New Reports Acquits Hit And Run Driver That Killed Four Swedes In Thailand

[Radar501]

"So you maintain your car as required by law and yet something still goes wrong due to mechanic who worked on it. How do you assign responsibility? How do you prove who was at fault?

At some point it's just an accident."

A professional and diligent police accident investigator will conduct a thorough examination of the scene, and look into other factors surrounding the case, to determine what, and who, was at fault. The detective's motto is "a failure to search is a failure to find"

I have observed the aftermath of many fatal collisions in Thailand, and witnessed the sloppy scene examination by the attending police. Vital physical evidence just seems to be swept off the road to get the traffic moving again.

One thing about this case troubles me. It was revealed during the course of the trial that a loose wheel caused the accident, yet the driver had already pleaded guilty to reckless driving, and was subsequently convicted and sent to prison. If I am reading the news report correctly, it was only later that he was acquitted, based on the same loose wheel evidence. How does that work?

I am betting that there was plenty of backroom monetary negotiations going on between the police, judges and the trucking company to bring this matter to a favorable resolution for all concerned (except maybe the families of the four Swedish victims).

Edited February 27, 2013 by Radar501

[Chao Lao Beach]

Knowing the drivers surname and who his family is connected to might go some way to explaining his release!?

For sure. But the Thai media only seem to report the vitums names and hardly ever the mungral criminal.

[nevets]

It does not matter what bad publicity Thailand has the tourists will still come TIT , RIP the people that died.

[noitom]

Was this guy a runner? Did he do a "Thai flee the scene of the accident?"

[SCARLETIBIS1]

One of these days I'm gonna learn to just keep my mouth shut but sometimes my mouth just won't listen to me. I just came back from a 30 day, 6000km motorbike trip down the east coast and up the west coast. The bike is large Kawasaki and quite fast. I make a couple of observations:

The first one is that the roads (Hwy 1 and 2) are an embarrassment to the country. Potholes, bumps, bulging pavement, uneven patchwork is the norm all down South to Songkla. And that is not to mention the air pollution all the way down to South of Hua Hin. Disgusting.

In almost every town, even small ones with less than 10k people in them the cops are out early with their blockade to ticket helmetless drivers. You even see the large 100% helmut compliance signs everywhere implying they (government, police) want everyone to wear a helmut. Nothng could be further from the truth. The truth is like many things here in Thailand-smoke and mirrors.

The government could EASILY get almost everyone to own a helmut simply by giving them a 400 baht ticket which they can get ripped up by buying a 200 baht helmut and returning to 'helmut court', showing a receipt for a purchased helmut and case closed. Now as intelligent as Thais think they are why doesn't someone figure this out? Simple.

Hang with me a minute. While sitting at a coffee shop in the middle of nowhere down South the Thai owner asked me if I heard about the 2 bicycleists that got killed last week. I had not. We talked about it. I am appalled that some obviously totally Thai apologists here on TV actually blamed the bikers for beign 'arrogant' and blaming them for their own deaths.

People who travel either by motorcycle or bicycle here in Thailand do risk their lives here every time they go on the road. 'Arrogant' ? Flucking stupid comment. No one who travels a lot (as I do or they did) rides in an arrogant fashion. We take every conceivable caution when driving but when you have 'arrogant', drunk, untrained, uncaring, unremorseful, unlicensed, uneducated, uninterested, unintelligent drivers using their cars as deadly weapons there is not much one can do.

Now why is that? And who is really to blame? Easy answer. The corrupt police and corrupt goverment. If the police would enforce the laws (I have heard they do have them here) the problems would cease being as severe as they are but that begs the question why do the Police NOT enforce the laws?

While in yet another coffee shop I had an interestng conversation with a Thai owner (nice guy) and he said that the Police and government are in bed together. The police make little money so the government "allows" them to take bribes and do the helmut blockades. Didn't some high ranking Police officer say last week it isn't a bribe it is a 'gift'? Something like that. Yeah, I always gift perfect strangers.

So what is the answer here? Why does the government allow the corruption? Control. Let the cops take the bribes and look the other way and when you need them you have them. And the people here I think fear the Police.

The only recourse in my view is to put a Gatling gun on your vehicle and when the grey or white tourist vans try to pass the trucks on a two way highway at 80 or 90 miles an hour after crossng the double yellow line with absolutely no fear or regard for you on your large motorbike coming at you in your lane with absolutely no where to go but the shoulder of the road sometimes with but a foot to spare shoot the fluckers.

The only bad thing about that would be the innocent tourists who are shitting in their pants at what these 'arrogant' Thai <deleted> who call themselves drivers are doing. And not to piss off the gutless vettors on TV for telling the truth, I am not generalizing here. Hell no, not all Thais drive like that, just the majority. LOL

I would be happy to bet anyone who disagrees with me that if you took 100 Thai drivers and gave them a written and actual driving test at least half would flunk. Probably more. And the other half wouldn't have a driver's license in the first place.

Oh, I forgot to mention that I counted the accidents I saw. 9 going down South and 7 coming up North. Two were small motorbikes with both drivers dead, one grain carrying semi overturned, one semi in the median ditch overturned, and the others mostly smaller cars and trucks that just ran in to each other. That was in about 6 days of actuall riding time. So about 3 a day.

I don't know what other big bike riders think but I would never do it again. The roads are a national disgrace and very dangerous not even taking in to account the idiot drivers. The bike will soon be up for sale.

But I am a happy man today. Seven months ago I 'gifted' the drivers license department in order to get a special license plate. I was told it would take one month to get such a special plate. 7 months later it arrived. Apparently I didn't 'gift' them enough.

One month, seven months. As they say here in the land of scams. Same same but different. LOL

Edited February 27, 2013 by SCARLETIBIS1

[youngXpat]

Not sure why they keep calling it a 'car' as it was a large truck. Original news article. Since it was a 'mechanical' failure I would thought the company who owned the truck would be also culpable.

Yes surely the company, owners of the truck should be held accountable.

Just another sad, sad RTA in Thailand.

All of the Swedes were 21-22. So young, RIP.

[unanimosity]

I wonder why he pleaded guilty in the first place?

Because he left the scene in the first place. Innocent folk have no reason to bolt.

[BrianCR]

Langsuan Man, on 27 Feb 2013 - 08:22, said:

Has anyone ever read of anyone being charged with leaving the scene of an accident here in Thailand ?

Yes, if you are an ex-pat sitting in the passenger side of a taxi and the taxi driver brakes hard to avoid a motorcyclist - who was taking to his girlfriend on his mobile. Suddenly the taxi brakes with such force that you are thrown through the windscreen and twenty meters into the street you could be charged with damaging the vehicle and leaving the scene of an accident

[ozymandious]

Any mention in the police report or inspection of the steering wheel coming loose?

[youngXpat]

I wonder why he pleaded guilty in the first place?

Because he left the scene in the first place. Innocent folk have no reason to bolt.

Agreed. Leaving the scene is an admittance of guilt.

[hkt83100]

...Suddenly the taxi brakes with such force that you are thrown through the windscreen...

One option might have been wear a seatbelt.

[dcsw53]

Has anyone ever read of anyone being charged with leaving the scene of an accident here in Thailand ?

I believe it is mandatory for someone to leave the scene if :-

1. The vehicle they are driving is a sports car
2. They are related to someone who owns a beverage company
3. Somebody has been injured or worse

Hope this helps

[Radar501]

I wonder why he pleaded guilty in the first place?

Because he left the scene in the first place. Innocent folk have no reason to bolt.

Agreed. Leaving the scene is an admittance of guilt.

I remember an accident in Australia some years ago. A car came around a bend and cleaned up a couple of guys who were walking on the road with a group of friends.

The unhurt pedestrians were about to lynch the driver, so he did a runner. Certainly not an admittance (admission?) of guilt.

Edited February 27, 2013 by Radar501

[Robby nz]

So it would appear that pleading mechanical failure can get you off if you kill someone with a car or, as in this case truck.

[thaigold]

Actually, it was the Swede's fault. If they hadn't been in Thailand, they wouldn't be dead. T.I.T.

[youngXpat]

I wonder why he pleaded guilty in the first place?

Because he left the scene in the first place. Innocent folk have no reason to bolt.

Agreed. Leaving the scene is an admittance of guilt.

I remember an accident in Australia some years ago. A car came around a bend and cleaned up a couple of guys who were walking on the road with a group of friends.

The unhurt pedestrians were about to lynch the driver, so he did a runner. Certainly not an admittance (admission?) of guilt.

Sure in that case not an admission (LOL) of guilt. The incident in Phuket however is a different story. Do you agree?

[chainarong]

I think the whole shebang of Thailand should have a good hard look at themselves , there has been several items that's been noticed by outsiders in this article, why do Thai authorities continue to make themselves the laughing stock of the modern world, their decision making on issues can only be described as abnormal, verging on the weird.

[PaulHamon]

discussing.

[Bellweather]

is the driver not responsable for his his car is maintianed and safe to drive? is there no periodic control of the cars here, in europe the car and trucks undergo periodic controls, and will be removed from the roads if they not pass. but anyway , the driver of a car is responsable for the car is safe to drive, and if a wheel falls off, due to some loose wheel nuts or things like that, the driver must be hold responsable.

In Britain there is a Construction and Use offence of " failing to maintain in good and efficient working order " . Unlikely to be a Thai equivalent when you see some of the wrecks on the road, would be easy money for the Highway Police

[monkeycountry]

Just for those of you who are in doubt, here is what happened.

1. The driver had driven too many hours. He used some illegal substances to keep him awake, but eventually fell asleep anyway.

2. While asleep, he lost control of the vehicle and rammed another car, killing 5 people.

3. Knowing that a blood test would test positive for whatever he had taken, he fled the scene.

4. Once the illegal substances were out of his body and a suitable arrangement had been made with the police, he turned himself in.

5. The truck company, fearing repercussions, paid off the police to write in the report that the wheel had fallen off, and that was the cause of the accident.

6. The family of the dead thai driver is paid to stay silent and accept the official report.

7. The families of the swedes are not paid anything as they can't influence the case anyway.

8. Everyone but the swedish families are now happy, case closed.

[comserve]

I wonder why he pleaded guilty in the first place?

Of course the Thai driver was not at fault. It was the foreigners fault. If they had not come to Thailand, this accident would not have happened. It's logical, isn't it?

[chickenslegs]

It appears the Swedes were at fault for taking an illegal taxi. Case closed.

Yes, unbelievably bad reporting, not just bad but criminally biased in my opinion.

Why are the authorities letting tourists take illegal taxis? Why is there not a crackdown?

Tourists should be aware that if they (unknowingly) take an illegal taxi and someone recklessly kills them, they will be blamed for the accident for having taken an illegal taxi.

Shame on you Thailand and Thai people; sort out your journalists and stop blaming foreigners for YOUR shortcomings and negligence.

Agree about Thai journalism but, in this case, the story quoted is from a Swedish journal in Asia. The reporter is Anders Holm Neilsen.

[SOTIRIOS]

....I want to puke....

....the Swedes were duped into taking an 'illegal taxi'.....

(...scam the tourists who have no way of knowing....)

..and this has what bearing.except to reinforce that criminals get of scott free...and so do murderers....if they are Thai

.....2 weeks or more later.....an alibi materializes.....the wheel.....

....uuuuuuuuughhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....

[heiwa]

It appears the Swedes were at fault for taking an illegal taxi. Case closed.

I am disgusted with this. Why weren't the Swedes posthumously charged with procuring an illegal taxi. What is this country coming to!?

[Robby nz]

Real sad that anyone should be killed on any roads anywhere but I cant help thinking as I read all these posts how bad it is for some of the posters in this country.

Going by the moaning and bitching life must be hell for some farang in this country.

You can always go back to the paradise you came from you know where all the roads are perfect, the drivers courteous and no one is ever killed of hurt.

Something that just came to mind:

A reporter asked Gandhi “What do you think of western civalisation?

The reply “I think it would be a great idea”

[geriatrickid]

Has anyone ever read of anyone being charged with leaving the scene of an accident here in Thailand ?

Perhaps it is one of those charges that are enforced only when a "farang" is involved?

[NongKhaiKid]

Has anyone ever read of anyone being charged with leaving the scene of an accident here in Thailand ?

More likely to be declared insane for sticking around. The driver who hit the two " around the world ' cyclists was arrested at scene but it wasn't explained if he had tried to run, however he was himself " seriously injured " so maybe couldn't. The young girl, with the family name, who ran the university min-bus off the road stayed at the scene but was too busy texting to do anything else

[geriatrickid]

Real sad that anyone should be killed on any roads anywhere but I cant help thinking as I read all these posts how bad it is for some of the posters in this country.

Going by the moaning and bitching life must be hell for some farang in this country.

You can always go back to the paradise you came from you know where all the roads are perfect, the drivers courteous and no one is ever killed of hurt.

Something that just came to mind:

A reporter asked Gandhi “What do you think of western civalisation?

The reply “I think it would be a great idea”

The motivation for some might be the utter frustration felt. No matter how honest they are, no matter how law abiding, generous and decent, they are continually penalized for such behaviour. The death of those Swedish kids is heartbreaking. No one is held accountable and as a result, some more kids will be crushed to death.

[fxe1200]

So it would appear that pleading mechanical failure can get you off if you kill someone with a car or, as in this case truck.

The mechanical failure of losing a wheel happens very often in Thailand. This has following reason: In case a wheel is being mounted back on a car (i.e. after fixing a puncture), the nuts are being tightened. In the first place no one does no the exact torque, and no driver rechecks the nuts after driving around 100km. I have seen drivers "checking" the wheels of their car, by kicking the sidewall of their tires. These people just do not care about the safety of their vehicle.

The driver should be charged with negligent homicide.

[Suffinator]

Another clear message from the Thai Authorities... Foreigners that come here do so at their own risk, because Thai cannot do any wrong. No justice for the people kill or their families - are we in the least bit surprised?