American arrested, 2 injured, in multi-vehicle road crash in Pattaya

[mauGR1]

So, apparently, for some posters, whenever you have a small accident, is perfectly normal to escape, and create a mess, with police chasing, for fear of being lynched by a angry mob.

May i ask, if you think that Thailand is such an uncivilized place, what are you doing here ?

[Jingthing]

I'm not defending the actions of this lady but I want to add an American perspective to this.

There you generally would not flee the scene of an accident but you would have full confidence that you wouldn't be subject to the whims of an angry mob and that if there was legal trouble you would have the benefit of a reasonably fair justice system.

A non-Thai in Thailand ... do the math.

Yes I know the same applies to other more organized countries ... but this lady is American.

Also, do Americans in particular often have an irrational self perception of being "special" while abroad ... yes, I think so, we are brainwashed that way and it's not always easy to shake brainwashing, the same with American tipping behavior.

Of course nobody is making us live in Thailand and perhaps more of us really shouldn't even be here.

Edited April 6, 2015 by Jingthing

[Tomtomtom69]

It is possible she simply panicked big time and it escalated out of control. In Africa you might be wise not to stop in case of a road accident, even when it is against the law, you drive directly to your embassy and then report.

Same thing in Bangladesh and even Thailand's own neighbor, Myanmar. Perhaps one reason why Myanmar doesn't allow Thai or other foreign registered cars in? Except within the border town but even that's risky as you don't get insurance.

[KittenKong]

And how many people were injured in that truck accident of yours?

It's fairly common for mobs to form and for violence to be done if someone has been injured. It happens to Thai drivers too.

"Land of smiles" maybe, but the smile is only skin deep.

No, it's not "fairly common for mobs to form" and for violence. That's complete tosh, KK. Nor "typically .... etc" as Johnson said. In 23 years and hundreds of thousands of kilos in Bangkok, I saw many, many accidents, but not one single incident of violence. Not one. Ditto for my 3 years in Pattaya. My point is that her original accident (we are given no info on this) may not have been that bad, so she could have stopped, but she didn't. It seems that all the hysteria over this occurred AFTER she panicked and caused a lot of damage - that is where the rage erupted, not with the original accident (I think). Get my point?

It's fairly common when someone has been injured, as I said.

If you have never seen it in Bangkok then maybe you were lucky, or maybe Bangkok is much more civilised that some other parts.

Even my Thai insurance agent commented on how unpredictable groups of Thais can be when injuries have occurred, and she should know.

[onemorechang]

I'm not defending the actions of this lady but I want to add an American perspective to this.

There you generally would not flee the scene of an accident but you would have full confidence that you wouldn't be subject to the whims of an angry mob and that if there was legal trouble you would have the benefit of a reasonably fair justice system.

A non-Thai in Thailand ... do the math.

Yes I know the same applies to other more organized countries ... but this lady is American.

Also, do Americans in particular often have an irrational self perception of being "special" while abroad ... yes, I think so, we are brainwashed that way and it's not always easy to shake brainwashing, the same with American tipping behavior.

Of course nobody is making us live in Thailand and perhaps more of us really shouldn't even be here.

Good post

[Tomtomtom69]

Another good reason to never, ever, ever drive any kind of vehicle in Thailand.

How old are you? Try living a normal, functional, family life here without a car.

He would never, ever, ever drive any kind of vehicle in Thailand so how does he get around ? Does he put his life in the hands of public transport operators ?

We all know how dangerous the buses and trains are here, and taxis and tuk-tuks. What does he do, flap his arms really fast and fly everywhere ?

Unless I have to go to Bangkok, I walk. Not saying that is safe here either, but at least I can't get blamed for an accident I didn't cause. I do own a car and have a motorbike and car license, but haven't driven any type of vehicle in over two years...no reason to.

So you just bought the car for show?

[KittenKong]

So, apparently, for some posters, whenever you have a small accident, is perfectly normal to escape, and create a mess, with police chasing, for fear of being lynched by a angry mob.

May i ask, if you think that Thailand is such an uncivilized place, what are you doing here ?

I'm here because I like the place and it suits my needs, not because I think there is anything particularly wonderful about Thais or the way they think. If I had to interact with them regularly due to work or marriage etc I think I would have left long ago.

Given that there have been numerous deaths from speeding, knives and gunfights within a few hundred yards of my condo I think I can safely say that it is not very civilised here. But that doesnt bother me too much as these things seem to happen when I am safely tucked up in bed.

[longstebe]

Wow, madness of the highest order.

I'm surprised there's no updates as of yet. Wonder what was going through her head?

[Tomtomtom69]

This type of behaviour can get you in trouble anywhere, even if flouting normal traffic laws doesn't matter. In general in Thailand it doesn't seem to matter if you go the wrong way down a road, whether a one way street or a major highway. I see it every single day without exception and am starting to get appalled at the frequency with which idiots seem to endanger the lives of everyone on the road. Most of them are motorcyclists of course and motorcycle taxis form a fair proportion of the offending drivers. I often feel like shouting out to these idiots to stop this behaviour or educating them about the dangers, but as with many things here, I believe it won't change anything so I just let it go.

BUT in the event of an accident, especially a serious one where you were at fault, don't expect to get off lightly, especially if you were driving recklessly, contrary to the traffic laws and/or decide to flee the scene of an accident. I remember reading over on the GT Forum about a Thai driver, who was driving a Thai registered pickup truck without Lao third party insurance as a support vehicle for a motorcycle tour in Laos, back in 2006 or something, who then drifted onto the wrong side of the road and had a head-on collision with a locally registered pickup carrying the then Luang Prabang mayor who died as a result of the accident. Long story short as a result of not having insurance and an attempt to flee the scene of the accident, the Lao authorities jailed the driver, who pleaded for help from the American owner of the company. In total the driver spent 18 months in a Lao jail before being released.

Although it was wrong to not purchase insurance, I can't help but think that he wasn't properly trained to drive in another country, especially ones that drive on the right hand side of the road and him fleeing the accident scene sealed his fate.

In another instance 2 Thai motorcyclists "forgot" (they didn't actually forget) to purchase Lao insurance for their trip and then drove off across the border on their way out without doing any documents. Their actions forced Lao customs to restrict entries made by Thai registered motorcycles at some crossings altogether for some years, before things started to settle down a bit more recently.

[Tomtomtom69]

Typically a mob of angry Thais would assault and kick a persons head in after an accident so maybe she did the smart thing?

I was in an accident with a truck. The driver (his fault) and offsider and myself enjoyed a great laugh and shared jokes until the insurance people arrived. Couldn't have met two nicer guys.

You have a nice, sane and rational day. Ok?

And how many people were injured in that truck accident of yours?

It's fairly common for mobs to form and for violence to be done if someone has been injured. It happens to Thai drivers too.

"Land of smiles" maybe, but the smile is only skin deep.

No, it's not "fairly common for mobs to form" and for violence. That's complete tosh, KK. Nor "typically .... etc" as Johnson said. In 23 years and hundreds of thousands of kilos in Bangkok, I saw many, many accidents, but not one single incident of violence. Not one. Ditto for my 3 years in Pattaya. My point is that her original accident (we are given no info on this) may not have been that bad, so she could have stopped, but she didn't. It seems that all the hysteria over this occurred AFTER she panicked and caused a lot of damage - that is where the rage erupted, not with the original accident (I think). Get my point?

Of course it was due to the ensuing melee that caused all the damage.

Nobody cared that she drove on the wrong side of the road because that's what Thais (and even a few expats) do every single day. But as soon as you start damaging property such as private vehicles parked along the road side, you start to cross the line.

I'm not sure what most educated Thais make of all those less educated idiots driving against the flow of traffic on motorcycles, thinking they're in Cambodia or Myanmar both of which drive on the right hand side of the road. But probably they just think they're stupid, like I do, although they probably just let the idiots be, as long as there's no property damage, nobody cares. Or they don't want to confront idiots for their stupidity and just allow the inevitable to occur, which is a serious or fatal accident sooner or later.

[dirtycash]

bloody idiot , luckily no children or people were killed.

lock the silly bitch up for a good few years .

[jamesjohnsonthird]

"At the scene a crowd of angry onlookers and victims of the driver’s actions gathered. Some directed homophobic comments towards Miss Amanda and others attempted to assault her."

[manarak]

Fortuna, say no more.

I don't understand your comment?

Fortuna, latin goddess of luck ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fortuna

[manarak]

"At the scene a crowd of angry onlookers and victims of the driver’s actions gathered. Some directed homophobic comments towards Miss Amanda and others attempted to assault her."

yes, noticed that too, but nobody gave an explanation about the homophobic comments

Edited April 6, 2015 by manarak

[JOC]

A farang gets into a fender bender in Thailand, the Thai sees $$$$ or is just angry and escalates the situation, creating a drama, scares the lady, a gang appears begins pounding on her car so she takes off.

Is that what happened?

Fender bender??

Try to watch the video in post #115.

That is a drive of a mad/drugged person!

So take all your Thai bashing posts and stuff them!!

Hope she gets a severe punishment.

[mauGR1]

So, apparently, for some posters, whenever you have a small accident, is perfectly normal to escape, and create a mess, with police chasing, for fear of being lynched by a angry mob.

May i ask, if you think that Thailand is such an uncivilized place, what are you doing here ?

I'm here because I like the place and it suits my needs, not because I think there is anything particularly wonderful about Thais or the way they think. If I had to interact with them regularly due to work or marriage etc I think I would have left long ago.

Given that there have been numerous deaths from speeding, knives and gunfights within a few hundred yards of my condo I think I can safely say that it is not very civilised here. But that doesnt bother me too much as these things seem to happen when I am safely tucked up in bed.

I can agree with you that if you are in Patts, the bed is the place to be

[Wat dee]

It is possible she simply panicked big time and it escalated out of control. In Africa you might be wise not to stop in case of a road accident, even when it is against the law, you drive directly to your embassy and then report.

Nah,there is more to this story than meets the eye, I will leave TV's finest to decipher what really went on.

Typically a mob of angry Thais would assault and kick a persons head in after an accident so maybe she did the smart thing?

She really knows how to create a mob! This one even had pink faces in it!!

Poor thing afraid of Thai mob...some just are full of it.

[samsingsong]

The report states "Some directed homophobic comments towards Miss Amanda...."

Dictionary definition of 'homophobic' : Fear, hatred, or mistrust of lesbians and gay men.

Which category was she/he?

[jamesjohnsonthird]

A farang gets into a fender bender in Thailand, the Thai sees $$$$ or is just angry and escalates the situation, creating a drama, scares the lady, a gang appears begins pounding on her car so she takes off.

Is that what happened?

Fender bender??

Try to watch the video in post #115.

That is a drive of a mad/drugged person!

So take all your Thai bashing posts and stuff them!!

Hope she gets a severe punishment.

You saw a video of the fender bender that started the situation? Then you must know why she fled the scene.

If she was fleeing an angry mob then I give her a pass. If she just decided to bolt from an accident then she is a very bad girl. Let the law handle it.

Edited April 6, 2015 by jamesjohnsonthird

[Wat dee]

A farang gets into a fender bender in Thailand, the Thai sees $$$$ or is just angry and escalates the situation, creating a drama, scares the lady, a gang appears begins pounding on her car so she takes off.

Is that what happened?

If accident happened while driving rented jetski ,yes!! Accidents on roads are still pretty safe,even for drunk drivers.

Spent some time off beaches,it's a big country.

[Nemesis7]

OMG

[Timwin]

It is a tough judgement call. Even if you lock your car, side windows are easily breakable to thousand pieces with any sharp objects. Those are designed that way.

[Jingthing]

The report states "Some directed homophobic comments towards Miss Amanda...."

Dictionary definition of 'homophobic' : Fear, hatred, or mistrust of lesbians and gay men.

Which category was she/he?

Perhaps they meant xenophobic...

Sent from my Lenovo S820_ROW using Thaivisa Connect Thailand mobile app

[emilymat]

Just my two penneth.

A couple of years ago I was backing out very slowly from a 7-11 when a woman on a m'bike came whizzing along and turned in, just touching the rear end of my car. Her bike wobbled and fell over and I got out to see if she was OK. She was, but looked very sheepish, obviously recognising her mistake.

Then, suddenly, 4 taxi drivers from the other side of the road rushed over and the girl immediately developed a limp. I knew this was bull...t and all sort of Thai jabbering went on. However, as suddenly as she developed the limp my son-in-law who had been for a game of golf with me, stepped out of the passenger door. The taxi drivers immediately lost interest and trudged away. Clearly, they had not noticed I had a passenger.

Even though I don't know why,I was going to give the woman a couple of hundred baht before the taxi men came but she got sweet FA and I drove off. Last I saw of her in my mirror was entering 7-11 without a limp.

I do think the Thai's, or many of them, are real drama queens.

[ThailandLOS]

So this is what happens when the road is blocked with traffic and you cannot flee the scene.

I will bet a mob just like this scared that American woman.

And I bet you that you don't have a clue.

I was involved myself in a very serious traffic accident, in Pattaya by the way, where a young girl sustained a severe head injury. About 20-30 Thai bystanders around, nobody formed a "mob" or in any way acted threatening. I stopped, gave first aid, waited for the cops and ambulance and there was no trace of any aggression at any point although I was the only foreigner at the site with no Thai company.

I bet you that this story would never had happened if this "lady" had taken her responsibility in the first place.

[petercool]

Please stay on topic. Thank you.

[Gracas]

So when is the release of Fast & Furious 8.

[jamesjohnsonthird]

So this is what happens when the road is blocked with traffic and you cannot flee the scene.

I will bet a mob just like this scared that American woman.

And I bet you that you don't have a clue.

I was involved myself in a very serious traffic accident, in Pattaya by the way, where a young girl sustained a severe head injury. About 20-30 Thai bystanders around, nobody formed a "mob" or in any way acted threatening. I stopped, gave first aid, waited for the cops and ambulance and there was no trace of any aggression at any point although I was the only foreigner at the site with no Thai company.

I bet you that this story would never had happened if this "lady" had taken her responsibility in the first place.

Funny. You begin your post...."And I bet you that you don't have a clue."

But at the end of your tirade, you're making a wild guess as to the cause.

More than likely, a mob chased her.

​Surely you don't believe this lady just went on a rampage? Why?

[kbelyeu]

She was released after agreeing to pay all medical bills and damage to all vehicles involved. I am will to bet her insurance will cover some but surely not all and hopefully she will have learned her lesson.

Again she panicked and fled the scene.

Kurt

[jamesjohnsonthird]

She was released after agreeing to pay all medical bills and damage to all vehicles involved. I am will to bet her insurance will cover some but surely not all and hopefully she will have learned her lesson.

Again she panicked and fled the scene.

Kurt

Panicked and fled because a mob was after her or fled because she didn't want to take responsibility for a minor accident?

Has that been clarified?

Most likely a mob was going to lynch her. Why would she run from a minor fender bender.

Thais traditionally 'flee the scene' for this exact reason. Mob lynchings. Watch the video posted above. The mob tried to kill everyone in that car. Very common.

The American lady was just doing what a seasoned Thai would do. Run for her life.

You are aware a second mob came to lynch her when the police stopped her? This lady is fortunate to not have her skull crushed by these people.

Edited April 6, 2015 by jamesjohnsonthird