Split in half: Man credits Thai amulet for walking away from Lamborghini crash

[transam]

Hmmmmmmmm, didn't check his tyre pressures did he..........

[FredNL]

It will take them in Thailand a few weeks to get this car on the road again.

Get some illegal Camodians work on it in a local bodyshop........

[HeijoshinCool]

Talking on the phone with his insurance representative, admitting he'd been doing 150.

This is what the rep said:

[UbonRatch]

The usual coconuts sensationalist rubbish. It's a tub car with the rear suspension mounted to the engine which acts as a structural member and the mounts to the chassis tub are designed to break under heavy crashes so the driver suffers less impact. Just the same as an F1.

See Ralf Schumachers crash for the reason why.

More than one structural member to be precise. You are wrong that the tub (cockpit) is designed to break under crash.

The A, B and C pillar structure should never shatter, no matter the impact load. Yes, it should break away from the chassis, to prevent one of the greatest killers: weight of rear tyre, combined with wheel and break weight, impacting the driver from the rear. The engine is not a structural member, as torsional loads cannot carry such weight along with the cockpit (as I term it, correctly). No way is an engine, and its weight, ever a part of cockpit design!

Where did you get any of that from ?

I said the mounts are supposed to break not the tub.

The engine and gearbox are a structural members , it is a structural member of the car as the rear suspension loads are fed through it and the gearbox. See any tub single seater or top end racecar.

The engine is never an integral part of cockpit safety (tub, as you call it), and neither is suspension. They take torsional loads designed by inclusive chassis torsional stiffness, which include all weld points concerning any pillars involved or floor mountings, including floor stiffening, and cross-members.

I got it from being a chief designer at Jaguar, LandRover, Ford and lately Chery in China, FYI. - Based upon experience, crash testing, impact loading, FMA, FMEA, PFMEA, QFMEA and whatever you would like to add to the list. The cock-pit is an occupant area which should never be encroached. Impact beams, crush beams, you name it... yes... take engine impact, but they are, or should not be intergral parts of the tub (cockpit, in my terms). C-towers and associated cross-members are incredibly important, and change torsional stiffness dramatically, yet are, in most circumstances, difficult to package. He was driving a roadworthy (alledged) car, not a single seater, which your pint of view pertains to.

[SoFarAndNear]

Looks like a 2nd hand Lamborghini too. I don't understand spending that amount of money to drive it on a road like Thailand.

If you are owner of a company which sells a 1 USD worth product globally for 50 USD you will understand that this amount of money means nothing

[jacko45k]

Considering that there are quite a lot of amulets around, and the statistics show Thailand as having one of the worst records wrt road accidents, I wonder if a box of tissues works better!

[ratcatcher]

Looks like a 2nd hand Lamborghini too. I don't understand spending that amount of money to drive it on a road like Thailand.

"Looks like a 2nd hand Lamborghini too."

Actually it looks like two piles of junk.

[marko kok prong]

This jerk is an irresponsible fool,it was only by luck he did not hit another vehicle,i really hope the insurance does not pay out,but seeing as he is rich,i guess they will,and what about the speeding,i guess a small fine for it,the whole thing stinks.

[Traveller45]

Come think of it, would it be possible to put the two halves back together...?

[makkam]

90 mph. Think about it. How many times have you done it ?

Oh do behave!

90mph in Bangkok mid morning traffic

Talk about defending the indefensible.

This piece of crap is clearly totally in love with himself and the trappings of his life and believes it gives him the right to flaunt all the rules and laws that normal people must follow and abide to.

That he's admitted such excessive speeding indicates he still believes himself bullet proof and that he well buy his way out of strife

With the new mob in charge lets hope they throw the self absorbed tosser in the slammer and throw away the key

[ratcatcher]

Come think of it, would it be possible to put the two halves back together...?

OMG don't suggest that, but I'm sure some enterprising chaps have been doing some calculations.

[Gulfsailor]

These amulets are bad luck. This guy just started wearing it and immediately crashed his Lamborghini! And it's not the first time I hear a story like this.

[Just1Voice]

Latest update now stating the price of the Lambo was only 20 mil. Down from the 36 mil in the original article.

This guy should be in jail, but won't get as much as a warning ticket.

Money talks, B.S. walks, and all that.

[I Like Thai]

That's one helluva cookie run bill for his parents.

What part of the below statement do you have difficulty understanding

"Pitak Veangsima, the president of a U.S.-based multi-level marketing company,"

[hkt83100]

Money can buy cars, money can buy amuletts, but money can't buy ability and brain to properly drive a car. His next vehicle should be a bicycle.

[newermonkey]

The rear of the car breaking off in this type of impact is something Lamborghini have designed into the sructure for safety, the heaviest part of the car "engine with transaxle" is desigend to part company as to avoid more severe kinetic damage.

The unusually rich man should thank the brilliant engineers at Lamborghini for saving his life, not some stupid bit of metal around his neck!!

He may or may not have a battle with the insurance company as he has admitted driving 30Kph above the speed limit in bad conditions, hopfully the police will prosocute him for dangerous driving which will affect his claim.

I feel sory for the Lambo, and not at all for Mr Rich <deleted> Pitak Veangsima.

[SCARLETIBIS1]

http://www.core77.com/blog/transportation/lamborghinis_are_designed_to_split_in_half_in_event_of_a_crash_were_not_so_sure_25612.asp

They are designed to split in half???

Nope. The cockpit is designed to completely protect the occupant in any collision, and is designed in ways, with complex polymer mixes stronger than steel, that do not disintegrate (usually).

The only reason he walked away is more than likely that he was NOT wearing his seatbelt, and his body was so relaxed through intoxification that he simply rolled a few times down the road.

As for your video; the analysis is utterly stupid, by the American. I'm sure the Lambo approached the car turning into its drive at huge speed. As for saying in any crash it takes two to tango is utterly ridiculous, especially concerning a high-powered performance car travelling at speed vs. a sedan crawling into its yard. Takes 2 to look out? Tunnel vision is not something a sedan driver experiences, nor does react to. The collision was completely the fault of the Lambo driver.

In the case of the Thai... nothing more will be heard. Rest assured at that. His amulet saved him, and will continue to do so throughout any court case. Do you now know why some amulets are so valuable?

Yep, in Thailand the traffic laws are opposite what they are in most civilized countries. Here if a car turns in front of you and you hit him it is your fault. Same if going thru a red light it is the other guy's fault for not avoiding hitting you. What an idiotic response.

[kannot]

the more i see about religion the more i know all are bull

[JacChang]

Sometimes when you buy a lambo, you just have to crash it to see if it holds up better than a yaris.

[Jim walker]

A nasty looking bump for sure So this just proves what a senseless driver he was speeding in heavy rain where did he learn to drive, if his amulet was so lucky why did it not avoid the accident full stop if I was him I would bin unlucky amulet rapidly as his next accident might be a lot worse he could kill an innocent pedestrian or even a member of his own family.

[TTom911]

Thai roads would be a bit safer if he wouldn't have been so lucky, I am afraid... "one man's luck is many other people's pain, probably"... or is that too harsh...?

Edited June 25, 2014 by TTom911

[jimbeam1]

Hes gonna have a flat battery too. The right head light and turning signal is still on!!

Also looking at that photo, It didn't look chopped in half to me?

jb1

[mikemac]

My amulet must be better than his. In the seven years I have been wearing it I have never once wrapped a Lamborgini around a tree.

[kannot]

always frikkin hilarious when they do die and it becomes a tragedy.

[kannot]

the more i see about religion the more i know all are bull

but what really narks me is they say i must respect their views!!

[kannot]

Thai roads would be a bit safer if he wouldn't have been so lucky, I am afraid... "one man's luck is many other people's pain, probably"... or is that too harsh...?

nowhere near harsh enough for that <deleted>

[gchurch259]

There are plenty of Idiots all over the world and Thailand has it's fair share. This makes me think of the Red Bull heir, "Buffalo Turd" that killed the policeman reportedly doing 150 on Sukumvit. I do not know why they even allow them imported here. All they are is a Penis Extension for some idiot.

Lucky no one was killed, not worried about him !!

No, I can afford one, nor would I buy one if I could. I am more of a F150 Ford P/U kind of guy.

[simosiam]

I think if you took a look at the chassis, it will be one of these 'stitched together' dubious imports. Quite common to cut them in half and re-weld them in chop shops to avoid lots of cost. MLM, he nearly became a bit multi leveled himself, car, body, amulet, car.

Oz

Lamborghini and Ferrari are projected like that for save the life of the driver and passenger. that's why he walk away uninjured from a crash like that, if he crash on a tree at 150 kph on any other car he would be death now

[digibum]

It's funny, my wife and I were recently having a conversation about Thais and their superstitions. She's sort of a reformed-Buddhist, much in the same way that there are reformed Catholics.

The irony is that I believe in the Buddhist philosophy but don't buy into the Thai religious aspects and she goes to temple and does all of the Thai religious stuff even if she doesn't really believe in it but has no interest in the Buddhist philosophy :-)

Anyway, the conversation came up because she was making fun of some driver next to us with about 20 amulets and Buddhist statues on his dashboard. She said, "Thais put all of that stuff on their cars to keep them from danger and then drive like idiots. Farangs just drive safely."

Obviously it's a gross generalization (there are plenty of bad farang drivers and many good Thai drivers) but several years back an army general claimed that the reason none of his soldiers were killed in a bomb blast in the south was because they all wore a certain amulet. He was widely criticized for his statements but only because he made Thailand look like a bunch of hillbillies. Many upper-class Thais didn't appreciate the mockery that came from the international community when his claims made the international news. But I'm sure his views are held by at least 60% of Thais.

I wonder how much of what my wife says is true in this regard. How many Thais take chances with their lives (and, sometimes, the lives of others) because they fell "lucky" based on some amulet they wear or because they asked a monk to bless their car.

[digibum]

I think if you took a look at the chassis, it will be one of these 'stitched together' dubious imports. Quite common to cut them in half and re-weld them in chop shops to avoid lots of cost. MLM, he nearly became a bit multi leveled himself, car, body, amulet, car.

Oz

Lamborghini and Ferrari are projected like that for save the life of the driver and passenger. that's why he walk away uninjured from a crash like that, if he crash on a tree at 150 kph on any other car he would be death now

Really? I put a Volkswagen GTI into a concrete wall at 80mph (128 kph) and I'm still around. That was almost 20 years ago when cars were far less safe than they are today.