My Friend Accidently Caused Injury To A Thai Motorcycle Taxi Guy...

[whistleblower]

If the woman opened a door while stuck in traffic and the motorcycle taxi was splitting lanes, who is at fault? Thats right. The motorcycle taxi rider. It is technically illegal to be splitting lanes and if you come unstuck while doing it, you are at fault. he knew it, that is why he took the 300 baht.

Some replies here are a little over the top. the guy wasn't hurt, no harm done, take more than a days wages in compensation and move on your way. I think it was a good settlement.

nobody is saying the rider is innocent, its just the initial thought of " how much is this going to cost us" show how much of a person ts is. it is technically illegal to jaywalk, you get hit by a car, who is at fault? according to your logic, the predestrian. and lane splitting is not illegal here

Lane splitting IS illegal here. It's just that the the excuse thailand has for police dont enforce the law because they are too busy stopping taxis with farangs in to supplement their salary.

And I would also think the same about the how much will it cost question. As Farangs here we get ripped off over the price of everything. Last week I saw a second hand minivan for sale and stopped to enquire about the price, 400,00bht was the price i was quoted. next day got the wife to phone the guy and she was told it was for sale for 280,000baht.

M/C driver was wrong for lane splitting/overtaking on the inside. simple as that.

When and only when Thailand and its people stop blaming others for their mistakes and start adopting that elusive word for Thais: Responsibility

will they be able to join us in the first world league. But dont hold your breath waiting for this.

[HeijoshinCool]

What a bunch of Thai'er Than Thais on this thread. How sad that you condone lying and cheating just to show how Thai you are, how ignorant we others are. This despite the fact that the motorbike taxi driver might very well have shared culpabilitty, or even, as one poster said, been entirely in the wrong by passing illegally.

If I (but I guess not you) had been on the back of that motorbike taxi, had suffred a scratch--or even somewhat worse, for that matter--and the folks in the taxi had been smiling and genuinely apologetic, I'd have said, "No worries, it'll heal," shook hands and been on my way. Guess you would have been squirming on the ground, moaning.

Maybe he did not handle it perfectly, but those of you who attacked the poster saying he should have paid more do nothing but perpetuate the sad fact that everything in Thailand is a business transaction.

Pathethic and shameful.

[Bung]

I think - and the OP may like to confirm - that it was a very slow run into the door and just fall on the ground. It would appear - as there was no mention of it in the op - that there was no damage to the taxi. It wasn't hard enough to bend the door back or even damage the interior lining otherwise the OP would have been paying for that. So really, the guy just taps the door, falls down, gets 300 baht for his trouble and everyone moves on their way. It's not like the taxi rider even had what could be definied as an accident.

[FritsSikkink]

300baht, excellent effort.

Nothing like beating a fraud at his own game.

Beating a fraud? This idiot caused a lot of trouble to this guy and the taxidriver

[thewug]

The question I like to ask is it legal to drive in and out of traffic? If As I assume its illegal , it would also be the motorcycles fault too moreso. But yes need to be careful about opening car doors.

[whistleblower]

300baht, excellent effort.

Nothing like beating a fraud at his own game.

Beating a fraud? This idiot caused a lot of trouble to this guy and the taxidriver

NO HE DIDN'T!!!

The idiot is the M/C taxi driver for lane hopping and overtaking on the inside. Traffic laws are in place to ensure the maximum safety. The M/C flouted traffic laws and came a cropper. On seeing farangs he faked injury for monetry gain.

As mentioned above he would have got jack shit from me.

[FritsSikkink]

300baht, excellent effort.

Nothing like beating a fraud at his own game.

Beating a fraud? This idiot caused a lot of trouble to this guy and the taxidriver

NO HE DIDN'T!!!

The idiot is the M/C taxi driver for lane hopping and overtaking on the inside. Traffic laws are in place to ensure the maximum safety. The M/C flouted traffic laws and came a cropper. On seeing farangs he faked injury for monetry gain.

As mentioned above he would have got jack shit from me.

Before you open a car door you have to look if there is any traffic comming.

They still waisted a lot of time of the taxidriver, who could not earn any money at that time.

Edited November 22, 2012 by FritsSikkink

[whistleblower]

300baht, excellent effort.

Nothing like beating a fraud at his own game.

Beating a fraud? This idiot caused a lot of trouble to this guy and the taxidriver

NO HE DIDN'T!!!

The idiot is the M/C taxi driver for lane hopping and overtaking on the inside. Traffic laws are in place to ensure the maximum safety. The M/C flouted traffic laws and came a cropper. On seeing farangs he faked injury for monetry gain.

As mentioned above he would have got jack shit from me.

Before you open a car door you have to look if there is any traffic comming.

They still waisted a lot of time of the taxidriver, who could not earn any money at that time.

That Taxi driver was obviously not one of the 15 (yes 15) taxi drivers that all had their lights on and refused to take me where I wanted to go last Wednesday.

If the M/C driver hadn't broken the traffic laws it wouldn't have happened so it THEY never wasted the taxi drivers time, the M/C driver did. And if he hadnt rolled around on the floor trying to extort money from farangs it would have saved a lot more time.

Its simple M/C driver flouted traffic laws and came a cropper - tough shit!

[Stradavarius37]

Next time stay in the <deleted> car - until you learn enough to 1) look before opening the door and 2) know that the word is jai yen yen.

And always keep at least 1,000 baht on your person, at all times - just in case.

[loserlazer]

it is a real pity that some people here blame the poor motorsai driver instead of a brainless person does not mind where she is or what she is doing.

And to see comments here like 300 thb is enough also make me think: I guess Thailand is full of cheap Charlies now trying to surpass their shit for 300 thb. But one day, 300 thb will not be enough and a you get a Muay Thai or bamboo massage for sure here Here is full of people does not mind spending hundreds of dollars for nothing in their countries and coming here and pushing Thai people with their 300 thbs. Because they are Thai and we have a paranoia like they always try to rip you off. They only rip you if you deserve to be ripped actually - i mean like if you are stupid enough to open a door without checking your surroundings - and i support them.

Motorsai guy , if he is going from left on his way, it is normal as bikes can only legally ride from left right? So he is not changing lanes. What is his fault?

Pleas think realistic and please culturally grow or just leave back home guys. Yes, you Cheap Charlies.

[thewug]

My god you people.... why crap on this OP... It was the motorcycle drivers fault more so then the guy opening the door... Plus the M/c trying to exstort the money.... And it wasn't the OP who opened the door...

[whistleblower]

it is a real pity that some people here blame the poor motorsai driver instead of a brainless person does not mind where she is or what she is doing.

And to see comments here like 300 thb is enough also make me think: I guess Thailand is full of cheap Charlies now trying to surpass their shit for 300 thb. But one day, 300 thb will not be enough and a you get a Muay Thai or bamboo massage for sure here Here is full of people does not mind spending hundreds of dollars for nothing in their countries and coming here and pushing Thai people with their 300 thbs. Because they are Thai and we have a paranoia like they always try to rip you off. They only rip you if you deserve to be ripped actually - i mean like if you are stupid enough to open a door without checking your surroundings - and i support them.

Motorsai guy , if he is going from left on his way, it is normal as bikes can only legally ride from left right? So he is not changing lanes. What is his fault?

Pleas think realistic and please culturally grow or just leave back home guys. Yes, you Cheap Charlies.

I think you need to take those blinkers off Then you might see this incident for what it is. Motorcycle tried to over take on the inside, came a cropper then tried to extort money.

Just because Thailand is a poor country and salaries are low also, doesn't mean westerners have to give bucketloads of cash away.

[yourauntbob]

Cant believe this post, never mind I'll bite,

"my friend in the back seat opened up the left side door (without looking for traffic) and a motorcycle taxi ran into / bumped into the door that she opened"

Please pray tell me why the Thai should be out of pocket because of the actions of the dozy cow who opened the door without looking?

No wonder TEFLrs get such a bad name on here.

it is illegal to pass on the left. just because we have become accustom to having motorbikes drive in between cars does not make it legal or right. The motorbike was breaking the law and in all reality should be the one responsible for any monetary damage.

just my 2 cents

[yourauntbob]

After reading more posts I am noticing that almost everybody on here is blaming the friend who opened the door. Yes, this person should be looking before opening the door but as I stated above, the motorbike was breaking the law. It is not legal in Thailand to ride on the middle strip and pass cars. With all the complaining I normally see on TV about Thai's not following the the law I am surprised nobody is noticing this. Have we been here so long that even farangs no longer care about the rules on the books?

[thewug]

After reading more posts I am noticing that almost everybody on here is blaming the friend who opened the door. Yes, this person should be looking before opening the door but as I stated above, the motorbike was breaking the law. It is not legal in Thailand to ride on the middle strip and pass cars. With all the complaining I normally see on TV about Thai's not following the the law I am surprised nobody is noticing this. Have we been here so long that even farangs no longer care about the rules on the books?

You said it Brother...

[HeijoshinCool]

300baht, excellent effort.

Nothing like beating a fraud at his own game.

Beating a fraud? This idiot caused a lot of trouble to this guy and the taxidriver

NO HE DIDN'T!!!

The idiot is the M/C taxi driver for lane hopping and overtaking on the inside. Traffic laws are in place to ensure the maximum safety. The M/C flouted traffic laws and came a cropper. On seeing farangs he faked injury for monetry gain.

As mentioned above he would have got jack shit from me.

Before you open a car door you have to look if there is any traffic comming.

They still waisted a lot of time of the taxidriver, who could not earn any money at that time.

No, when you are driving in an illegal manner, YOU have to look for others opening their door in the reasonable and legal manner in which they are so permitted to do.

No, the fraud on the ground wasted everybody's time.

[scorecard]

Part quote: "...I spoke to my Thai friends about this and and they implied that the general mentality of un-educated thai’s here is basically that the farang will always be in the wrong and that the police will always take the side of the Thai national. They said the average thai person fundamentally believes that if the farang had not come to Thailand in the first place then there would not have been an accident. ...."

I've been in / worked in this wonderful country for more than three decades, I have a Thai family and I have continuous contact with many Thai people in all works of life and I totally disagree with what you state. This is not the general thinking of uneducated Thais / Thais.

Edited November 22, 2012 by scorecard

[HeijoshinCool]

it is a real pity that some people here blame the poor motorsai driver instead of a brainless person does not mind where she is or what she is doing.

And to see comments here like 300 thb is enough also make me think: I guess Thailand is full of cheap Charlies now trying to surpass their shit for 300 thb. But one day, 300 thb will not be enough and a you get a Muay Thai or bamboo massage for sure here Here is full of people does not mind spending hundreds of dollars for nothing in their countries and coming here and pushing Thai people with their 300 thbs. Because they are Thai and we have a paranoia like they always try to rip you off. They only rip you if you deserve to be ripped actually - i mean like if you are stupid enough to open a door without checking your surroundings - and i support them.

Motorsai guy , if he is going from left on his way, it is normal as bikes can only legally ride from left right? So he is not changing lanes. What is his fault?

Pleas think realistic and please culturally grow or just leave back home guys. Yes, you Cheap Charlies.

[whistleblower]

Part quote: "...I spoke to my Thai friends about this and and they implied that the general mentality of un-educated thai’s here is basically that the farang will always be in the wrong and that the police will always take the side of the Thai national. They said the average thai person fundamentally believes that if the farang had not come to Thailand in the first place then there would not have been an accident. ...."

I've been in / worked in this wonderful country for more than three decades, I have a Thai family and I have continuous contact with many Thai people in all works of life and I totally disagree with what you state. This is not the general thinking of uneducated Thais / Thais.

I wonder if this comes from the typical ill-informed gossip typical of language school staff rooms!

By the way, the comments from your Thai friends (so you say) implies that if there were no foreigners here then accidents would not happen. Hardly logical.

How old are you and your friend? I wonder if you are generation Y folks with the typical attitudes of generation Y?

Grow up.

Would you argue against the plain fact that is Thai's never accept resonsibility for their actions?

Like the Doctor on trial for murder who is now blaming his brother? or The red bull heir who ran away after dragging a policeman to his death? or the countless taxi/bus/truck and even boat drivers that always flee the scene?

[loserlazer]

After reading more posts I am noticing that almost everybody on here is blaming the friend who opened the door. Yes, this person should be looking before opening the door but as I stated above, the motorbike was breaking the law. It is not legal in Thailand to ride on the middle strip and pass cars. With all the complaining I normally see on TV about Thai's not following the the law I am surprised nobody is noticing this. Have we been here so long that even farangs no longer care about the rules on the books?

so is it legal to open left door or any door in between the traffic in the middle lane? Or open a door without looking the traffic? No it is not legal.

C'mon man, please be objective. Just blame a farang first time in your life.

[arthurwait]

While everyone that opens a door without looking is stupid, this is just another idiot on a motorbike that thinks they can do what they like.

When will people accept that if they drive or ride irresponsibly with no regard for other people or the rules they might come a cropper.

Like others have said, I doubt he would have tried this with a Thai who would have told him where to go or he would have done a runner knowing he caused it. Just trying it on with a farang.

[Theoutsider]

I once saw a cab parked with a tourist getting out the cab curb side to his hotel when a bike came and smacked into the door.

I thought to myself that the bike was at fault for passing curb side. Then I realized this was Thailand and learned a lesson at the tourist expense.

That was one of my first day in bangkok.

Claiming poverty

[farang000999]

After reading more posts I am noticing that almost everybody on here is blaming the friend who opened the door. Yes, this person should be looking before opening the door but as I stated above, the motorbike was breaking the law. It is not legal in Thailand to ride on the middle strip and pass cars. With all the complaining I normally see on TV about Thai's not following the the law I am surprised nobody is noticing this. Have we been here so long that even farangs no longer care about the rules on the books?

A rule that is openly disregarded by everyone in society is not really a rule. It is accepted that motorcycles will drive between your car and the curb. You are basing the definition of a rule on something legally written on a piece of paper. That is the law. What is morally acceptable and expected from us is to be determined by each individuals moral compass. I hope that makes sense.

There is not much to comment on this topic. OP seemed to handle the situation reasonably well.

Edited November 22, 2012 by farang000999

[frankold]

Your post makes it sound like your the victim. Lucky the guy wasn't going faster or he could have been hospitalized or killed and/or some serious damage done to his bike.

[kennedy]

Always consider yourself a stationary or moving target while in LOS.

Edited November 22, 2012 by metisdead
: Font

[whistleblower]

Your post makes it sound like your the victim. Lucky the guy wasn't going faster or he could have been hospitalized or killed and/or some serious damage done to his bike.

And it would have been HIS fault for overtaking on the inside!

[advancebooking]

I think - and the OP may like to confirm - that it was a very slow run into the door and just fall on the ground. It would appear - as there was no mention of it in the op - that there was no damage to the taxi. It wasn't hard enough to bend the door back or even damage the interior lining otherwise the OP would have been paying for that. So really, the guy just taps the door, falls down, gets 300 baht for his trouble and everyone moves on their way. It's not like the taxi rider even had what could be definied as an accident.

Bung has essentially made one of the most sensible posts on this thread that I raised. I'm surprised by the amount of petty comments. I think there are a lot of 'lab rats' living in thailand who have anger issues. Some of the comments are so idiotic and stupid I wonder if some TV members have comprehension problems...

The motorcycle taxi guy was indeed going slow and I saw him fall to the ground slowly. It was not a serious injury and that is why I would 100% not pay more than thb300. If I was stupid enough to pay thb3000 then this makes life hell for other farangs in the future. Him and his friends would soon be trying this again as a scam no doubt.

Peace and smiles to you all...

[loserlazer]

Thai people can blame us just for being a farang coming here. And believe it or not , yes we are faulty on this. Let me explain why:

As, there are some rules that are culturally accepted. They are illegal or legal - like passing from curb side - and it is not you to judge as a foreigner, you like it, you stay you do not like it you leave, it is that easy.

But, if you want to stay, you have to learn these and became culturally sensitive and until you learn, if you damage something or create an injury, you have to cover it nicely. Like you do in your country.

Moreover, every Thai person living in Bangkok know that you cannot open any door during the traffic without checking, you cannot jump from a bus without checking as well. This is not a written rule but it is accepted this way and even a 3 years old Thai kid knows this.

So, as a culturally zero farang, if you open the door without checking and even if the motorsai guy broke a rule, still you are faulty on this in the eyes of the Thai people as you just broke an unwritten rule. That is why they blame us like " if the farang is not here, this will never happen"

Yes, it might be illegal to pass on curb side but it is only illegal to us farang here.

Edited November 22, 2012 by loserlazer

[krisb]

Wow, the op just got more beaten up by TV members than the poor guy on the motorbike.

[isawasnake]

After reading more posts I am noticing that almost everybody on here is blaming the friend who opened the door. Yes, this person should be looking before opening the door but as I stated above, the motorbike was breaking the law. It is not legal in Thailand to ride on the middle strip and pass cars. With all the complaining I normally see on TV about Thai's not following the the law I am surprised nobody is noticing this. Have we been here so long that even farangs no longer care about the rules on the books?

I agree with you, but i'd even take it a step further. Even if it was legal, why would you do it? And would you be surprised if you drive a motorbike everyday that a door got opened in front of you one day.

This issue is kind of a big deal as far as I am concerned. I think there should be a designated side that people are allowed to get out of taxis, and I don't think that motorbikes should be able to pass on the opposite side of that. If they do, then it is just a risk they are willing to take. And that actually seems to be what is in fact happening to. So, it boils down to go slower and be safer, or go "faster" and take your chances.