Family escapes injury in Phuket tour bus shunt

[Lite Beer]

Family escapes injury in Phuket tour bus shunt
Phuket Gazette -

PHUKET: A 66-year-old man, his wife and their toddler granddaughter luckily escaped injury this afternoon when the car they were travelling in was shunted from behind by a Phuket tour bus at speed on Thepkrasattri Road in Koh Kaew.

The force of the impact sent Saeree Krajangsee and his Honda City sedan careening over the median strip and slamming into a pickup truck parked on the far side of the road, about 100 meters north of the Isuzu showroom.

Two people were sitting in the pickup when the car came hurtling toward them.

No one was injured in the collision, despite the front passenger door bearing the brunt of the impact with the pickup truck before the car spun and slammed into the curb.

“The bus was travelling quite fast. It hit my car, forcing it across the center strip and into another vehicle parked on the other side of the road,” Mr Saeree told Phuket Gazette reporters at the scene, before the police arrived.

Veera Tonlampang, the driver of the bus, which was emblazoned with “Natural Bus” in Thai across the top of the windscreen and “Mode Tour” along the sides, did not agree with Mr Saeree’s account of the accident.

“I was heading to Phuket Town from the airport. I was driving in the right-hand lane when the Honda cut in front of me,” he told the Gazette.

“I couldn’t stop the bus in time to avoid the collision,” Mr Veera said.

Police later arrived to assess the damage and to organize a tow truck for the Honda City.

Officers have yet to charge either driver over the collision.

Source: http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_news/2013/Family-escapes-injury-in-Phuket-tour-bus-shunt-22004.html

-- Phuket Gazette 2013-08-19

[animatic]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Edited August 19, 2013 by animatic

[laurentbkk]

How dare you said Bus was driving fast ... we all know in Thailand, buses and their drivers are the best in the world.

[NamKangMan]

How dare you said Bus was driving fast ... we all know in Thailand, buses and their drivers are the best in the world.

Maybe they drive fast, maybe they drive slow - but one thing is for sure, after an accident, they sure run fast. :) :)

[keestha]

Sigh tour buses......yesterday between Khao Lak and Takua Pa I was completely forced off the road by a tour bus carrying Chinese tourists, which was blindly overtaking in a curve. Just good luck there was no motorcycle overtaking me at the left hand side. I recognized the type of bus, white with Chinese script on it. They often stop in front of the 7/11 in Khao Lak, to give the Chinese the chance to buy their instant noodles.

[steelepulse]

I might be going out on a limb here, but I believe that both played a hand in the accident, whether it was the city driving in the right lane at a slow speed as everyone in Phuket stays in the right lane, or he did cut in front of the speeding bus that was traveling too fast. Either way two bad drivers and neither wanting to give way.

[pacovl46]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

So not true. If someone cuts in front of you and you can't break in time it's not your fault. If someone pulls out in front of you and you can't break in time it's not your fault either, etc, etc!!!

[Traveling Sailor]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Probably true in Western countries. However, this is Thailand.

1.) When a farang is involved, it is always the farang's fault.

2.) True

3.) Driver will not be spoken to. Might lose face. Neither bus driver or bus company will be charged. See #1.

[stevenl]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Probably true in Western countries. However, this is Thailand.

1.) When a farang is involved, it is always the farang's fault.

<snip>

Why do people feel the need to keep sprouting the usual internet nonsense.

Edited August 20, 2013 by stevenl

[pomchop]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Probably true in Western countries. However, this is Thailand.

1.) When a farang is involved, it is always the farang's fault.

2.) True

3.) Driver will not be spoken to. Might lose face. Neither bus driver or bus company will be charged. See #1.

from the names it would appear that it was all Thai people involved.

[schlog]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

So not true. If someone cuts in front of you and you can't break in time it's not your fault. If someone pulls out in front of you and you can't break in time it's not your fault either, etc, etc!!!

+1

[schlog]

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

totally BS!

[NamKangMan]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Probably true in Western countries. However, this is Thailand.

1.) When a farang is involved, it is always the farang's fault.

2.) True

3.) Driver will not be spoken to. Might lose face. Neither bus driver or bus company will be charged. See #1.

The accident may not be the farang's fault, but he is the one that has the ability to pay damages.

Also, when a farang is involved in an accident, sometimes a small mob of locals get involved and become "witnesses" and sometimes side with the Thai driver/rider to distort the facts surrounding the accident to shift fault onto the farang.

It's just not as simple as he's a farang, it's his fault because if he wasn't in Thailand, the accident wouldn't have happened.

Edited August 21, 2013 by NamKangMan

[Paangjang]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Probably true in Western countries. However, this is Thailand.

1.) When a farang is involved, it is always the farang's fault.

2.) True

3.) Driver will not be spoken to. Might lose face. Neither bus driver or bus company will be charged. See #1.

Why do you think there was a foreigner (farang) involved? Have you seen his name? Thai

[Paangjang]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

So not true. If someone cuts in front of you and you can't break in time it's not your fault. If someone pulls out in front of you and you can't break in time it's not your fault either, etc, etc!!!

Wrong.

I have no idea how it works here. However, in the UK (I know, not relevant here) if you hit somebody from behind, you are at fault 99% of the time. If you hit somebody from the side (they pull out in front of you) that’s down to the PAIU to decide who's at fault.

There is an insurance scam. People act like they are going to move forward at the roundabout because it’s clear, you follow them then they brake hard at the last second so you hit them from behind. The car behind is at fault and the scammer in the car in front gets a new car...

Another one is where you flash your lights to someone waiting at a junction (letting them out in front of you) then you move off quickly causing them to side swipe you. Of cause they seem to be at fault (they pulled out) and it’s their word against yours. Their insurance gets you a new car. Its called a flash and crash claim.

Source: I was a in the UK police force

[mrwebb8825]

“The bus was travelling quite fast. It hit my car, forcing it across the center strip and into another vehicle parked on the other side of the road,” Mr Saeree told Phuket Gazette reporters at the scene, before the police arrived.

no one else finds it strange that reporterS from the PG were there interviewing the victems before the police had arrived?

[robblok]

3 things.

Those who hit from behind are at fault.

An older gentleman driving his wife and child usually is a quite careful driver.

The owner of the bus company will have the drivers ass for dinner, grilled,

if he is fully at fault or partially, so start the cover story instantly.

Probably true in Western countries. However, this is Thailand.

1.) When a farang is involved, it is always the farang's fault.

<snip>

Why do people feel the need to keep sprouting the usual internet nonsense.

I got hit from behind, I am a farang and the Thais were blamed for not keeping enough distance. So like Steven says its not always so. Though like many I do feel we need to be careful and have things as a dash cam to back our stories up. In case of someone hitting you from behind the evidence speaks for itself.