Police To Charge Tour Van Driver Today Over Lethal Phuket Crash

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Police to charge tour van driver today over lethal Phuket crash

Phuket Gazette

The scene on November 29 after the Phuket tour bus slammed into a pickup carrying school girls, killing 9-year-old Kunnarree Lattuada-Lancini. Photo: Kritsada Mueanhawong

PHUKET: -- Tuan Russala Samae, the tour van driver involved in the fatal crash that killed 9-year-old British International School student Kunnarree Lattuada-Lancini on November 29, has been discharged from Vachira Phuket Hospital.

"He is to present himself at Chalong Police Station on Thursday [today] to be charged with reckless driving causing death," Sub Lt Kraisorn Boonprasop told the Gazette on Tuesday.

“I have told Tuan Russala and the tour company [that he worked for] to make sure he presents himself. If he doesn’t, we will issue a summons for him,” Lt Kraisorn said.

Tuan Russala was released from hospital on Monday after recovering from injuries sustained in the head-on collision with a pickup truck taking children to school.

Although the tour van involved in the accident was painted in Pegas Touristik white and featured the company logo, it was also marked as belonging to Apitchaya Destination Co Ltd.

Meanwhile, police have publicly identified the tour bus driver who fled the scene after he killed two women who were riding a motorbike in the northbound lane of Thepkrasattri Road on November 14.

Thalang Police duty officer Patiwat Yodkwan, the case investigator, named the suspect as Narong Korsinklang.

“The suspect is still at large. We have issued a warrant for his arrest for the charge reckless driving causing death. That warrant has been distributed to every police station in the country,” Capt Patiwat said.

Mr Narong fled the scene of the crash, leaving behind a tour bus that was also painted in Pegas Touristik white and featured the company logo, but was owned and operated by a different, independent, company.

Capt Patiwat confirmed that the bus company provided the name of the driver to police. However, Capt Patiwat declined to name the company that owned and operated the bus.

Source: http://www.phuketgaz...rash-19696.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2012-12-13

[RisqEM]

Pity they don't treat all people who drive recklessly the same.....thinking of the rich BKK teen who killed 9 with no license and got a slap on the wrist........

[stevenl]

Pity they don't treat all people who drive recklessly the same.....thinking of the rich BKK teen who killed 9 with no license and got a slap on the wrist........

Why the complaint when there is good news? Be glad with progress in stead of complaining about things that could have done differently in the past.

Edited December 13, 2012 by stevenl

[Valentine]

So, he has been out of hospital since Monday & the police are expecting him to turn up at the police station today. If he does it means he has a good chance of getting off lightly.

[NomadJoe]

Pity they don't treat all people who drive recklessly the same.....thinking of the rich BKK teen who killed 9 with no license and got a slap on the wrist........

Why the complaint when there is good news? Be glad with progress in stead of complaining about things that could have done differently in the past.

Yes good news but the sad fact is this driver was doing nothing different than 99.9% of the Thai's that drive as their profession. It is a strange system that provides/requires exactly zero driver training, does exactly zero traffic law enforcement, "safety" is not even in thier vocabulary, and drivers are rewarded by the speed in which they can deliver their cargo and how many trips they can image in a given amount of time, where dangerous driving is the norm, but if you cause an accident with injury or death you are charged with a serious crime. (If you don't have money to get out of it, or haven't driven over a policeman)

What obviously needs to happen so fewer 9 year old girls like Miss Kunnarree are sent to an early crematory, is a comprehensive driver training program and traffic law enforcement Not likely to happen in this country any time soon, and from reading posts here seeing how many foreigners drive here, I think many foreigners would not want that either.

[stevenl]

Yes good news but the sad fact is this driver was doing nothing different than 99.9% of the Thai's that drive as their profession.

Yes, he was, he caused a serious accident with death.

[JetsetBkk]

"a tour bus that was also painted in Pegas Touristik white and featured the company logo, but was owned and operated by a different, independent, company."

Maybe they paint their own tour buses the same as Pegas so as to scare the sh1t out of oncoming traffic?

[NomadJoe]

Yes good news but the sad fact is this driver was doing nothing different than 99.9% of the Thai's that drive as their profession.

Yes, he was, he caused a serious accident with death.

But Steve, what is it he was doing which caused the accident with death? The first part of the charge which you left out was " reckless driving" which is what I am saying 99.9% of the Thai drivers which drive for a profession do regularly, for which there is no education or discouragement whatsoever except punishment after the fact. (Profession really isn't the right word as it suggests they are professional...drive as their job is probably more accurate)

Edited December 13, 2012 by NomadJoe