Finnish Man Lays Down in Road and Tour Bus Runs Over Him

[pineconehead]

I hold a professional class license for medium sized trucks with air brakes up to (including 5 tonnes), to get that license I had to take professional training, including accident anticipation, & avoidance. I was trained that all variables must be consciously taken into account for the safe responsible operation of a vehicle, even things like; dark clothes and no street lights/dark night that have plaid a very large factor here. Other conditions like street composition (blind alleys, encroaching foliage, other obscuring features) also can play a big part. I was taught that no vehicle should be operated at any speed in excess of the need to stop in under 40 yards. But that is here under ideal conditions. What I saw in LoS was something VASTLY different.

It is really tragic for both parties and other witnesses. Sometimes you just can't anticipate what people will do. I've seen at least three pedestrians die by their own actions involving large vehicles (truck/buses). I don't know what the heck these people were thinking and no one else ever will. The worst thing is that people with little or no at the scene knowledge will always have an 'opinion'.

I hope the relatives of the Finnish guy get past this soon, and I hope the driver drives slower in the future.

[Rorri]

Dogmatix, on 02 Mar 2014 - 21:50, said:

"Pol.Lt.Col. Issaranuwat revealed that after inspecting the accident he made note record for evidence. Initially, he assumed that the deceased might be stressed about a congenital disease or he might have been cheated by a beer bar woman and lost all his money so he decided to commit suicide."

Pol. Lt. Col. Issaranuwat seems to have a pretty fertile imagination. But it didn't occur to him that the bus driver might have been lying and that the victim was not actually trying to commit suicide but was desperately trying to avoid a bus driven by a dangerous lunatic.

You forget... Thais don't lie, only farang lie.

[phantomfiddler]

My heart also goes out to the Bus Driver who has to live with this for the rest of his life !!

Do you really think he gives a monkey,s ? How come he saw him walking in front of the bus and then laying down, and still did not have time to stop ? Must have the reflexes of a dead clam !

[FiftyTwo]

Yeah, we don't know what happened for sure from the news story.

However, it does sound off to both be carrying a passport AND only 29 baht.

Foreigners carrying passports are usually on some kind of task unless in transit somewhere.

It's also a fair bet 99 percent of foreign tourists are carrying more than 29 baht on them.

Neither fact (if true) means much, but together are clues.

But if he carrying his passport for posthumous I.D. purposes, why not also carry a note?

My wife and kids empty my wallet out every morning.

Very rare for me to even have 20bht on me when I leave home.

By lunch time, it's different.

PS

Driver's story stinks!

Edited March 3, 2014 by FiftyTwo

[Jingthing]

I agree those two clues don't add up to much, but it's something. IF the person was trying to off himself, it would make sense to have passport I.D. on him.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Jingthing

[TheReporter]

Another classic cover-up by the police who has been paid handsomely by the tour bus company to make the case as if it was a suicide situation that could not be avoided. What will they think of next in Thailand?

[Jingthing]

Another classic cover-up by the police who has been paid handsomely by the tour bus company to make the case as if it was a suicide situation that could not be avoided. What will they think of next in Thailand?

That could be the case. It could also be suicide. Both are possible. Only a competent professional investigation might determine the truth. So ... oh, forget where we are ...

[penwithcris]

I think a re-enactment is necessary

I would suggest it is impossible to see a pedestrian ahead who decides to lie down in the road and not to be able to avoid him either by braking or by swerving around the body

Lie down in the road 200 yards in front of a speeding baht bus on Pattaya sea front and see if there is any attempt to avoid running over you?

Thai drivers in my experience are not programmed to stop, brake or otherwise attempt to avoid an obvious hazard ot threat to life

(and I don't entirely exclude some pumped up farangs from this observation also)

[alphaflight]

The bus ran him down; don't believe he laid down in front of it, sorry!

[steve73]

Was it on a well lit road? I've often seen coaches with just side lights on - the driver can see the road OK but perhaps not a pedestrian about to cross. Also more difficult for a pedestrian to see the bus coming. When he does see it, he tries to move quickly, trips and falls.

No mention of skid marks. What about evidence from the passengers - surely they would have felt the bus braking if he did try to stop, even if it was too late to avoid....?

But it is good a reminder to us all who walk or cycle to watch out for larger vehicles, epsecially at night.

Condolences to his family.

[Radar501]

Unless there is a different source, it seems the only witness to this tragic suicide was the bus driver.

This post started me thinking.

What if the bus driver was speeding and this guy was just casually (drunk or not) crossing the road, hopefully we will find out the truth.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Either way, it's 'Death by Misadventure' : happens all over the world, but because it often happens to middle-aged/older men in Thailand, we attach a special significance to it. If it *was* suicide, I'll repeat my mantra : it doesn't have to be this public or this messy. A bathtub full of water and a bottle of Mekhong whiskey - if you cant afford those two, you have no business leaving your home country. I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but this incident would have impacted many people beyond the victim : it doesn't have to be that way. I have absolutely zero problem with folk taking their own lives - if anything, I believe assisted euthanasia should be a right worldwide - but I cant understand why so many guys seem to put so little planning into their last day on the planet when women can do it with a handful of pills.

Correct. Suicide doesn't have to be public or messy.

But for many who decide to end their mortality, jumping in front of a bus, or sailing from the 40th storey balcony, takes the risk of not succeeding out of the equation. Attempting suicide by drug OD can be just that, an unsuccessful attempt, with only a fried brain or damaged liver to show for it.

Swallowing a handful of pills can often be just a cry for help. Placing the muzzle of a shotgun under the chin and pulling the trigger never is.

As for guys putting so little planning into their last day, I would say the more planning that goes into the departure, the more chance there is of chickening out.

For those who have depressed thoughts, talk to someone!

[Jackson86]

Is there a strong anti-farang sentiment among thai people? I sense a strong anti-thai sentiment among farangs here. Hmm...

[chooka]

Unless there is a different source, it seems the only witness to this tragic suicide was the bus driver.

This post started me thinking.

What if the bus driver was speeding and this guy was just casually (drunk or not) crossing the road, hopefully we will find out the truth.

Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Either way, it's 'Death by Misadventure' : happens all over the world, but because it often happens to middle-aged/older men in Thailand, we attach a special significance to it. If it *was* suicide, I'll repeat my mantra : it doesn't have to be this public or this messy. A bathtub full of water and a bottle of Mekhong whiskey - if you cant afford those two, you have no business leaving your home country. I'm sorry if that sounds cold, but this incident would have impacted many people beyond the victim : it doesn't have to be that way. I have absolutely zero problem with folk taking their own lives - if anything, I believe assisted euthanasia should be a right worldwide - but I cant understand why so many guys seem to put so little planning into their last day on the planet when women can do it with a handful of pills.

Correct. Suicide doesn't have to be public or messy.

But for many who decide to end their mortality, jumping in front of a bus, or sailing from the 40th storey balcony, takes the risk of not succeeding out of the equation. Attempting suicide by drug OD can be just that, an unsuccessful attempt, with only a fried brain or damaged liver to show for it.

Swallowing a handful of pills can often be just a cry for help. Placing the muzzle of a shotgun under the chin and pulling the trigger never is.

As for guys putting so little planning into their last day, I would say the more planning that goes into the departure, the more chance there is of chickening out.

For those who have depressed thoughts, talk to someone!

The driver says he saw the guy crossing the road. That's fare enough so he would have been applying the breaks, either modestly or with a degree of force. He then says the guy laid down on the road. I have investigated my share of fatal vehicle accidents. Say this bus was travelling at 80 kms per hour and in fine mechanical condition it would take around 60 to 65 metres to come to a complete stop. That stop would take around 3 seconds. In that time frame he has seen the victim crossing the road and lay down in front of oncoming traffic?

I'm not totally disputing him but I would be questioning him a lot deeper.

[Huggybearman]

Unless there is a different source, it seems the only witness to this tragic suicide was the bus driver.

This accident happened outside of my condo unit. There was such a commotion going on I went down to the scene to see what was going on. There were several passengers on the bus in question so it is very possible there were independent witnesses.

RIP to the unfortunate guy.

Edited March 3, 2014 by Huggybearman

[Jingthing]

With passengers, he couldn't have run. But what did the passengers see, if anything? It was dark. There is nothing of visual interest there. Would you be staring at pedestrians in such a case?

[Basil B]

Seems there was only one witness...

Reminds me of the aviation industry before black boxes, in the event of pilots not surviving they were in most instances put down to pilot error.

Do trucks and buses in Thailand have to have Tachographs???

[MJCM]

Do trucks and buses in Thailand have to have Tachographs???

Doubt it, but good question

Sent from my iPad, so please excuse any typos

[MrWorldwide]

@radar501, the problem with trying to tell folk on a public board that I'm confident I could get the job done if and when the time comes is that there is really only one way to prove that assertion and I don't get to come back and say 'I told you so'

Of course, if I did come back, Easter Sunday might be an excellent day to do so.

[zoza]

from previous incidents and hearing about other accidents that have taken place in the last ten years in pattaya, do not

put yourself on the road at the same time as one these buses, they appear to have no regard for people and in my first

encounter around ten years ago i'm sure the driver swerved towards me as i waited to cross second rd,(by mikes shopping

mall) i managed to jump back but to this day i think if not for a couple of thais standing close by i would of been hit. i got the message if i want to cross a road and a bus comes tearing along as they mostly do, i retreat to the pavement/bar/soi anywhere but the road, and this second road in jomtien must be one of the most dangerous roads in thailand.

we will probably never know what really happened, and the contents of your pockets is neither here nor there.

R.I.P to the Fin

[dighambara]

My heart also goes out to the Bus Driver who has to live with this for the rest of his life !!

T.I.T. - He forgot it already...

[hanno]

My heart also goes out to the Bus Driver who has to live with this for the rest of his life !!

T.I.T. - He forgot it already...

Makes me wonder why some people chose to leave in Thailand, with an outlook like that.

[balo]

There could also be another story to this tragic accdent. The finn was trying to cross the road, then he suddenly stumbled and fell down. The driver was not observant enough and could not stop in time. The bus was probably also overspeeding.

This is a very busy area in Jomtien so I am surprised there were no witnesses ?

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

Edited March 4, 2014 by balo

[OZEMADE]

There could also be another story to this tragic accdent. The finn was trying to cross the road, then he suddenly stumbled and fell down. The driver was not observant enough and could not stop in time. The bus was probably also overspeeding.

This is a very busy area in Jomtien so I am surprised there were no witnesses ?

Sent from my SM-P601 using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

The bus was full of Russian tourists, you would think one would have seen the accident.

The bus driver said he saw a man walking across the road (why didn't he slow down) he also said he then saw the man lay down on the road (why did he not swerve then) after seeing all of this unfolding in front of him (why did he not brake earlier).

Sorry I don't believe the bus driver, see them everyday driving like maniacs all over Thailand, untrained and no road sense.

[Briggsy]

If, on the off chance this is true, I note he selected a bus of Russians to inconvenience. That would appeal to the Finnish sense of irony.

[Phatcharanan]

O.M.G. So, So, Sad..

Poor man, imagine his last moments,

There must of been a better option than that, he could of went home to ''Finland'' and got help.., but i suppose when you are so so down, you dont think like that...

Heart goes out to him..

R.i.P.

SAD....

why quotation marks when you mention the country he is from?

am i missing something obvious here or i just don't get the joke or what?

You tink too mutt.