Phuket woman dies when crushed under bus

Eakkapop Thongtub


Rapipat Kanputsha, 33,may not have seen the bus turning.

PHUKET: -- A woman was killed instantly Tuesday morning (January 27) after being crushed underneath the wheel of a bus.

At 09:30am on Tuesday, Chalong police were called to investigate an accident in which a tour bus had run over a motorcyclist in front of the Ginnaree Restaurant near the entrance to the Phuket shooting range on Patak Rd in Chalong.

Upon arrival, police and rescuers saw a tour bus with its front directed towards the Ginnaree Restaurant. Shockingly, a female was trapped under the back wheel of the bus. Her Honda Click motorcycle was lying damaged in the road nearby.

The victim, named later as Rapipat Kanputsha, 33, from Nakorn Ratsasrima was killed on impact due to having suffered a broken neck.

After recovering her body from under the bus rescue workers took the body to Vachira Phuket Hospital.

Witnesses said that the tour bus was turning right towards the Ginnaree Restaurant where the driver was scheduled to drop off tourists to buy food and souvenirs. The Honda click was right behind the bus and Ms Rapipat possibly didn̕t see that the bus was going to make a left turn. Her motorbike crashed into the left side of the bus with high impact, and Ms Rapipat bounced off the bus, slid under it and got run over by the back wheel.

By the time the police had arrived, the driver had fled the scene. However, he later turned himself in at Chalong police station.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/phuket-woman-dies-when-crushed-under-bus-50783.php

-- Phuket News 2015-01-29

Confusing report. Was the bus turnng right ... or left. According to the PG report the bus was turning right, the lady was driving the other way/side of the road and run into the left side of the bus. Don't know where the 'overtake' idea came from. The photo tells the story.

Confusing report. Was the bus turnng right ... or left. According to the PG report the bus was turning right, the lady was driving the other way/side of the road and run into the left side of the bus. Don't know where the 'overtake' idea came from. The photo tells the story.

That's the only thing that makes sense. There's no damage to the right side of the bus.

By the time the police had arrived, the driver had fled the scene.

The fact the driver fled the scene maybe he had been drinking and turned himself in when sober,prehaps the lady was driving to fast/close and not concentrating.

"By the time the police had arrived, the driver had fled the scene." Another drunk killing other people in this traffic-jungle

Another COWARD THAI RUNS AWAY, they cannot face reality......Spineless.....

Regardless she hit the back of the bus so why the runner I guess he was drinking

Maybe he did a runner cos he knew he would be blamed, regardless of the fact she hit the back of his bus. He may not have been drinking.

It is a ridiculous inference to make actually. What, cos he is Thai he must have had a Lao Kao?

Why would he run and why would it be his fault? Well, has anyone heard the saying they have in Thailand, "If an accident happens between a car and a motorbike: car is always wrong"

I have heard this a lot. The last time when my architect (in a car) had to pay 30k in medical bills to a drunkard on a bike when the bike drove into him.

Sometimes, drivers flee the scene because they risk being arrested and banged up even though innocent. They also risk being attacked by the victims relatives. I am not excusing them, just putting forward a reason.

According to the report it would seem that she was attempting to overtake on the inside. How many times have you experienced the same problem when making a left turn. Anyway, RIP

Confusing report. Was the bus turnng right ... or left. According to the PG report the bus was turning right, the lady was driving the other way/side of the road and run into the left side of the bus. Don't know where the 'overtake' idea came from. The photo tells the story.

That's what I couldn't understand. The article said it was turning right but the poor lady never saw it was going to 'make a left turn.' Very odd, unless thedriver was indicating a right and made a left - which is not unusual in this country.

I'm no being flippant. I really feel so sorry for this woman's family. She's old enough to have kids and young enough to have parents. How many lives will be destroyed by this runaway driver?.

What the hell is it with Thai drivers "fleeing the scene" of accidents, we read this so often, I can only think, was he drunk, was he under the influence of drugs? whatever the reason, it happens so many times.

WHy drivers of busses and big trucks leave the scene after an accident? I don't know now, but in the past uncles of my wife drove trucks and their boss gave them clear instructions. First thing you do is take the money and run, bring it in and after that go to the police.

According to the report it would seem that she was attempting to overtake on the inside. How many times have you experienced the same problem when making a left turn. Anyway, RIP

Part of the driving experience in Thailand is always to look for motorbikes before turning left. Motorbikes are encouraged to ride on the left at whatever speed. It isn't considered overtaking on the inside.

But the point here is that Phuket's two major news sources have conflicting reports. Deciding vote goes to the third, unquotable source, which claims the bus was turning RIGHT.