Lottery-Winning Couple Killed In Udon Thani Road Accident

[transam]

Obviously another punk kid with money behind the wheel of a high powered car and knows not how to drive, use a road yes, but not to drive. So many of these people in Thailand. But if he can afford the Porsche he can afford the payoff. The sad reality is, the parents were on a motorbike after winning that amount of money, so were possibly still humble enough. But then the excuse of the driver - the bike swerved in front of him and he could not avoid it, is old lies and always told. Exact copy of Red Bull who is still free. Sad to lose two innocent people like this.

Looking at the pic in the OP and the area of damage, it looks very possible the motorcycle could have cut out in front of the car. Just because he was driving a Porsche, you make him guilty and totally at fault. I am sure your opinion would be different if this was a Aussi driving a pickup truck. Not sure if you drive here, but in my experience, drivers of motorcycles come out on to a roadway without even looking more times than not.

He was in a hurry to cross the border before it closed, so was driving at speed. I do drive in this country with a little Honda, but the ars3 holes with their Mercs BMW etc think they own the road. So this little turd is guilty mee lord.

Sounds like your envious of natives having nice cars and dismiss the fact that many truck driving natives actually drive with their foot to th floor.

[OzMick]

"The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed."

And what exactly is high speed in a Porsche Cayenne? Should the rest of the world get out of his way because he is in a hurry?

Perhaps some of your tin can operators should realise that you are supposed to operate your 2 tonnes of metal at speeds suitable for the road conditions, one of which is the often sudden appearance of motorcycles driven by persons unfamiliar with any road rules. A speed limit is not a licence to kill them.

[MrWorldwide]

I've only driven in Thailand once - from Udon Thani to Nong Khai - and its not an experience I'm eager to revisit. I found most of the car and truck drivers to be relatively good - even the speed freaks - but some motorbike riders seemed completely clueless. Nothing like relying on your 250cc Honda to propel your entire family (and a weeks worth of shopping) to a safe distance in front of traffic moving at 100 km/h. All from a standing start on the *other* side of a 4-lane highway - <deleted> ? Slow down to 90 to try to lessen the chance of an accident and you run the risk of having a truck on your hammer - it's a no-win situation.

In this case, we dont know if the kid was in the wrong, or the family made an error of judgement, but at least he handed himself in. A tragedy all round, but automatically assuming the Porsche driver was at fault just isnt fair, IMO - I could easily have found myself in the same situation if I hadnt constantly watched for nutters darting into the lane in front of me. We all know the conventional wisdom in Thailand - if you hit someone, keep driving as though nothing has happened. Rich or not, connected or not, I doubt that our young Laotian is happy with the sudden change in his fortunes.

[transam]

"The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed."

And what exactly is high speed in a Porsche Cayenne? Should the rest of the world get out of his way because he is in a hurry?

Perhaps some of your tin can operators should realise that you are supposed to operate your 2 tonnes of metal at speeds suitable for the road conditions, one of which is the often sudden appearance of motorcycles driven by persons unfamiliar with any road rules. A speed limit is not a licence to kill them.

Think you must start a television ad campaign to show ALL the rules of the road and NOT make excuses for those who haven't a clue about road use YET have a license. .

AND, the damage to the Porsche is NOT high speed collision damage. Look at the photo again.

Edited February 16, 2013 by transam

[canuckamuck]

"The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed."

And what exactly is high speed in a Porsche Cayenne? Should the rest of the world get out of his way because he is in a hurry?

Perhaps some of your tin can operators should realise that you are supposed to operate your 2 tonnes of metal at speeds suitable for the road conditions, one of which is the often sudden appearance of motorcycles driven by persons unfamiliar with any road rules. A speed limit is not a licence to kill them.

Of course it isn't. You also need a fat bank account and powerful friends to get that license.

[OzMick]

"The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed."

And what exactly is high speed in a Porsche Cayenne? Should the rest of the world get out of his way because he is in a hurry?

Perhaps some of your tin can operators should realise that you are supposed to operate your 2 tonnes of metal at speeds suitable for the road conditions, one of which is the often sudden appearance of motorcycles driven by persons unfamiliar with any road rules. A speed limit is not a licence to kill them.

Think you must start a television ad campaign to show ALL the rules of the road and NOT make excuses for those who haven't a clue about road use YET have a license. .

Most of them don't HAVE a licence, many can barely read, but they are there. Your licence doesn't come with a "00, licence to kill", and a speed limit is a maximum allowable, not a minimum requirement.

[transam]

"The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed."

And what exactly is high speed in a Porsche Cayenne? Should the rest of the world get out of his way because he is in a hurry?

Perhaps some of your tin can operators should realise that you are supposed to operate your 2 tonnes of metal at speeds suitable for the road conditions, one of which is the often sudden appearance of motorcycles driven by persons unfamiliar with any road rules. A speed limit is not a licence to kill them.

Think you must start a television ad campaign to show ALL the rules of the road and NOT make excuses for those who haven't a clue about road use YET have a license. .

Most of them don't HAVE a licence, many can barely read, but they are there. Your licence doesn't come with a "00, licence to kill", and a speed limit is a maximum allowable, not a minimum requirement.

So in your opinion it's all our fault, the totally legal that is. ? We must all poodle around at 30 cos road users don't have a license and shouldn't be there in the first place but it's all our fault.

[canuckamuck]

The folks doing 60kph on the highways and never ever moving over to let people pass are a tremendous hazard here because it leads to others overtaking in very dangerous places.

In fact the single most frustrating thing about driving in Thailand is that people almost never allow faster cars to pass, even though they clearly have no intention of doing highway speeds.

It is especially frustrating to be behind a 100 cc motorcycle that just won't budge.

Edited February 16, 2013 by canuckamuck

[jaapfries]

RIP to the couple. Sadly, most people would have bought a car with having that sort of money - though I suspect neither could drive. They would probably be alive today.

No; Culicine; you have slightly misread the story: The couple in question (yes; the ones that won 42 mil Bt. !) were actually driving a Motorbike; the 18 year old kid from Laos, was driving a Porche Cayenne, okay ?

Back to the drawing board, mate !

[ignis]

So a Porsche Cayenne, if it was used to go between home and BKK. could well be a Porsche Cayenne Diesel..? even the Hybrid ? there again even a fully turned 'JUD' Porsche Cayenne..

​Difference, well in Thailand just under 7 million to over 20 million... so could be no difference price wise as any of the 100's of 4x4 Lexus you see in Laos ............. nothing like all the references to the Ferrari basic model is over 30 million.

[OzMick]

"The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

The young man said he had been in a hurry, as he planned to cross the Thai-Laotian border at Nong Khai before the checkpoint there closed."

And what exactly is high speed in a Porsche Cayenne? Should the rest of the world get out of his way because he is in a hurry?

Perhaps some of your tin can operators should realise that you are supposed to operate your 2 tonnes of metal at speeds suitable for the road conditions, one of which is the often sudden appearance of motorcycles driven by persons unfamiliar with any road rules. A speed limit is not a licence to kill them.

Think you must start a television ad campaign to show ALL the rules of the road and NOT make excuses for those who haven't a clue about road use YET have a license. .

Most of them don't HAVE a licence, many can barely read, but they are there. Your licence doesn't come with a "00, licence to kill", and a speed limit is a maximum allowable, not a minimum requirement.

So in your opinion it's all our fault, the totally legal that is. ? We must all poodle around at 30 cos road users don't have a license and shouldn't be there in the first place but it's all our fault.

Not at all, I was saying that all road users should operate their vehicle with respect to the road conditions. Nobody but the irresponsible would travel at a posted highway limit going past a roadside market. You might rethink the "shouldn't be there" bit - I wouldn't try it on a BIB while explaining a couple of dead schoolkids.

Those killed in the OP quite possibly thought they had plenty of time, not realising that the approaching vehicle was moving at speeds far in excess of those the road conditions demand.

[BrianCR]

Obviously another punk kid with money behind the wheel of a high powered car and knows not how to drive, use a road yes, but not to drive. So many of these people in Thailand. But if he can afford the Porsche he can afford the payoff. The sad reality is, the parents were on a motorbike after winning that amount of money, so were possibly still humble enough. But then the excuse of the driver - the bike swerved in front of him and he could not avoid it, is old lies and always told. Exact copy of Red Bull who is still free. Sad to lose two innocent people like this.

You must have amazing powers of conception (deception) to be able to tell all this from the news report - can you tell me the winning lottery number? I thank you in advance!

[Rancid]

It is always a tossup, the bikes ride with suicidal stupidity and the cars are driven with homicidal stupidity, could have been the fault of either. And yeah, 18 yo Laon with a Porche does tend to scream government daddy.

[Westaurel]

Laotian bastard son of rich which respect nothing driving his luxuous car !

Why the couple if they get so much money don't buy a car they wouldn't be dead now if they drove a car at this moment ?

Edited February 16, 2013 by Westaurel

[soi41]

It is always a tossup, the bikes ride with suicidal stupidity and the cars are driven with homicidal stupidity, could have been the fault of either. And yeah, 18 yo Laon with a Porche does tend to scream government daddy.

According to BP, the family of the Porsche-driver is in the goldtrading-business. And if the thread "where is gold going......" is anything to go by, at least half of TVposters should be driving at least a Porsche, with their indepth knowledge of goldprice fluctuations!!

[Naam]

Obviously another punk kid with money behind the wheel of a high powered car and knows not how to drive, use a road yes, but not to drive. So many of these people in Thailand. But if he can afford the Porsche he can afford the payoff. The sad reality is, the parents were on a motorbike after winning that amount of money, so were possibly still humble enough. But then the excuse of the driver - the bike swerved in front of him and he could not avoid it, is old lies and always told. Exact copy of Red Bull who is still free. Sad to lose two innocent people like this.

i am most probably considered a punk too when i claim that it happened a dozen times to me what the young man described. fortunately for the brain-amputated motorbike drivers i was able to brake every time.

The 18-year-old student claimed the couple suddenly cut in front of him while his car was travelling at high speed and that he was unable to brake in time.

[soi41]

Laotian bastard son of rich which respect nothing driving his luxuous car !

Why the couple if they get so much money don't buy a car they wouldn't be dead now if they drove a car at this moment ?

That's the spirit: Hate the rich !

[Pimay1]

Laotian bastard son of rich which respect nothing driving his luxuous car !

Why the couple if they get so much money don't buy a car they wouldn't be dead now if they drove a car at this moment ?

That's the spirit: Hate the rich !

Yep hate the rich. Must be a democrat from the US.

[stoli]

Didn't know 18 year olds in communist countries could afford Porsche's. He's almost certainly related to a politician then, be interesting to see how he gets away with this one, afterall the Thai general public will be disgusted and probably prejudiced against him.

Gets away from this one? When we was he pronounced guilty?

[culicine]

RIP to the couple. Sadly, most people would have bought a car with having that sort of money - though I suspect neither could drive. They would probably be alive today.

No; Culicine; you have slightly misread the story: The couple in question (yes; the ones that won 42 mil Bt. !) were actually driving a Motorbike; the 18 year old kid from Laos, was driving a Porche Cayenne, okay ?

Back to the drawing board, mate !

Umm NO. I said I was surprised the couple (who won the money) were not driving a car instead of a bike. I know the Lao rich kid was driving the porsche....back to your Chang with you sunshine

[lujanit]

"I am sure your opinion would be different if this was a Aussi driving a pickup truck."

Aussies don't drive pickup trucks, they drive utes

[Locationthailand]

Obviously another punk kid with money behind the wheel of a high powered car and knows not how to drive, use a road yes, but not to drive. So many of these people in Thailand. But if he can afford the Porsche he can afford the payoff. The sad reality is, the parents were on a motorbike after winning that amount of money, so were possibly still humble enough. But then the excuse of the driver - the bike swerved in front of him and he could not avoid it, is old lies and always told. Exact copy of Red Bull who is still free. Sad to lose two innocent people like this.

Looking at the pic in the OP and the area of damage, it looks very possible the motorcycle could have cut out in front of the car. Just because he was driving a Porsche, you make him guilty and totally at fault. I am sure your opinion would be different if this was a Aussi driving a pickup truck. Not sure if you drive here, but in my experience, drivers of motorcycles come out on to a roadway without even looking more times than not.

He's already admitted he was driving too fast! Nice to see you understand Aussie driving but sure as hell, the majority of Aussies would have missed him - comes from avoiding kangaroos, Volvo drivers (and Asians). I used to average 160,000 kms a year driving large rigs so I guess I am qualified to point a finger and judging by the damage to the Porsche, yes front quarter panel and all the way to the side door, that means frontal impact compression and not a side swipe. I stand by my opinion and it usually has two parties to contributing to the accident and they could well have drifted into a lane or been too far out or the kid simply misjudged. Speed was the catalyst. And yes I drive here and have done for many years, accident free.

[theajarn]

Ain't too many Laotian guys driving a Porsche in this country. No Assumptions please.--

You mean don't assume the guy is a drug dealer by his looks and hairstyle and the fancy Porsche? Sure.

[khaowong1]

Obviously another punk kid with money behind the wheel of a high powered car and knows not how to drive, use a road yes, but not to drive. So many of these people in Thailand. But if he can afford the Porsche he can afford the payoff. The sad reality is, the parents were on a motorbike after winning that amount of money, so were possibly still humble enough. But then the excuse of the driver - the bike swerved in front of him and he could not avoid it, is old lies and always told. Exact copy of Red Bull who is still free. Sad to lose two innocent people like this.

Looking at the pic in the OP and the area of damage, it looks very possible the motorcycle could have cut out in front of the car. Just because he was driving a Porsche, you make him guilty and totally at fault. I am sure your opinion would be different if this was a Aussi driving a pickup truck. Not sure if you drive here, but in my experience, drivers of motorcycles come out on to a roadway without even looking more times than not.

I have an American friend with a Thai wife.. we asked her why Thai's don't look when they pull out onto a highway or road.. she said if they looked, they may have to stop. So they don't look..

[KuhnPaen]

Angry road ghosts--he should have hung a teddy bear from his rear bumper like other Thais do to appease the spirit. That's what my Thai GF said when I read her this. Note--first reaction from a Thai was that it was a wrathful spirit instead of bad driving.

Yep. Gotta be that.

[MRFortuner]

you probably see another headline - "laotian student not a fault, release to go home"

how do you expect to reduce prostitution in thailand when you have such high profile corruption cases on "broad day light"

dream on thailand !! (i will still love thai obviously)

[Anuman]

I've only driven in Thailand once - from Udon Thani to Nong Khai - and its not an experience I'm eager to revisit. I found most of the car and truck drivers to be relatively good - even the speed freaks - but some motorbike riders seemed completely clueless. Nothing like relying on your 250cc Honda to propel your entire family (and a weeks worth of shopping) to a safe distance in front of traffic moving at 100 km/h. All from a standing start on the *other* side of a 4-lane highway - <deleted> ? Slow down to 90 to try to lessen the chance of an accident and you run the risk of having a truck on your hammer - it's a no-win situation.

If you found that driving from Udon to Nong Khai was scary, never drive elsewhere in Thailand

I've driven many times on this road and I found it much more secure than many roads in the South of Thailand, perhaps because there are fewer tourists

[Trouble]

Obviously another punk kid with money behind the wheel of a high powered car and knows not how to drive, use a road yes, but not to drive. So many of these people in Thailand. But if he can afford the Porsche he can afford the payoff. The sad reality is, the parents were on a motorbike after winning that amount of money, so were possibly still humble enough. But then the excuse of the driver - the bike swerved in front of him and he could not avoid it, is old lies and always told. Exact copy of Red Bull who is still free. Sad to lose two innocent people like this.

Kind of rushing to a conclusion based on the assumption that this is some spoiled rich kid. He admitted driving too fast. How may times have we seen motorcycles or cars just pull out without regard to how fast the oncoming car is traveling. Why not give a little time for the facts to come out before jumping to conclusions.

[Phatcharanan]

What absolute numpty buys their 18 year old student son a Porsche Cayenne..In a place with the most dangerous roads on the planet?

Most dangerous? You obviously ain't been to West Africa.

[Phatcharanan]

Speed was the catalyst. And yes I drive here and have done for many years, accident free.

Nice picture of a kangaroo.