Phuket: One Dead In Patong Hill Smash

[Johnnie99]

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.

Blazing away on the horn would have made no difference at all, no one takes any notice.

[youngXpat]

Some here say, 'You know, accidents happen' and this is true of everywhere BUT these accidents are becoming common place, sorry not becoming ARE common place, all over the country.

'Accidents happen' brigade; if one of your family died because another vehicle's maintenance or lack of it was the cause of an accident, somewhere here in Thailand and you knowing the contributing factors to this, would you still be so casual with your thoughts? Just asking.

[eddie61]

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

It starts very young; boys in Thailand grow up with a sense of being beyond accountability for their actions; I still can't explain why, but maybe it is because it is a patriarchal society, supported by a dysfunctional education system.

These little princes go on to be business men, politicians, bus drivers, civil servants, and baby makers, but still don't take responsibility for their actions.

Personally, I think this is a chinese import; a penis is a little magic wand for reckless disregard for the consequences of their actions. Just look at the number of buffoons in parliament, and all should be clear.

I am happy to have a magic wand but was brought up to use it with discretion.........Also, I only hire women!

Edited March 15, 2013 by eddie61

[retell]

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.

nah only check when something fails

[I wonder]

Hmmm.....brake failure or fade because the clown had been sitting with his foot on the brake pedal getting them nice and hot for the descent instead of using his gearbox as sensible drivers do......especially professional drivers that have people's life in their hands.

Oh yeah I almost forgot.....TIT

[apetley]

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.

Of course bus accidents occur in civilised(your word) countries. There they are a thankfully rare event and when they happen you can be sure they are properly investigated,lessons learned and if there are guilty parties they are almost certainly held accountable.

Unfortunately here in Thailand you read almost daily on TV of a bus or minivan accident.

It is one of the tradgedies here that it just keeps happening and that there seems a lack of will to do anything about it.

[Marlow999]

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

You changed down using the handbrake? That's a new trick, well done.

[laislica]

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

You changed down using the handbrake? That's a new trick, well done.

Well done Marlow, bored are we? A really helpful and witty comment to be proud of.

[skorchio]

The state of the buses crossing the hill every day is shocking. During Chinese New Year, every day there were buses broken down on the hill. Regularly passengers had to alight the bus, walk up the hill and wait to board it again at the top. Unsafe and incapable of going up, and downright deathtraps going down. And no one gives a fork ....

[sandhurstmolonski]

This is a Repeat of just a Few Months Ago , and I believe the Same Infamous hill .

[Tboy928]

This is a Repeat of just a Few Months Ago , and I believe the Same Infamous hill .

this happends every week here in Phuket and this hill down from welcome sign to Patong , Buses and trucks , and will do next week also, wait and see

[yasorab]

When oh when are the Thai's going to wake up? Public transport should and indeed must under go regular tests and checks to insure that they are fit for purpose. You just have to drive along any road anywhere at any time to see a battered tired old wreck crabbing along the road (at speed and usually on the wrong side) to see that most if not all Thai coaches, public transport are NOT fit or safe. The Thais do not comprehend that these things usually have at least 30 lives at stake on board. But that does not seem to matter in a country where life is cheap!

[horsewell]

With the number of break failures and engine failures (buses stuck on the hill itself) that happen you would think that the powers that be would try and keep them off the big hills. Really, those big buses in Patong are just ridiculous! Most of the roads / streets in Patong either have cars parked on both sides or are little lane ways. Some buildings jut out into the streets. It's funny when you see one of those buses have to back up because it's just too big to turn into the street in one motion.

[Yahooka]

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.

Dream on !! There gonna be even more buses in the years to come.More "quality" tourists every year means more buses to drive them around to explore the "attractions" on the island and nearby areas.

[rattler]

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.

Have you not noticed they act like Ostriches when you do this, many a time I see a car about to pull out I honk ,flash lights , I know they have damn well seen me but still they come and worse still they do it VERY slowly which they seem to think justifies them doing it.

Or the pedestrian who just looks at the ground no eye contact when they step into the road.

Edited March 15, 2013 by rattler

[Travelman868]

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.

Double de clutching, or shifting gears using engine revs.

The bus may have had air brakes, early types did not lock on when air ran out.

Thankfully he had not picked up passengers

[eezergood]

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

It starts very young; boys in Thailand grow up with a sense of being beyond accountability for their actions; I still can't explain why, but maybe it is because it is a patriarchal society, supported by a dysfunctional education system.

These little princes go on to be business men, politicians, bus drivers, civil servants, and baby makers, but still don't take responsibility for their actions.

Personally, I think this is a chinese import; a penis is a little magic wand for reckless disregard for the consequences of their actions. Just look at the number of buffoons in parliament, and all should be clear.

I am happy to have a magic wand but was brought up to use it with discretion.........Also, I only hire women!

Same here, I only hire ladies wherever possible - over 35 even better, as they have kids already in school

Edited March 15, 2013 by eezergood

[Loptr]

I have to chuckle at the normal responses expounding righteous indignation when something like this happens in Thailand. Just where do you think you are, the EU or the US? Anyone that has spent more than a fortnight in Thailand knows that human life is cheap and baht is king. Sure there will be a lot of hand wringing, but nothing will be done to prevent this type of incident in the future. RIP to the dead hotel worker and a speedy recovery to those injured, but this will continue to happen because no one cares.

[NamKangMan]

I have to chuckle at the normal responses expounding righteous indignation when something like this happens in Thailand. Just where do you think you are, the EU or the US? Anyone that has spent more than a fortnight in Thailand knows that human life is cheap and baht is king. Sure there will be a lot of hand wringing, but nothing will be done to prevent this type of incident in the future. RIP to the dead hotel worker and a speedy recovery to those injured, but this will continue to happen because no one cares.

Totally agree. This is a 3rd World Country. Pure and simple.

It will not be the rich Thai owner as a passenger on his own bus, no, he will be driving his European car around. His passengers will be the poorer Thai's and/or backpackers and he will be paying 300 baht a day to his driver. You get what you pay for. Either way, after every passenger buys their ticket, the owner gets his money, whether you make it to your destination alive, or not.

[mok199]

......the tour bus..............my pet peve....as we see more and more of them,as they churn out plums of black smoke down tiny soi,s,and drive as if they were late for lunch....hair straight back,full speed ahead...and to bad if you get in the way...speed = $$....caution only costs you money...is the philosophy of these bus diver/god's....they need to go to school and learn how to drive with respect for people around them...actually most thais in the tourist buis need to a course in how to respect tourists,and the enviorment...my second peve..the plastic bag....