Phuket: One Dead In Patong Hill Smash

[webfact]

Phuket: One dead in Patong Hill smash
Tanyaluk Sakoot

PHUKET: -- One person is dead and nine injured, some seriously, after a bus with no brakes heading downhill into Patong sideswiped several cars and knocked motorbike riders flying just before 8am today (March 15).

The bus, from Air Bus Co, was empty at the time. The driver was among the injured.

Traffic on both sides of Patong Hill is currently at a standstill as ambulances ferry the injured to hospital and police clear up the wreckage.

More details to come.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-one-dead-in-patong-hill-smash-37856.php


-- Phuket News 2013-03-15

[webfact]

Breaking News: One dead as runaway Phuket tour bus wreaks havoc
Phuket Gazette

PHUKET: -- One person is dead after a Phuket tour bus slammed into eight motorbikes and five cars on Patong Hill this morning.

Athiwat Petchsai, 22, died after he was struck by the runaway bus in front of Wat Patong temple (map here) after the vehicles’ brakes failed as it descended Patong Hill at about 7:30am.

The bus was en route from Phuket Town to pick up tourists staying at a hotel in Patong.

Nine others were reported injured, including the bus driver, Thammanoon Pinkongphan, 35.

Three of the injured were rushed to Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket Town.

The remaining five were taken to Patong Hospital.

Mr Thammanoon was taken to Bangkok Hospital Phuket for treatment after he suffered injuries to his chest, knee and wrists when the tour bus plowed into the temple wall.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Breaking-News-One-dead-as-runaway-Phuket-tour-bus-wreaks-havoc-20504.html


-- Phuket Gazette 2013-03-15

[NamKangMan]

Phuket - the "hub" of brake failures.

[fezman]

Busses in the south are shockers,I caught one a few years ago from Surat Thani to phuket ,never again.bus was near three hours late ,then there about ten of us had to sit on the floor in the aisle all the way ,even though we all had paid for a seat on air con bus.I was lucky and got to sit on the hot motor for hours wedged between the seat armrests .some of those busses should not be allowed on the road .best wishes to the injured and I hope this might cause a shake up of the industry and get some safety checks put in place.i heard Nakhon chai air wanted to start up down there too but they wouldn't let them , they would have got all the business ,there safe ,well maintained and change drivers every few hours and drive at the speed limit .

[laislica]

RIP young man and get well soon all the injured.

This could have been so much worse.

[Siriam]

Phuket - the "hub" of brake failures.

Especially the infamous Patong Hill, and they are still organizing events like "Phuket bike week" in Patong! I love bikes but I hate Patong and his blood sucking hill!

[Locationthailand]

Of course had the driver known how to slow his vehicle by using his gears this would have been avoided. First thing I was taught when getting my Class 5 (HGV) and Road Train licences was how to stop the vehicle using gears and how to change without using a clutch (because if the hydraulics fails you don't have a clutch). At any rate thankfully the guy had not picked up the tourists first. And lastly, maintenance goes a long way. If the vehicle was using air brakes, when the air fails the brakes come on but it would seem he only had hydraulic. By using old chassis, and plonking new bodies on them (common in Thailand) then maintenance has to be paramount. Checking fluid levels are also essential daily for any heavy vehicle driver before leaving the yard/depot.

[Businessman]

Very sad. Of course one immediately wonders of the accident could have been avoided, through more diligent maintenance or driver training. I hope the the bus operator also asks these questions and takes steps to prevent future incidences.

[JetsetBkk]

So now there will be an exhaustive interview of the driver by the relevant transport accident investigators, the bus's brakes will be dismantled to determine exactly why they failed, reports will be written, recommendations will be made to the authorities and all will be well in the future.

In a pig's ear.

[seajae]

the driver should be charged with manslaughter for this and the company made to pay restitution for all the damage and injured. Drivers are supposed to check everything before they leave, obviously this guy was in too much of a hurry like everyone else here and couldnt be bothered. Just seeing these idiots on the roads is scary enough, they give the impression they are paid on how quick they can get to their destination, also why wasnt the driver in a low gear going down hill, they definitely need driving skills taught to them.

[cup-O-coffee]

It makes me wonder: A bus plunging down the hill. Surely the driver knew what was coming. Surely he was leaning on the horn, blasting away. Surely all pedestrians in the line of descent heard the horn and the smashing of metal on metal. I think of the man hit, and it brings to mind the story of the expat who was in the minivan as it was moving at speed, when a 15 year old girl on a motorbike crossed into its path. The expat described the driver as flashing his lights and honking the minivan horn a good ways before he hit her head on and she impacted with the front of the minivan. Amazing Thailand.

[unanimosity]

RIP young man and get well soon all the injured.

This could have been so much worse.

This could have been so much prevented.

[eddie61]

Phuket - the "hub" of brake failures.

I once hired a jeep in Phuket....... The brakes failed on the way down from that hill, Fortunately, I was in low gear from the top so handbrake was good enough to change down, and 1st gear was slow enough for safe descent.

I nearly killed the guy who rented me the jeep: my parents wife and one year old in there. He thought it was funny, and didn't want to return my deposit. I was a bit more muscular then so he agreed in the end. He immediately parked the jeep on his forecourt with a "for rent" sign.

That was 20 years ago..... lesson number one in thai tourism business ethics. I have had a few more lessons since then. Do you wonder why tourism operators in Thailand want their own people on the ground here?

I actually feel sorry for the driver of this bus; no one ever told him about low gears downhill

Edited March 15, 2013 by eddie61

[TomTom55]

Busses in the south are shockers,I caught one a few years ago from Surat Thani to phuket ,never again.bus was near three hours late ,then there about ten of us had to sit on the floor in the aisle all the way ,even though we all had paid for a seat on air con bus.I was lucky and got to sit on the hot motor for hours wedged between the seat armrests .some of those busses should not be allowed on the road .best wishes to the injured and I hope this might cause a shake up of the industry and get some safety checks put in place.i heard Nakhon chai air wanted to start up down there too but they wouldn't let them , they would have got all the business ,there safe ,well maintained and change drivers every few hours and drive at the speed limit .

Remember, you do live in a developing country, things aren't always going to be like they are back home, fezman,

[Phronesis]

I posted this before and I will post it again....

1. Ban all large buses on the Island

2. Create a bus station at Sarasin

3. The idea will get immediate local support because taxis and tuk tuk will have to service the bus station

The ridiculously substandard road infrastructure here is at absolute capacity. There is no place for large buses.

[Soupdragon]

I posted this before and I will post it again....

1. Ban all large buses on the Island

2. Create a bus station at Sarasin

3. The idea will get immediate local support because taxis and tuk tuk will have to service the bus station

The ridiculously substandard road infrastructure here is at absolute capacity. There is no place for large buses.

So from BKK to Phuket by bus <1000 Baht. From the Bridge to your hotel by taxi >2000 Baht.

Totally unworkable.

[Phronesis]

ahh ha ahhhhhh ah hhha haaaaa ahhhhhhhhhhhhh ha ha

I have lived on the Island for 3 years now and I still can't find a mechanic to PROPERLY service my honda wave.

Don't make ridiculous statements regarding scheduled inspections and routine maintenance in the context of Phuket.

This isn't Kansas Dorothy....

Or Brisbane either...

[toenail]

I have to keep reminding myself to not have the same expectations for Thailand as a "developed" country...it is still a developing country like the ones in Africa. But I am fooled sometimes becaue of the modern buildings and infrastructure. Neglect of maintenance, no enforcement of rules or laws, and lack of caring for ones community- just ones self is reality here.

[eezergood]

Will never change UNTIL we have serious consequences for those responsible.

[firestar]

The only surprising thing about these accidents is that they don't happen more often.

[Farfetched]

I (with tongue placed firmly in cheek) just want to say how proud I am to come from a civilized country where breaks on busses never fail and all drivers know how to stop their vehicles going down hill with no breaks. IT"S AN ACCIDENT...Fesces Occures.

[youngXpat]

Will never change UNTIL we have serious consequences for those responsible.

SO true.

[Udox]

I seem to recall that the last time this happened a few months ago, the authorities promised thorough checks on all public buses and minivans in Phuket. The result was exactly as we expected and as we can see how well those checks were carried out. As long as money is God - it will always be more important than life.

[captnhoy]

I (with tongue placed firmly in cheek) just want to say how proud I am to come from a civilized country where breaks on busses never fail and all drivers know how to stop their vehicles going down hill with no breaks. IT"S AN ACCIDENT...Fesces Occures.

Not really - a collision based on a lack of maintenance is negligence. Reckless endangerment if no one had died.

[jacko45k]

I have to keep reminding myself to not have the same expectations for Thailand as a "developed" country...it is still a developing country like the ones in Africa. But I am fooled sometimes becaue of the modern buildings and infrastructure. Neglect of maintenance, no enforcement of rules or laws, and lack of caring for ones community- just ones self is reality here.

You make a valid point... I mean China is a developing country too. They seem to be investing in infrastructure more-so than Thailand. A nice metro system from the bridge to Patong and maybe the airport would be quite an improvement. It isn't as if Phuket hasn't been making money.

Edited March 15, 2013 by jacko45k

[harber8]

Is this old news? I'm sure I've seen this story already...a few hundred times!!!!!!!!!!

Simple MOT's for vehicles???

Silly me...not simple enough for Thais.

Let's just sit back and watch hundreds more people die.

[stevenl]

Is this old news? I'm sure I've seen this story already...a few hundred times!!!!!!!!!!

Simple MOT's for vehicles???

Silly me...not simple enough for Thais.

Let's just sit back and watch hundreds more people die.

There is a MOT here.

[fezman]

Busses in the south are shockers,I caught one a few years ago from Surat Thani to phuket ,never again.bus was near three hours late ,then there about ten of us had to sit on the floor in the aisle all the way ,even though we all had paid for a seat on air con bus.I was lucky and got to sit on the hot motor for hours wedged between the seat armrests .some of those busses should not be allowed on the road .best wishes to the injured and I hope this might cause a shake up of the industry and get some safety checks put in place.i heard Nakhon chai air wanted to start up down there too but they wouldn't let them , they would have got all the business ,there safe ,well maintained and change drivers every few hours and drive at the speed limit .

Remember, you do live in a developing country, things aren't always going to be like they are back home, fezman,

True mate , but I'm talking about the NCA bus line that runs to Isaan ,it's great ,new buses and safe ,there better than in my home country .and I just got back from a bus ride in the Philippines ,that was real rough .we do have better transport here.

[webfact]

UPDATE
Phuket: Witness describes Patong bus crash horror
Tanyaluk Sakoot



PHUKET: -- Phuket taxi driver Anan Phemjit, 56, has described scenes following a bus crash on Patong Hill this morning (March 15), saying he looked in his rear view mirror to see ‘injured bike riders lying all over the road’.

Aphitwat Phetsai, 19, a Patong hotel worker, died in this morning’s crash. Nine other people were injured when the bus with failed brakes headed downhill into Patong, sideswiping several cars and knocking motorbike riders flying around 7:40am.

The bus, from Air Bus Co, was carrying no passengers at the time. The driver of the bus, Thamanun Pinthongpan, was taken to Bangkok Hospital suffering from chest injuries and a broken left wrist.

Taxi driver Mr Anan told The Phuket News his taxi was rammed from behind.

“I was on my way from Phuket Town to Patong. There was a traffic jam and I came to a halt in the front of Wat Suwankiriwong [at the foot of the hill, on the Patong side].

“The first thing I knew was when I was slammed into from behind by a Toyota Vios.

“I looked in my rear view mirror and could see the road littered with cars and motorbikes that had been smashed by the bus as it came careering down on the hill.

“The bus kept coming, smashing into cars and bikes. There were bike riders lying all over the road. I could see many were injured.

“Finally, the bus hit the temple wall and stopped.”

He climbed out of his taxi.

“Two women were lying in the road near my car. They asked me to help; their faces were covered in blood. When the Kusondharm Foundation arrived I got them to give first aid to the women and take them to Patong hospital.

“It was very scary, absolutely horrible,” Mr Anan said.

Traffic on Patong Hill heading towards Phuket Town is now flowing relatively normally but there are major traffic jams in the other direction as police continue to clear up the wreckage.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-witness-describes-patong-bus-crash-horror-37859.php


-- Phuket News 2013-03-15

[laurentbkk]

terrible accident again ..... failure in break ....well time to send those old buses to control .