver looked away for

just that split second too long to get out of the way in time.

Google the location, then you can clearly see that is a divided road.

[NanLaew]

What would have been the outcome if the truck driver had been a Swedish farang and the car passengers Thai.

The truck driver would not have run away?

[NanLaew]

As I said before, ANY farang coming here for hols, DRIVE your OWN car as you have been taught the fundamental stuff to be safe (ish) Thais have not.

Not a serious suggestion I hope?

I can imagine Fred and Edna, just in from Bognor and scouting their future retirement home and find themselves stopping at pedestrian crossings, using turn signals and stopping for motorbikes coming the wrong way and causing all sorts of vehicular mayhem.

You may have the 'knowledge' that a farang gets after driving here for a few years but you can't expect the fresh-off-the-plane tourist to be a better and safer driver than the locals just because he has the benefit of a foreign drivers education.

Too silly.

[NanLaew]

Anyway, RIP x 5

My take on this accident "investigation"?

So the Swedes hired a local chap who was born in Udon instead of a local, registered taxi. Does this mean that Isaan drivers in a white-plate are less safe than a Phuket driver in a green-plate? I must enquire the next time I am eating in a Phuket restaurant if the cook is a genuine local or one of these ignorant and dangerous Isaan imports! Oh yes, better check with the airline if the pilot landing the plane is a local and knows what he is doing.

White-plated cars being used as taxis? This is up there with privately registered cars being rented out isn't it?

Only two pictures to go with but I reckon the busted front suspension in the bottom of one of the pictures is from the taxi. The other picture, albeit from a distance, shows pretty much the rear-end of the car intact but unless the 'jaws of life' have been extensively used, I would reckon the reefer truck pretty much sliced off the front of the car. My guess is the truck driver was briefly asleep at the wheel.

Oh yes, Thai drivers usually run away for the same reason dogs can lick their balls.

Edited February 3, 2012 by NanLaew

[KKvampire]

Whilst posters will come on here and say ,"it could happen anywhere"just remember the driving standards in thailand are amongst the worst in the world because there is no adequate driving test.and so far as justice is concerned the swedish parents will never get any here if the truck driver was at fault,the craziest along with the white van/bus drivers

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[RickBradford]

It seems this is true in the majority of tragic motorway accidents. And 99% of the time the driver is found, usually within a few hours. Why do they do it? It's a mystery to me.

1) To avoid being summarily lynched in the case they have killed a village local

2) To sweat the booze and drugs out of their system

[TechnikaIII]

Another car trying to pass are a car going slower,

or safely due to the conditions. That is over pass overtake.

Can anyone translate this English teachers post?

Sorry, but that bunch of English words has not been constructed in a way that makes sense to me.

Pity about the students, eh?

Maybe he isn't a English teacher, but a driving instructor.

"...but a driving instructor." ?? Certainly not a Thai driving instructor. There aren't any.

[noitom]

RIP, Vila i Frid

an excellent dual lane highway, been driving it more than 100 times, wonder how it could happen?

a whiteplated car, thus not a legal taxi, with driver from Isarn 1300km away

as for road casualties, in Phuket its down to 1/3 of what it used to be a decade ago, despite double the traffic

Condolences to all five families. This Thai character flaw of running from the scene of an accidental homicide or any accident is a serious national issue. Whether it is a simple injury or deaths, as in this case, the act of running is inexcusable. It says a lot about the culture. What further compounds the issue in Thailand is how they "rationalize" and seek to gain some sort of pardon by dreaming up a story. We saw it in the drunken hammer murder yesterday. Thais can never accept responsibility for their behave. A serious cultural flaw.

Did the driver of this fish truck get knocked out and then on awakening examine the bodies before running? How did he know they weren't still alive, critically injured, and might be saved with proper action? Sad commentary on Thai society and lawlessness that he will eventually "surrender" after having a big man "negotiate" conditions and payoffs with the police. The Thai press should take this "running" as a serious issue and campaign fervently against. Thai laws should be examined, and penalties enforced. Thai society has to change in order for this to happen. For example, regardless of whose son or daughter you are or what "club" you go to, running from the scene of a crime escalates it. The Swedish embassy should see that the companies responsible for manufacturing or catching the tuna and distributing it are made to substantially compensate all five families for this act of multiple vehicular homicide and illegal flight from a crime scene. It starts with the companies, parents, teachers holding their charges accountable from the outset.

This fish company truck driver who fled the scene is merely a product of his Thai culture, but somewhere along the line, one of these rogues has to be punished severely as an example backing up enforcement of law. This applies to every fat cat or "connected" person's son and daughter as well. What do you think the penalty would be if a farang had fled the scene after something like this in Thailand or in their own country?

[animatic]

You can see from the pictures this was a two lane road.

What I see is a road with a grass divider between two lanes each way. Look at the larger image and you can see a car stopped on the upper road next to the grass. Which means the truck either by mechanical failure, sleep, or whatever came across the median into the other traffic lanes. Other members have also stated that to be the case. Click to enlarge image.

I know there are sections of this road, that have small roads on the left side beside it in this area.

[noitom]

Condolences to all five families. This Thai character flaw of running from the scene of an accidental homicide or any accident is a serious national issue. Whether it is a simple injury or deaths, as in this case, the act of running is inexcusable. It says a lot about the culture. What further compounds the issue in Thailand is how they "rationalize" and seek to gain some sort of pardon by dreaming up a story. We saw it in the drunken hammer murder yesterday. Thais can never accept responsibility for their behave. A serious cultural flaw.

Did the driver of this fish truck get knocked out and then on awakening examine the bodies before running? How did he know they weren't still alive, critically injured, and might be saved with proper action? Sad commentary on Thai society and lawlessness that he will eventually "surrender" after having a big man "negotiate" conditions and payoffs with the police. The Thai press should take this "running" as a serious issue and campaign fervently against. Thai laws should be examined, and penalties enforced. Thai society has to change in order for this to happen. For example, regardless of whose son or daughter you are or what "club" you go to, running from the scene of a crime escalates it. The Swedish embassy should see that the companies responsible for manufacturing or catching the tuna and distributing it are made to substantially compensate all five families for this act of multiple vehicular homicide and illegal flight from a crime scene. It starts with the companies, parents, teachers holding their charges accountable from the outset.

This fish company truck driver who fled the scene is merely a product of his Thai culture, but somewhere along the line, one of these rogues has to be punished severely as an example backing up enforcement of law. This applies to every fat cat or "connected" person's son and daughter as well. What do you think the penalty would be if a farang had fled the scene after something like this in Thailand or in their own country?

• Quote
  

[TomTao]

RIP, Vila i Frid

an excellent dual lane highway, been driving it more than 100 times, wonder how it could happen?

a whiteplated car, thus not a legal taxi, with driver from Isarn 1300km away

as for road casualties, in Phuket its down to 1/3 of what it used to be a decade ago, despite double the traffic

Condolences to all five families. This Thai character flaw of running from the scene of an accidental homicide or any accident is a serious national issue. Whether it is a simple injury or deaths, as in this case, the act of running is inexcusable. It says a lot about the culture. What further compounds the issue in Thailand is how they "rationalize" and seek to gain some sort of pardon by dreaming up a story. We saw it in the drunken hammer murder yesterday. Thais can never accept responsibility for their behave. A serious cultural flaw.

Did the driver of this fish truck get knocked out and then on awakening examine the bodies before running? How did he know they weren't still alive, critically injured, and might be saved with proper action? Sad commentary on Thai society and lawlessness that he will eventually "surrender" after having a big man "negotiate" conditions and payoffs with the police. The Thai press should take this "running" as a serious issue and campaign fervently against. Thai laws should be examined, and penalties enforced. Thai society has to change in order for this to happen. For example, regardless of whose son or daughter you are or what "club" you go to, running from the scene of a crime escalates it. The Swedish embassy should see that the companies responsible for manufacturing or catching the tuna and distributing it are made to substantially compensate all five families for this act of multiple vehicular homicide and illegal flight from a crime scene. It starts with the companies, parents, teachers holding their charges accountable from the outset.

This fish company truck driver who fled the scene is merely a product of his Thai culture, but somewhere along the line, one of these rogues has to be punished severely as an example backing up enforcement of law. This applies to every fat cat or "connected" person's son and daughter as well. What do you think the penalty would be if a farang had fled the scene after something like this in Thailand or in their own country?

In Australia it would be 1. Dangerous driving causing death 2. Failing to render assistance 3. Leaving the scene of an accident and 4. Failing to report an accident. All of these combined would result in the driver's liscence being cancelled either for at least a year or cancelled for life, the driver received a hefty fine for each offence, possible lengthy jail time and substancial compensation being paid to the families by the relevant government insurance agency.

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[z12]

As I said before, ANY farang coming here for hols, DRIVE your OWN car as you have been taught the fundamental stuff to be safe (ish) Thais have not.

Not a serious suggestion I hope?

I can imagine Fred and Edna, just in from Bognor and scouting their future retirement home and find themselves stopping at pedestrian crossings, using turn signals and stopping for motorbikes coming the wrong way and causing all sorts of vehicular mayhem.

You may have the 'knowledge' that a farang gets after driving here for a few years but you can't expect the fresh-off-the-plane tourist to be a better and safer driver than the locals just because he has the benefit of a foreign drivers education.

Too silly.

Yes, had they rented the car and one of the farangs was driving it, they would all still be dead and the Thai that was driving would still be alive. And probably the farangs would be found in the wrong.

Edited February 3, 2012 by z12

[spidermike007]

Nothing less than life in prison, and a 5 million baht fine, that his family would be forced to pay would be sufficient punishment for this sub human truck driver, who did not have the courage to face the music, after he was responsible for five deaths. Until Thailand gets serious with commensurate punishment for these insects, it will keep happening. Also, the trucking company should be forced to pay the fine. That would compel them to be more careful in their selection of drivers, rather than hiring untrained insects.

You gotta love these armchair 'guilty until proven innocent' types

Yes, especially when there is no evidence. The five deaths, and all of the destruction point to nothing. Who knows? Maybe the farengs were being careless? Though this may sound arrogant, the level of driving skill amongst farengs is just way higher than amongst Thais. We are taught more extensively, and they also include driving etiquette, along with driving skills. So, when one makes presumptions here, it is not always without merit.

[spidermike007]

why would the story print the names of the deceased but not the name of the driver? seems tasteless.

Respect for the Thais. It is respectful not to release names until after family have been notified and they give thier permission for the release.

Yes. The name of the driver, and the name of the company he worked for should ALWAYS be printed. Shame, and loss of face is the greatest instrument for change in LOS.

[spidermike007]

Condolences to family and friends. It really is high time that ALL drivers fleeing the scene following ANY accident, regardless of death, damage or injury should be sought and a prison sentence automatically imposed along with any other penalties they may incur as a result of the accident.

Time for Thai law to allow the owners of these vehicles to be held accountable. I am in now way condoning the actions of the driver but these guys on meagre salaries are under undue pressure to meet unrealistic time-lines. If goods are not delivered on time they don't get paid. To meet these deadlines the exceed speed-limits, drive carelessly often consuming red bull or drugs to keep themselves awake. A recipe for disaster. Can the Swedish families pursue a 'civil case' in Thai courts????

Of course they can. They need a very good lawyer and a lot of money for him, I'm talking maybe 500,000 THB. Two years down the track of numerous court hearings involving the attendance of the families they will hear lots of lies and excuses from the defendant and the judge telling them that the defendant has no money. Maybe they can get up to 50,000 THB per victim from the Public Liability insurance though. That of course providing there is any left after involvement of the local agents/lawyers.

The institution of Thai law. Sounds like a stand up comedy routine. When was the last time you saw Thai law applied properly? When was the last time you saw Thai law applied, regardless of money or influence? When was the last time you saw a Thai judge who was not bought and paid for? When was the last time you saw a Thai policeman with investigative skills?

[stevenl]

It is a divided road with 2 lanes on each side, 2 going north, 2 going south, the only overtaking would be going thsame direction as it is a bit difficult to cross the divide into the opposite 2 lanes to overtake anybody. It appears the truck, for what ever reason or cause, crossed the divide and came into the north bound traffick. Maybe he had equipment failure, a heart attack, lost control, what ever. But that is what it appears to be. They have not reported if the truck driver was thai or something else, they may know from the trucks owner, but they have not said that I know of.

You can see from the pictures this was a two lane road.

Truck pretty clearly was overtaking another car,

came into the other lane to pass and took out the car.

Probably because the Thai car driver looked away for

just that split second too long to get out of the way in time.

Maybe time you know what you're talking about before posting? This is a divided road, with 2 lanes going each way.

[NanLaew]

The Swedish embassy should see that the companies responsible for manufacturing or catching the tuna and distributing it are made to substantially compensate all five families for this act of multiple vehicular homicide and illegal flight from a crime scene.

OMG.... another tuna hater.

[z12]

The Swedish embassy should see that the companies responsible for manufacturing or catching the tuna and distributing it are made to substantially compensate all five families for this act of multiple vehicular homicide and illegal flight from a crime scene.

OMG.... another tuna hater.

Tuna is death by mercury.

Edited February 3, 2012 by z12

[ikay1001]

With a frontal impact of this violence, the truck driver can not be in condition to run very far.....and that even if he was wearing a seat belt..which he probably wasn't