R I P fellow countryman.

If I can avoid it, I fly in Thailand, for one person its usually cheaper than driving a car.

RIP Christoph

He was from Austria, not Australia. RIP.

We know that already, it was in the OP.

RIP Chris. I think you will find that the Fortuner is derived from the humble mini van

I think you'll find that you are wrong.

RIP, Christoph.

sad news.

as for everyone jumping on the tuna as poor, we have no idea how fast he was going but assuming highway speed of 100 + and then running head on into a big tree or similar object, I doubt any passenger vehicle out there would come off any better.

By the way, I am no fan of tuna's.

I'm beginning to think that rig wasn't on its wheels when it hit the tree, and that it hit more than one thing. The reason is that it has a full truck-style ladder frame (outlined in red) which is pretty much intact. I suspect if it had driven into a tree and hit with the frame there'd be more damage to the frame and not as much to the sheet metal above it. It's as if the body was sheared off the frame.

It might have hit something low like a ditch or other obstruction and destroyed the lower front end including suspension, and then gone airborne and hit the tree only with the body while flipping or rolling. I suspect most here think it was going pretty fast?

Edit: I'm going to add a picture of a ladder frame to make it more clear.

The story indicated that after impact the vehicle ran out of the ditch with the tree that wrecked it. From the photo, it's hard to believe that this car rolled up and out of a ditch to the left side of the road. Thai police should run forensics on this car wreck and look for traces of another vehicle like a Thai truck. Condolences to this man's family.

Fortuner is basically a Hilux SUV, same ladder type chassis. Other's have said, I don't think any vehicle would have faired better based on the damage this one sustained.

I'm beginning to think that rig wasn't on its wheels when it hit the tree, and that it hit more than one thing. The reason is that it has a full truck-style ladder frame (outlined in red) which is pretty much intact. I suspect if it had driven into a tree and hit with the frame there'd be more damage to the frame and not as much to the sheet metal above it. It's as if the body was sheared off the frame.

It might have hit something low like a ditch or other obstruction and destroyed the lower front end including suspension, and then gone airborne and hit the tree only with the body while flipping or rolling. I suspect most here think it was going pretty fast?

Edit: I'm going to add a picture of a ladder frame to make it more clear.

bodf.JPG

fr2y.jpg

Looks like a middle row passenger may have survived if wearing a seatbelt.

Minus their head perhaps.

....I hope they check to see that it was not something...or someone else that killed him before the crash...

...7:20 am is not so early to justify 'falling asleep'....nor are the travel distances....

...and as for the 'Fortuner'....it seems to have no frame integrity......it looks cut in half.....

.....and....were there even air bags deployed....????

If he was coming down from Chiang Mai then he would already have travelled nearly 350 km and been on the road since perhaps 3am. If he had been working the previous day he may only have had perhaps 3 or 4 hours sleep before he set off.

A serious accident with a tragic outcome.

Over the years, I have driven hundreds of thousands of kilometers, all over Thailand, but I have had one golden rule which I have always stuck to.

I always start my journey early in the morning when I am bright and fresh and always reach my destination by nightfall. If I have to stop off en route - then so be it, although most journeys are do-able in a day if you start early enough.

To avoid accidents I must always have my wits about me, and at night, I am becoming fatigued. Also, once night falls, it is much more difficult to see unexpected road hazards, including bikes and vehicles without rear lights. But most important of all - dusk brings out all the drunk drivers, along with the long distance bus and truck drivers who have an annoying tendency to fall asleep.

Again RIP to the poor man, but IMHO, driving on Thailand's roads at 3.00 am is asking for trouble.

RIP to the man. A horrible, horrible smash. Although I have seen a lot of smashes, including fatal ones here in Thailand and neighboring countries such as Vietnam and China, I have never seen a vehicle so badly smashed up as this Fortuner was. OMG.

Anyway, what I was wondering is, I've never heard of an "international driver's licence" in credit card format, with a 10-year validity. I don't want to sidetrack the discussion of this very horrible accident, but I think this licence must be fake.

International driver's "licences" don't exist. There are international driver's permits, used in conjunction with your national licence, valid only for a year at a time though and always in the old school paper booklet format.

Anyway, what I was wondering is, I've never heard of an "international driver's licence" in credit card format, with a 10-year validity. I don't want to sidetrack the discussion of this very horrible accident, but I think this licence must be fake.

They are fake. I have one here somewhere supposedly supplied by the UN that I found in a secondhand car I purchased.

That Fortuner is messed up for sure, another life lost - very sad. Are those Fortuners glued together here by farmers?

That must have been a hell of a crash, there is nothing left of the car..

Sad thing to happen to the man. r.i.p.

The car is not sold in many western countries..... wonder why..

take a look at the crash test result (aka Toyota 4Runner)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q70jNH-FnVY

Bloody hell. I am now leaving TV to look for crash test results for a 2009 D-Max.

That must have been a hell of a crash, there is nothing left of the car..

Sad thing to happen to the man. r.i.p.

The car is not sold in many western countries..... wonder why..

take a look at the crash test result (aka Toyota 4Runner)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q70jNH-FnVY

Bloody hell. I am now leaving TV to look for crash test results for a 2009 D-Max.

I hate driving in the dark in Thailand. Spoilt after 50 years of cats eyes (reflecting roadstuds)in England, and road markings that are re painted before they become invisible. Sorry for the guy and any family he left.