78 Year old Brit escapes with his life during Crane Crash in North Pattaya



PATTAYA: -- A 78 year old British Man was lucky to escape with his life after a street pylon fell onto his car following an out-of-control crane crash in North Pattaya, which saw a total of 5 vehicles, including a coach, sustain damage.

On Thursday afternoon, a crane, driven by Khun Pragorn aged 29, was being driven along the Sukhumvit Road towards North Pattaya. The driver claimed the vehicle suffered a brake failure and to avoid stationary motorbikes at the North Pattaya Traffic Lights on the Sukhumvit Road, he opted to take a sharp left onto the North Pattaya Road.

The crane first hit 2 cars and 2 pick-ups and came to rest after it slammed into the side of a Bangkok-Pattaya Coach which was about to turn into the North Pattaya Bus Terminal.

The crane also hit a street pylon in the central reservation which fell onto a Black Ford Car driven by Mr. Albert Finnegan aged 78, who was able to crawl out of his car uninjured despite the pylon falling onto the driver’s side of the car, which was stationary in a traffic jam at the time.

Full story: http://www.pattayaone.net/pattaya-news/155234/78-year-old-brit-escapes-with-his-life-during-crane-crash-in-north-pattaya/


-- Pattaya One 2014-11-14

Just once I'd like to see a witness/cop not pointing at a crime/accident scene

All down to lack of vehicle maintenance i reckon,ie,brake failure,more than likely a maintenance issue,maintenance is an ugly word in Thailand.

Looks like he was quite lucky - How did he survive that one?

Most older drivers, i see, have the face glued to the windshield

Seems like, laid-back driving, is a big plus in Thailand...

Wow........Buddha really takes care everybody or was there a guardian angel on a holiday in Pattaya at The time?

Someone explain to me what is about brake failure when you got air brake that lock themselves when there is a brake failure?

Not so much brake failure , as a failure to brake.

Just once I'd like to see a witness/cop not pointing at a crime/accident scene

If he didn't point, how would you know where the problem/damage was? He could have been driving around with a street pylon anchored in his caved in roof before the accident -- TiT. But with his pointing, now we know.....

is there a licence plate number available for the lottery ?

Those Toyota windows are strong!

Cranes, cement trucks, huge coaches etc, do the drivers of these vehicles undergo specific training and licensing?

If the brakes 'failed' or not, criminal action should be taken.

Those Toyota windows are strong!

True, but he was driving a Ford

sure it was brake fade and not brain fade?

Gotta love that Thai traffic. Always coming up with new ways to kill you!

Someone please explain the significance of a person pointing at the problem posing for a photograph. Who started the 'finger point?'

Da luck of da oi Oirish Good ting we didnae have to read aboot "Finnegan,s Wake" !

Someone please explain the significance of a person pointing at the problem posing for a photograph. Who started the 'finger point?'

It is possible that police find it useful photo clarification for any subsequent evidence needed but my personal opinion is that I don't think it would occur if reporter's did not specifically ask for that pose. It is hardly a natural thing to do without being asked,

Just once I'd like to see a witness/cop not pointing at a crime/accident scene

A four finger point too! Very rare.

I have seen it before, heavy trucks and tour buses running the traffic light coming off the Highway 7 spur onto Sukhumvit. Then seeing the lights changing at North Pattaya, they run them again. I reckon this muppet was always headed for North Pattaya and bullied his way across the 4 lanes at speed, turned the corner too fast and ran out of room.

Brake failure my ar5e.

I guess there is no insurance and noone will pay anything anyway.

Flame post removed. Please keep it civil.

All down to lack of vehicle maintenance i reckon,ie,brake failure,more than likely a maintenance issue,maintenance is an ugly word in Thailand.

Thats certainly the drivers claim. "The driver claimed the vehicle suffered a brake failure"

On the other hand I have witnessed careless driving on more than one occasion in Thailand.

I wonder if the driver has an HGV licence to be driving a crane? Pending a full investigation, I'll keep an open mind.

Having seen so many of these big machines driven at crazy speeds in the busiest places, I would say reckless driving is to blame.

lucky man, Bert

Yes, brakes don't work properly if you don't put your foot on them in time.

Wow. He was lucky.

I really hope no people were sat on the back seats of the bus, not much chance to survive a ruddy great crane boom coming in through the side.

Lucky man, or unlucky depending on how you look at it.

Just once I'd like to see a witness/cop not pointing at a crime/accident scene

A four finger point too! Very rare.

I am afraid you can't cross "the 4-fingered point" off your I-Spy book yet, it looks more like a normal point but his fingers appear to be inexplicably stuck together. If you have a "sticky-fingered point" or a "webbed-hand point" in the book, you can cross them off.

Someone please explain the significance of a person pointing at the problem posing for a photograph. Who started the 'finger point?'

It is possible that police find it useful photo clarification for any subsequent evidence needed but my personal opinion is that I don't think it would occur if reporter's did not specifically ask for that pose. It is hardly a natural thing to do without being asked,

I wonder if they' would stop asking for the pose if the victims started to point with their middle-finger...

Just once I'd like to see a witness/cop not pointing at a crime/accident scene

This man has raised the response. All his fingers are pointing.

Gotta love that Thai traffic. Always coming up with new ways to kill you!

Yeah, good thing he didn't hit all those "stationary motorbikes". That might have caused upwards of a few thousand baht worth of damage.