Injured Man Dies After Bangkok Cop Tells Ambulance To Move

[kannot]

Cause of accident "electric post in way"

[fishhooks]

Looks like he will get the inactive post for a while.

Would you kindly keep an 'eye' on that and report back?

[Preman]

Exactly, the Paramedics should have held their ground. As far as I am aware the Thai language has no words for awareness, logic or common sense.

If the paramedic stood his ground, he would risk a bullet in the head. The paramedic did in fact have common sense.

He moved away as instructed by a crazed policeman with a gun.

What would you do? This is Thailand. Just as the man on the bike who had the accident's life is not worth much. You think that a paramedic who is defying the police has a chance? Think again.

[fishhooks]

It's not just the policeman telling them to move the ambulance, it's the fact that the paramedics actually did it that concerns me.

Not really surprising sir!

From the years I have spent in this country since around 1970, Thai's, (and this is no disrespect), will back down and bow to any other Thai who may be even slightly more of prominence to themselves.

Even if they don't really need to!

Bred into the culture and again no disrespect.......Just the way it is.

Edited June 6, 2013 by fishhooks

[BanTamo]

Buddhism, and the Thai language, both very definitely have the concept of awareness at their very heart ( Thai language removed ) is but one of the relevant words. Trouble is, contemporary Thai society is about as Buddhist as Wall Street or the City are Christian.

Edited June 6, 2013 by metisdead
English is the only acceptable language, except within the Thai language forum, where of course using Thai is allowed.

[Bagwan]

<deleted> since when did the police have authority over ambos in a life and death situation? I have attended numerous serious incidents and accidents and we definitely can not give orders to ambo's. An ambulance attending a life threatening situation can park anywhere it bloody well likes as human life takes priority over everything. Who cares if traffic is held up if it saves a life. What the BIB should have been was diverting traffic down another route ( if possible) even if it is 1km back down the road.

I would hate to be in this coppers shoes if it was in Australia as he would be in a pile of poop and facing internal disciplinary action and lets not forget a coronial inquiry where he could be found to have contributed to the death and the civil action that may come after. If it was an Aussie ambo the copper would have been told to pull his head in and to F off.

oops. Misread the the I was replying to.

Sent from my i-mobile i-STYLE Q6

Edited June 6, 2013 by Bagwan

[BanTamo]

Anyone else heard the Thais jokingly interpret the sound an ambulance makes as "Die nya! Die nya!"?

In English that means "surely dead! surely dead!"

[retell]

Exactly, the Paramedics should have held their ground. As far as I am aware the Thai language has no words for awareness, logic or common sense.

If the paramedic stood his ground, he would risk a bullet in the head. The paramedic did in fact have common sense.

He moved away as instructed by a crazed policeman with a gun.

What would you do? This is Thailand. Just as the man on the bike who had the accident's life is not worth much. You think that a paramedic who is defying the police has a chance? Think again.

option give paramedics and fire-fighters bigger guns (and sirens)

[changnaam]

The point is, someone could have been alive tonight, maybe in hospital and in a bad way, but given a chance to see another day, family, children or just another sunrise.

The actions of this clown could have put an end to that.

Will it ever change? Not in my lifetime, and I hope to have another 40 years if I stay away from this kind of trouble.

[snooky]

"My Thai girl friend who holds a Master's Degree from a prestigious university here, who has been to the USA and who works as an executive in a Security company in Laksi, explained to me how wrong I was thinking that I, a human being, had the right of way over cars at crosswalks. She quoted parts of the Thai Driver's license textbook: "pedestrians should not block the passage of cars in order to maintain the traffic flowing". Another Thai friend, who has traveled to Japan and other countries said with a smile across his face that, the better the car the greater the right of way."

Still your girlfriend after those words? No wonder so many guys get taken for everything if they hang on to someone like that. Must be fantastic in the sack or very rich. Uncaring, unthinking, mentally sick and several other unprintable adjectives come to mind - also the best possible outcome might be a lobotomy for those two persons mentioned and those who think similarly.

Edited June 6, 2013 by snooky

[rbrooks]

... and once again I say, never move to Thailand, or you will die.

When I first moved here I saw this guy get his chest blown open by an exploding gas container. He was bleeding out right there in front of my office. I jumped into lifeguard mode and simultaneously tried to instruct his friend on first aid while also arranging for a ride in a neighbor's truck... I swear on my life, the friend looked me in the eye and waved me off while literally a dozen other people just stood there and did absolutely nothing. No ambulance was called. Nothing was done to stop the bleeding. I eventually organized the truck and a makeshift stretcher just to see the guy check out right there in front of me.

I dont know if it's Buddhism, or a general lack of faith in infrastructure or what. But from that day I knew for sure, gawd forbid I ever find myself bleeding on the street with nothing but Thais around me.

Footnote: I didn't get a single acknowledgement for at least trying to do something .. but at least I now know for certain how I react in an emergency.

I have a Thai lady friend who is a widower here in Florida. She receives a couple of pensions and has excellent medical care here through her deceased husband's military medical program. I asked her one day why she did not go back to Thailand to stay since she has way more than enough money and can live a comfortable life in her homeland. She told me that she would probably die in Thailand if she had to rely on other Thais and Thai hospitals. She knew she would never receive the kind of medical care and attention she had here in America. She said there is nothing in Thailand for her to go back to. Her family basically disowned her in Thailand when she went with her husband to live in America.

[rbrooks]

How stupid can you be as a cop to think that avoiding a traffic jam is more important than saving a person's life. Only in Thailand can this happen it seem priorities are different there.

[louse1953]

I was bottled on New Years Eve,plenty of Thai strangers helped me,and there was a lot of blood.

[retell]

How stupid can you be as a cop to think that avoiding a traffic jam is more important than saving a person's life. Only in Thailand can this happen it seem priorities are different there.

right way would be the cop makes sure everybody waits behind the ambulance and after that one rides keep em there for a few minutes so the ambulance got a nice cleared road

to make it to the hospital asap

[navara]

farang ?

[Salapoo]

a policeman rode up on his motorcycle

The surprising thing is that the BiB actually left his air conditioned box to do something about the traffic.

Not to mention the man dying in the middle of the road.

Beautiful buddhists.

[dighambara]

Good thing there's video evidence so that this can't be denied. To protect, and serve (their own interests). This is ultimately why I left Thailand. Beautiful country but you can't raise a family in a place where you can't expect the police to put the safety of others first, especially when the proper course of action is so obvious. RIP to the injured and now deceased man.

It is a fact that police carry guns to protect themselves, not citizens. Even in the US, Police response is 20 -30 minutes for any situation and any important work needs to be undertaken before they arrive. True, US Police would have moved traffic around the ambulance.

[Bagwan]

Good thing there's video evidence so that this can't be denied. To protect, and serve (their own interests). This is ultimately why I left Thailand. Beautiful country but you can't raise a family in a place where you can't expect the police to put the safety of others first, especially when the proper course of action is so obvious. RIP to the injured and now deceased man.

I can appreciate your line of reasoning.

I on the other hand appreciate that here in Thailand a person learns to take more responsibility for their well being and try to instill it in their family. Rather than a government say we will take care of you don't bother to look both ways we have law's.

This is not a knock against the Nannie countries just a choice I prefer.

In the Nannie countries you learn a certain amount of self reliance just as in Thailand you learn a certain amount of reliance. It is a black and white situation with a lot of gray area.

I have a friend who is moving back home because he wants his children to have a better education.

I think that i know what you are trying to say in your second sentence but the way you have expressed it is contrary to my experiences here over a considerable period of time. Getting a Thai to take responsibility for anything is attempting the impossible. As for instilling self accountability within the family the only mantra that has reached my ears is that Buddha will take care. I do not believe in pre-ordination. My experience is that God or any other deity, surreal or otherwise, helps those who help themselves.

I note that the top cop responsible for traffic control emphasised that the incident was not on his patch, it had nothing to do with him and apparently had nothing positive to say, like, I have instructed my officers to take a different view than the <deleted> cop did in this case. Such is the standard of news reporting this must have as come as news to the reporter who asked him the question(s).

[retell]

Good thing there's video evidence so that this can't be denied. To protect, and serve (their own interests). This is ultimately why I left Thailand. Beautiful country but you can't raise a family in a place where you can't expect the police to put the safety of others first, especially when the proper course of action is so obvious. RIP to the injured and now deceased man.

It is a fact that police carry guns to protect themselves, not citizens. Even in the US, Police response is 20 -30 minutes for any situation and any important work needs to be undertaken before they arrive. True, US Police would have moved traffic around the ambulance.

or when serious keep all lanes blocked till the screens are up so no disaster tourist fatalities

[Docno]

The lack of giving way to ambulances is not unique to Thailand. It's the norm here in 'advanced' Singapore where I have lived for many years. I have NEVER seen cars pull to the side for ambulances. Makes me crazy to see an ambulance stuck in traffic with it's lights and siren going, thinking about the poor soul who may be in the back. But I've also never seen the issue raised in the media here... no-one thinks twice about it. I can't fathom why. Regardless... it's certainly not a 'Thai thing' (or anything to do with 'Buddhist resignation', as some have suggested).

[ARBEZ]

All Plods are self-serving, money-hungry half-wits. End of story.

Please do not exaggerate, they are less than half-wits

[Phronesis]

Wow...rather spooky to read this thread.

I was confronted with exactly the same situation earlier in the week here in Phuket.

Two policeman blocked my attempt to provide first aid to a young lad choking to death on his own vomit.

My story is here:

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/643827-choking-to-death-on-his-own-vomit/

[Unkomoncents]

Good thing there's video evidence so that this can't be denied. To protect, and serve (their own interests). This is ultimately why I left Thailand. Beautiful country but you can't raise a family in a place where you can't expect the police to put the safety of others first, especially when the proper course of action is so obvious. RIP to the injured and now deceased man.

Absolute rubbish! If you are sensible and make sensible decisions regarding your family, then this is a great country to raise a family. There's obviously another reason you left Thailand, but will blame it on these kinds of things.

It happens in every country in the world, even yours mate!

When something so awful has happened (and when such things happen so regularly), why would I need to another secret reason for leaving Thailand? That's not logical at all. Nope. Sorry buddy. You're just wrong. Thailand is a terrible place to raise children. First of all, you can't tell me what does and doesn't happen in my country. I live there. I see every day the kinds of things that happen, and I can tell you with more conviction than I've felt about anything in my life that these kinds of things DO NOT happen where I live. Everyday school lets in my hometown of Wellington, Florida, the police form a protective blockade and, with lights flashing, oversee the transfer of every child to their parents. The safety of the children is the NUMBER ONE priority for everyone in the vicinity of the school. Crossing guards assist the children every day with the task of crossing the street. NEVER EVER have I seen the kind of chaos and lack of concern or human life that you see every day in Thailand. In my four years of living in the Kingdom, I saw accident after accident. In twenty-plus years of living in the US, I have never seen an accident actually happen. I have seen the aftermath of accidents, but I have never been watching as a car strikes a pedestrian in the street. Secondly, your response to my post is emotionally charged. When I suggest that the Kingdom is a poor place to raise a family, that calls into question the life choices of many of the posters on this forum. It is a threat to your worldview, wherein you've tried to explain away stories like this to justify the choices you've made in life. Congratulations that you chose Thailand for your family and it worked out. I would not, however, infer from your story that somehow you are the norm or that because YOU think it's a great place for families that you're correct. Thailand has a disastrous education system. No need to argue here. Everyone agrees on that:

http://www.reuters.com/article/2011/05/30/us-thailand-education-idUSTRE74T0NV20110530

The roads in Thailand are among the most dangerous in the world:

http://www.worldlifeexpectancy.com/cause-of-death/road-traffic-accidents/by-country/

So, not only does the data strongly go against what you've said, but my own personal experience of Thailand (over a period of years) and my own empirical observations have convinced me of the fact that Thailand is not the best place for me to raise my family. I know for a fact that the economic opportunities my children will have as a result of being educated (for free) in top local public schools in which English is the medium of expression outweigh any personal likes or dislikes I have for Thailand. Since moving back to the US, I have secured stable, lucrative employment (I have a Bachelor's Degree in Political Science, which is hardly an in demand degree) and I have been able to watch as my son starts to question the world around him. He is learning to read and write in his native Thai and in English. Nothing makes me happier than knowing that if he wants to return to Thailand, he will immediately have one up on his competition because he will speak fluent English and will have traveled all over the world and experienced different cultures. It was priceless how when we first moved he still referred to everyone in the US as 'farang'. Not anymore. In two years, my wife and son will both have US citizenship and US passports which allow visa-free travel to more than 100 countries (can't say that about a Thai passport can ya?). You just can't put a price on the benefits of leaving Thailand if you have a family.

[Noistar]

Cause of accident "electric post in way"

Like my neighbour's 'collision' with a (presumably stationary) tree.

This was within 2 weeks of being given her driving licence.

[Unkomoncents]

Good thing there's video evidence so that this can't be denied. To protect, and serve (their own interests). This is ultimately why I left Thailand. Beautiful country but you can't raise a family in a place where you can't expect the police to put the safety of others first, especially when the proper course of action is so obvious. RIP to the injured and now deceased man.

It is a fact that police carry guns to protect themselves, not citizens. Even in the US, Police response is 20 -30 minutes for any situation and any important work needs to be undertaken before they arrive. True, US Police would have moved traffic around the ambulance.

Police response time in my town is 4-5 minutes. I haven't been pulled over in years or had any other police contact, as I try to drive the speed limit, but my neighbor called the police last week when he saw someone creeping around his backyard and the police were there in five minutes. I'm sure if I lived in Miami or Chicago, the response time would be slower but averages in the US do no justice to the capabilities of the men in blue in family-oriented suburban areas.

[annabel]

There needs to be more awareness of how important it is to move out of the way of an ambulance when its sirens are on.

Is there a Thai word for "awareness"?

Yes of course there is = My Pen Rye !

[atyclb]

I wonder if they secured his C spine at least before moving him?

Not that surprising in a society that does not train the mind "how to think" combined with a very lax cultural attitude, and little or no intellectual curiosity.

[Noistar]

I don't believe this. As if.

It can be seen there's little respect for ambulances, and traffic doesn't give way here.

This is partly the fault of ambulance drivers who often use their sirens as a ploy to get through traffic even though they may not be going to/from the scene of an emergency or carrying a critically ill patient.

Are you really trying to excuse the driving habits of the Thais.

It's nothing to do with ambulances playing games, it's all to do with Thai culture:

Me, me, me, money, money, money

[DekDaeng]

Actually, I have seen drivers here move over for ambulances and I would go as far as saying most drivers generally do try. Having said that, the odds are stacked against the drivers of these ambulances from being able to get through traffic, sirens or not. It is thus up to the police. If the police who control the antiquated traffic lights made a rule that no one direction would be kept waiting at the lights for more than 2 minutes then traffic would flow more easily.<br /><br />It's so frustrating and random the way they keep some lights on hold for up to 45 MINUTES while another direction is allowed to go through that entire time.<br /><br />Last week after spending more than an hour on Taksin Bridge coming from Krung Thonburi around 4.45pm I followed other frustrated drivers across the Surasak intersection and blocked traffic (by accident) when the police unexpectedly decided to turn the lights in my direction red after we were already in the middle of the intersection. My car and a number of others blocked at least one lane of traffic coming from the left. Like I gave a crap about that direction of traffic...soon however one smart policeman did find a small space for me to drive into thus allowing that one lane to become unblocked - it did however involve me having to reverse and then turn into the lane adjacent to me.<br /><br />Surprisingly yesterday along the same route and roughly the same time of day (5pm) it was incredibly fast - took just 5 minutes to cross Taksin Bridge and the Surasak intersection, how do you like that. Anyway can't wait until the Skytrain network currently under construction is complete - it should allow you to travel from the outskirts of Bangkok from places like Bang Yai or Bang Khae right into downtown, no need for a car. Looking forward to that day but it might take a few more years.

Why doncher park WWY?

[retell]

Cause of accident "electric post in way"

Like my neighbour's 'collision' with a (presumably stationary) tree.

This was within 2 weeks of being given her driving licence.

a friend took out all 3 teak posts (2 times) after she got her driving licence and was just driving forward ,making a back into the lot with posts 4 meter apart with a vios

could be tricky

Edited June 6, 2013 by retell