Bad Accident Between Big Buddha And Tong Sai Bay Turn

[SamuiRes]

Isuzu missed the corner and hit an oncoming taxi about 23.00 tonight - 50 metres further and it would have been me. I do not think anyone was seriously injured although two guys in the back of the Isuzu had some cuts and bruises. Thai family in the taxi were pretty shaken. Road will be difficult to pass for a while.

Samui Rescue on the scene very quickly. No sign of any police when I left.

Sorry about the spelling in the heading - should of course be Big Buddha but cannot edit that apparently

Edited April 25, 2013 by SamuiRes

[PoorSucker]

Title edited.

[Tropicalevo]

There were a couple of bikes down on the road when I went past at 11.30. Possibly took the corner too quick and drove into the debris and cars parked across the road.

Pretty nasty looking stuff - with Samui Rescue and the police in attendance.

A lot of taxis parked up in the area - presumably offering moral support to the taxi in the accident.

Hope that the only damage was to the vehicles.

Stay safe people.

[SamuiRes]

Title edited.

Thanks for the edit.

On reflection overnight it really is so scary how near I came to being in the place of that taxi, and I do hope they are all OK. They did all appear to walk away from the car and I did not see anyone left in the taxi. The driver of the Isuzu though was stuck - not badly, just could not open the door to get out. His passengers though were cursing him as they said they had told him to slow down.

And then I realised that my wife had driven round that same corner a few minutes earlier and if the car had hit her on her bike...........

I have seen a few bad accidents over the years but the potential for this one to have been a lot more serious than it seems to have been is frightening. The taxi in front of me was not driving fast or dangerously and it just goes to show that no matter how careful you are on the roads, you cannot account for the stupidity of others. The young man, not Thai, driving that Isuzu has a lot to answer for and a spell in a Thai jail would not be amiss and needs widely publishing in the hope to warn others of the consequences of reckless actions.

[carmine]

Title edited.

Thanks for the edit.

On reflection overnight it really is so scary how near I came to being in the place of that taxi, and I do hope they are all OK. They did all appear to walk away from the car and I did not see anyone left in the taxi. The driver of the Isuzu though was stuck - not badly, just could not open the door to get out. His passengers though were cursing him as they said they had told him to slow down.

And then I realised that my wife had driven round that same corner a few minutes earlier and if the car had hit her on her bike...........

I have seen a few bad accidents over the years but the potential for this one to have been a lot more serious than it seems to have been is frightening. The taxi in front of me was not driving fast or dangerously and it just goes to show that no matter how careful you are on the roads, you cannot account for the stupidity of others. The young man, not Thai, driving that Isuzu has a lot to answer for and a spell in a Thai jail would not be amiss and needs widely publishing in the hope to warn others of the consequences of reckless actions.

Yes he does have a lot to answer for but here lies the problem. There is no accountability and people here do not seem to have to take any real responsability for their actions.

I live in Plai Laem and know that corner well. What on earth was going through that imbeciles head to have been driving a vehicle at such a speed. He should be locked up but i suppose a slap on the wrist is the most that he'll get and will no doubt learn nothing and carry on as before. Maybe next time some poor innocent soul will be killed.

[Rooo]

I wonder if the gave him a Breathalyzer test.

[carmine]

I wonder if the gave him a Breathalyzer test.

You would like to think so but.......

That bend is a very dangerous spot. Vehicles driving too fast, cutting across the other side of the road blind into oncoming traffic. I know of one guy that had to ride his bike off the road to avoid some lunatic trying to overtake a vehicle on the bend. If he didn't ride off the road he would have been hit head on.

[yorkie100]

I must have been following right behind SamuiRes. The scene looked very bad. Glad to hear no-one seriously injured.

What struck me was the number of onlookers gathered and gawping as though someone was putting on some sort of entertainment show!

Also the bikes trying to get past the scene weaving in and out past the crash with, as usual, complete disregard for everyone's safety standing around.

As Carmine says, extremely dangerous corner, the very least that needs to be done is erect large lighted chevron signs warning of the corner, unlikely to happen though I suppose.

[SamuiRes]

I must have been following right behind SamuiRes. The scene looked very bad. Glad to hear no-one seriously injured.

What struck me was the number of onlookers gathered and gawping as though someone was putting on some sort of entertainment show!

Also the bikes trying to get past the scene weaving in and out past the crash with, as usual, complete disregard for everyone's safety standing around.

As Carmine says, extremely dangerous corner, the very least that needs to be done is erect large lighted chevron signs warning of the corner, unlikely to happen though I suppose.

I was behind two taxis and it was the first one that was hit. I was dialling Samui Rescue as I got out of my car and the Thai family were getting out of the taxi with one very distraught little girl. The Thais were helping them and I went to see who was in the Isuzu. Two men -early to mid 20's I guess - had been thrown clear. One had a couple of nasty puncture wounds in his side and the other a few scratches and bruised shoulder. They were very lucky. The driver was still in the car and clearly dazed by what had happened - then Samui Rescue arrived so left them to it and got my car out of the way. There were a couple of bikes in the road, one had been following the first taxi and was pushed back by the impact. The rider got up and walked away but obviously in shock. As you say - many rubber neckers but that happens all over the world.

[BigC]

I must have been following right behind SamuiRes. The scene looked very bad. Glad to hear no-one seriously injured.

What struck me was the number of onlookers gathered and gawping as though someone was putting on some sort of entertainment show!

Also the bikes trying to get past the scene weaving in and out past the crash with, as usual, complete disregard for everyone's safety standing around.

As Carmine says, extremely dangerous corner, the very least that needs to be done is erect large lighted chevron signs warning of the corner, unlikely to happen though I suppose.

I was behind two taxis and it was the first one that was hit. I was dialling Samui Rescue as I got out of my car and the Thai family were getting out of the taxi with one very distraught little girl. The Thais were helping them and I went to see who was in the Isuzu. Two men -early to mid 20's I guess - had been thrown clear. One had a couple of nasty puncture wounds in his side and the other a few scratches and bruised shoulder. They were very lucky. The driver was still in the car and clearly dazed by what had happened - then Samui Rescue arrived so left them to it and got my car out of the way. There were a couple of bikes in the road, one had been following the first taxi and was pushed back by the impact. The rider got up and walked away but obviously in shock. As you say - many rubber neckers but that happens all over the world.

i herd that the driver was drunk as a skunk. As i was in Thai Inter when they brought th driver in. He was out of his nut and tested

[PoorSucker]

According to my source that have the same nationality as the seven that travelled in the Pick-up.

1. The driver punched a police volunteer in the face and

2. When Police came, an officer got punched in the face and

3. They all claimed it was the taxi drivers fault.

[Birdman]

That corner is very, very dangerous indeed. More for the one who is driving toward Tong Sai, because many, who drive toward Big Buddha, are too quick for that small, sharp curve and therefore they sudden come on the outer, other lane, your lane.

There are so many vehicles now on Samui and so many people driving extremely wild and dangerous. Motorcycles, cars, minbuses and trucks, everyone on and in that,Thais, Farangs, expast, tourists, workers............It really is unbelievable, what is going on on the streets.....!!

One of the most dangerous crossings is the one out from Macro turning right on ring road. You can hardly see properly, if someone is coming or not. Because that crossing is on the hill and almost everyone is speeding on that part of the ring road, which on both sides is lower than you can see......actually, I don't like to drive on Samui

[SamuiRes]

According to my source that have the same nationality as the seven that travelled in the Pick-up.

1. The driver punched a police volunteer in the face and

2. When Police came, an officer got punched in the face and

3. They all claimed it was the taxi drivers fault.

Whoa! Don't know where that last statement can have come from. It happened right in front of me and in no way was the taxi driver at fault - absolutely not - and I am no great fan of Samui taxi drivers. I do not know if the Isuzu driver was drunk. Stupid, careless. reckless and 100% to blame for what happened. If he was drunk then he deserves all the time he is going to get in a Thai jail.

The two passengers from the Isuzu that I spoke to were also in no doubt as to whose fault this accident was.

Edited April 26, 2013 by SamuiRes

[John 1]

According to my source that have the same nationality as the seven that travelled in the Pick-up.

1. The driver punched a police volunteer in the face and

2. When Police came, an officer got punched in the face and

3. They all claimed it was the taxi drivers fault.

Whoa! Don't know where that last statement can have come from. It happened right in front of me and in no way was the taxi driver at fault - absolutely not - and I am no great fan of Samui taxi drivers. I do not know if the Isuzu driver was drunk. Stupid, careless. reckless and 100% to blame for what happened. If he was drunk then he deserves all the time he is going to get in a Thai jail.

The two passengers from the Isuzu that I spoke to were also in no doubt as to whose fault this accident was.

I don't think this accident would warrant any jail time as no one was killed. Even if people are killed in a accident not very often does someone end up in jail, normally the vehicle is impounded and it's settled through negotiations at the police station.

[carmine]

According to my source that have the same nationality as the seven that travelled in the Pick-up.

1. The driver punched a police volunteer in the face and

2. When Police came, an officer got punched in the face and

3. They all claimed it was the taxi drivers fault.

Whoa! Don't know where that last statement can have come from. It happened right in front of me and in no way was the taxi driver at fault - absolutely not - and I am no great fan of Samui taxi drivers. I do not know if the Isuzu driver was drunk. Stupid, careless. reckless and 100% to blame for what happened. If he was drunk then he deserves all the time he is going to get in a Thai jail.

The two passengers from the Isuzu that I spoke to were also in no doubt as to whose fault this accident was.

I don't think this accident would warrant any jail time as no one was killed. Even if people are killed in a accident not very often does someone end up in jail, normally the vehicle is impounded and it's settled through negotiations at the police station.

From what i've read on this thread it won't be long before they do end up killing someone. You'd have to be very naive to think this was a one off drink driving escapade. If they hit a copper as someone says they are really going to be regreting that now they have had time to sober up. Thai police don't like being assaulted....least of all by drunk foreigners.

[samuibeachcomber]

I must have been following right behind SamuiRes. The scene looked very bad. Glad to hear no-one seriously injured.

What struck me was the number of onlookers gathered and gawping as though someone was putting on some sort of entertainment show!

Also the bikes trying to get past the scene weaving in and out past the crash with, as usual, complete disregard for everyone's safety standing around.

As Carmine says, extremely dangerous corner, the very least that needs to be done is erect large lighted chevron signs warning of the corner, unlikely to happen though I suppose.

how about putting up a couple of 2 way mirrors on that corner,and for night time flashing orange/yellow lights?

[samuibeachcomber]

As someone else said,samui is becoming a nightmare to drive on,whether you drive a car/truck,or a motor bike.The roads around samui are narrow with little room to widen,and we now have traffic congestion,also as a result of the thai govts. 100,000 baht rebate for 1st time buyers,this can be seen by the number of red coloured number plates on new SUV's and pick up trucks.More and more people wanting to come and live here only exacerbates the problem.The people involved in thurs. accident are lucky to still be alive.

[Tropicalevo]

Yes he does have a lot to answer for but here lies the problem. There is no accountability and people here do not seem to have to take any real responsability for their actions.

I live in Plai Laem and know that corner well. What on earth was going through that imbeciles head to have been driving a vehicle at such a speed. He should be locked up but i suppose a slap on the wrist is the most that he'll get and will no doubt learn nothing and carry on as before. Maybe next time some poor innocent soul will be killed.

Carmine, unfortunately you are 100% correct.

The question on Samui is not "Will I have a traffic accident?"

It is "When will I have that traffic accident?"

[sbk]

According to my source that have the same nationality as the seven that travelled in the Pick-up.

1. The driver punched a police volunteer in the face and

2. When Police came, an officer got punched in the face and

3. They all claimed it was the taxi drivers fault.

Whoa! Don't know where that last statement can have come from. It happened right in front of me and in no way was the taxi driver at fault - absolutely not - and I am no great fan of Samui taxi drivers. I do not know if the Isuzu driver was drunk. Stupid, careless. reckless and 100% to blame for what happened. If he was drunk then he deserves all the time he is going to get in a Thai jail.

The two passengers from the Isuzu that I spoke to were also in no doubt as to whose fault this accident was.

I don't think this accident would warrant any jail time as no one was killed. Even if people are killed in a accident not very often does someone end up in jail, normally the vehicle is impounded and it's settled through negotiations at the police station.

Unless Poor sucker's story is right, punching a policeman won't get you far anywhere in the world.

[Thai Bairn]

As someone else said,samui is becoming a nightmare to drive on,whether you drive a car/truck,or a motor bike.The roads around samui are narrow with little room to widen,and we now have traffic congestion,also as a result of the thai govts. 100,000 baht rebate for 1st time buyers,this can be seen by the number of red coloured number plates on new SUV's and pick up trucks.More and more people wanting to come and live here only exacerbates the problem.The people involved in thurs. accident are lucky to still be alive.

Not arguing about the roads being a nightmare, but the 1st time buyer rebate didn't cover SUV's and pick-ups.

[gusG]

Yes it did cover pick-ups, I don't know about SUV's.

[evadgib]

"Why can't we have this in Thailand?" asked my son two days into a visit to UK where zebra crossings and push button traffic lights are very much the norm.

He answered his own question a few mins later with "if I do this<set foot on the road in front of a car> in Thailand i'll die!"

Out of the mouths of babes...?

[Rooo]

As someone else said,samui is becoming a nightmare to drive on,whether you drive a car/truck,or a motor bike.The roads around samui are narrow with little room to widen,and we now have traffic congestion,also as a result of the thai govts. 100,000 baht rebate for 1st time buyers,this can be seen by the number of red coloured number plates on new SUV's and pick up trucks.More and more people wanting to come and live here only exacerbates the problem.The people involved in thurs. accident are lucky to still be alive.

Not arguing about the roads being a nightmare, but the 1st time buyer rebate didn't cover SUV's and pick-ups.

Yes it did cover pick-ups, I don't know about SUV's.

A bit off topic , but here is the list. Not all got 100K, different scale.

Full list here for the pickups: https://firstcar.exc...up_19092555.pdf

And here for the cars: https://firstcar.exc...ar_06092555.pdf

[yorkie100]

Yesterday evening, sometime around 5pm another car, again, clearly going far too fast failed to make the bend and embedded itself well into a concrete electricity pylon, this time coming from the opposite direction.

Not sure if there were casualties although it would appear so as there was no-one else there apart from the driver of the truck which arrived to tow the car away.

[yorkie100]

....and yet another smash, this time at the top of Soi 4 (Soi Piangjai) where it appeared that a pickup failed to stop at the top of the road and careered straight in to the side of an oncoming car from Choengmon.

Happened about 12.30 am this morning. Not sure about injuries, didn't want to stop and rubberneck.

Add to that the terrible accident around three weeks ago I saw near Sabinglae restaurant where the two English guys were killed and the one I saw that started this thread and I've really had enough.

When will someone do something about this carnage on the roads?

[John 1]

....and yet another smash, this time at the top of Soi 4 (Soi Piangjai) where it appeared that a pickup failed to stop at the top of the road and careered straight in to the side of an oncoming car from Choengmon.

Happened about 12.30 am this morning. Not sure about injuries, didn't want to stop and rubberneck.

Add to that the terrible accident around three weeks ago I saw near Sabinglae restaurant where the two English guys were killed and the one I saw that started this thread and I've really had enough.

When will someone do something about this carnage on the roads?

All appear to be driver error what can we do.

[samuibeachcomber]

....and yet another smash, this time at the top of Soi 4 (Soi Piangjai) where it appeared that a pickup failed to stop at the top of the road and careered straight in to the side of an oncoming car from Choengmon.

Happened about 12.30 am this morning. Not sure about injuries, didn't want to stop and rubberneck.

Add to that the terrible accident around three weeks ago I saw near Sabinglae restaurant where the two English guys were killed and the one I saw that started this thread and I've really had enough.

When will someone do something about this carnage on the roads?

All appear to be driver error what can we do.

there is only one answer....................nothing! however the Samui authorities in conjunction with the police could set up breathaliser units plus the use of radar to catch speeding drivers(after having decided upon speed limits around the island and put up signs with the speed limit on).And lastly from now on make it obligatory to take driving tests before a licence can be issued.Which would mean more spot checks to see if rider/driver has a licence.No licence impound car/bike.Of course i cant see it happening,There is now very heavy traffic every day around the n/e part of the island.Spot checks would only increase this.

[John 1]

....and yet another smash, this time at the top of Soi 4 (Soi Piangjai) where it appeared that a pickup failed to stop at the top of the road and careered straight in to the side of an oncoming car from Choengmon.

Happened about 12.30 am this morning. Not sure about injuries, didn't want to stop and rubberneck.

Add to that the terrible accident around three weeks ago I saw near Sabinglae restaurant where the two English guys were killed and the one I saw that started this thread and I've really had enough.

When will someone do something about this carnage on the roads?

All appear to be driver error what can we do.

there is only one answer....................nothing! however the Samui authorities in conjunction with the police could set up breathaliser units plus the use of radar to catch speeding drivers(after having decided upon speed limits around the island and put up signs with the speed limit on).And lastly from now on make it obligatory to take driving tests before a licence can be issued.Which would mean more spot checks to see if rider/driver has a licence.No licence impound car/bike.Of course i cant see it happening,There is now very heavy traffic every day around the n/e part of the island.Spot checks would only increase this.

I've checked my average speed recorded on the car trip meter over the last few months and it's showing 30km per hour I don't think speed restrictions are needed it's nearly impossible to do even 60 unless going from from lamai to Nathon.

[Rooo]

Here is an interesting link, wonder if it will ever work in Phuket or here.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/637710-tourism-minister-international-licenses-a-must-for-phuket-car-bike-rentals/

[John 1]

Here is an interesting link, wonder if it will ever work in Phuket or here.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/637710-tourism-minister-international-licenses-a-must-for-phuket-car-bike-rentals/

It won't work anywhere unless passed by a law in Bkk this is about country laws not one area. The only thing a valid licence does when renting if having an accident, there is some chance the insurance company will cover the cost's. One think that might help is tell the european's to drive on the left how many times I've seen them come out of a side road and go to drive on right side. I'm assuming they are French or German.