Man, 64, dies as three-wheeler slams into parked Phuket truck

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Man, 64, dies as three-wheeler slams into parked Phuket truck
Eakkapop Thongtub


Mr Pradab was thrown from his motorbike when it slammed into the back of the truck. Photo: Eakkapop Thongtub

PHUKET: -- A 64-year-old man died when his motorbike with sidecar slammed into a parked 18-wheeler in Thalang at 4:30am today(August 6).

The accident happened on Thepkrassattri Rd southbound in Mai Khao, just a few hundred meters south of where a 12-year-old girl was crushed by a truck last Friday (July 31). (See story here.)

The truck driver, Sonthaya Jinda, 30, from Nakhon Sri Thammarat, told police that he was resting in the truck when he heard a loud bang coming from behind the vehicle.

He exited the truck to find Pradab Srisongkram, from Phang Nga, dead on the ground beside his crumpled motorbike.

“The motorbike must have been travelling at high speed when it smashed into the truck,” said Lt Thanom Thongpan of the Tha Chatchai Police. “Mr Pradab bounced off and hit the road. He was not wearing a helmet.”

Mr Pradab’s body was taken to Thalang Hospital.

No charges have been filed, Lt Thanom confirmed.

Source: http://www.thephuketnews.com/man-64-dies-as-three-wheeler-slams-into-parked-phuket-truck-53522.php


-- Phuket News 2015-08-06

[alfredthegreat]

Speeding and not wearing a helmet!

[robertson468]

Did the parked truck have any lights on I wonder?

[SOTIRIOS]

...trucks just park wherever they like...on the road or shoulder....so what do you expect...

[tomyumchai]

why would the truck driver leave his lights on? "it make battery finish lil lil"

why would the motorcycle thing have a working front light? "it cost 35bt....mai mee."

why are we even surprised when this happens?

[terminatorchiangmai]

Never understand why these people with sidecars never wear a helmet and or get stopped for it.

RIP old man.

[Just1Voice]

These trucks parked on the side of the road at night, with no lights, are the exact reason why, after my first bike trip in northern Thailand, I never again rode at night.

[oneday]

Did the parked truck have any lights on I wonder?

The truck was almost certainly parked in the motorbike lane forcing motorbikes to go around it. Night time makes it doubly dangerous.

There were probably no lights at all on the truck and possibly no reflectors on it either or any reflectors it may have had were covered with dirt. I'd venture to say the truck was parked in such a way as to be difficult to spot. So many people here just give no thought or consideration as to how what they are doing could be deadly dangerous for someone else.

R.I.P.

Edited August 6, 2015 by oneday

[eisfeld]

These scooters with mounted side cars have also incredibly bad brakes. And that's without any additional load. They were never designed to have any sidecar attached and handle like a brick with it.

If he travels at 60km/h, he will have trouble braking or evading the obstacle quickly enough. Plus these guys don't even wear a cheap 100 THB helmet.

I am not sure if I feel sorry because that's just his own fault to a big extend plus they pose a danger every day to other drivers.

I know it sounds harsh but so is life as you can see.

This is a parked truck. It is huge. Even without lights or reflectors you will see it if your light works. If you have a road worthy vehicle (working brakes, working light), drive carefully and wear safety gear it is nigh impossible to have something like this happen. You would see this thing from far enough to come to a complete stand still or sway around it.

But people here never ever learn.

[Briggsy]

Those modified sidecars are involved in a disproportionately high number of accidents.

[inzman]

It looks like the motorbike was traveling quite slow from the amount of damage. But with certainly no working headlight and the truck with no lights on, I can see the makings of a catastrophe, all could have been prevented for 30 baht worth of lights, but they don't understand this concept. Lowest IQ in Asia.

[Rimmer]

Off topic troll post removed

[DuiDui48]

Totally agre with you Briggsy...AND reading the Thai law,it's say it is totally unlegal to attach a sidecar to a a small type Honda Dream/Wawe...TiT.

Those modified sidecars are involved in a disproportionately high number of accidents.

[2fishin2]

Did the parked truck have any lights on I wonder?

The truck was almost certainly parked in the motorbike lane forcing motorbikes to go around it. Night time makes it doubly dangerous.

There were probably no lights at all on the truck and possibly no reflectors on it either or any reflectors it may have had were covered with dirt. I'd venture to say the truck was parked in such a way as to be difficult to spot. So many people here just give no thought or consideration as to how what they are doing could be deadly dangerous for someone else.

R.I.P.

Motorbike lane?? The truck was parked same as everybody else, the bike driver was driving just like everybody else. Nothing unusual at all here.

[2fishin2]

Totally agre with you Briggsy...AND reading the Thai law,it's say it is totally unlegal to attach a sidecar to a a small type Honda Dream/Wawe...TiT.

Those modified sidecars are involved in a disproportionately high number of accidents.

I doubt it is "illegal" to attach them. If it is, the world is flat.

[kartman]

Died from natural causes ? and machine rolled into lorry? look at bent front upright tube for roof that would be made from the thinnest gauge metal available ,traveling at high speed

[konying]

Surprised no one assumed the motorist was drunk as a skunk not to see a truck and clearly was flying at a highspeed

Truck having lights makes no difference at all, because motorbike has one and something as huge as a truck is easily spotted from a distance away

[OttoPollmann]

This is a parked truck. It is huge. Even without lights or reflectors you will see it if your light works. If you have a road worthy vehicle (working brakes, working light), drive carefully and wear safety gear it is nigh impossible to have something like this happen. You would see this thing from far enough to come to a complete stand still or sway around it.

But people here never ever learn.

utter nonsens.

I think you have to leave the big city with its illuminated streets and take some night journey in some rural Isaan area.

The best time for this journey is at sugarcane harvesting on some dark nights on a dark alley surrounded from trees.

Those trucks are huge but you have to find this dark spot on the road to guess this could be a vehicle.

No lights or reflectors, all the time overloaded and driven with a speed of max. 20km/h or parked wherever and however they want.

The load will absorb the light and you will realise it on the last moment that something is in front of you.

Good luck

[cookee68]

That's why in the night on a dark road you should slow your speed down to avoid these idiots that take a rest on the side of an un-lite, unsafe road, without a care in the world for others

[eisfeld]

This is a parked truck. It is huge. Even without lights or reflectors you will see it if your light works. If you have a road worthy vehicle (working brakes, working light), drive carefully and wear safety gear it is nigh impossible to have something like this happen. You would see this thing from far enough to come to a complete stand still or sway around it.

But people here never ever learn.

utter nonsens.

I think you have to leave the big city with its illuminated streets and take some night journey in some rural Isaan area.

The best time for this journey is at sugarcane harvesting on some dark nights on a dark alley surrounded from trees.

Those trucks are huge but you have to find this dark spot on the road to guess this could be a vehicle.

No lights or reflectors, all the time overloaded and driven with a speed of max. 20km/h or parked wherever and however they want.

The load will absorb the light and you will realise it on the last moment that something is in front of you.

Good luck

No, what you posted is utter nonsense.

1. The accident happened in Phuket and not in in the backwoods of Isaan. But doesn't matter.

2. If your motorbike has proper working lights+brakes and you drive at a safe speed then you *will* see anything in front of you and be able to brake. Especially a huge ass truck.

3. Overloaded or not. Reflectors or not. Lights or not. Doesn't even matter. As long as you do as stated in 2. There are plenty other obstacles on roads like dogs that don't come with lights or reflectors.

4. What do you even mean by "the load will absorb the light"?

I spent a good amount of time driving Isaan pitch-black dark roads in the night on both a small scooter as well as a big bike. Sure it is frickin dangerous there but if you get a tiny bit of brain, you can manage to not die. And you can avoid hitting a driving sugarcane truck even with closed eyes, they make a lot of noise

On my last trip around Isaan a sugarcane truck on the opposite lane lost a sugarcane which came flying right into my forks. Now that's something you can't really avoid easily.

But coming back on topic: hitting a stationary big thing is something that you always can avoid. Unless maybe it is parked on the road on the inside of a blind corner.

[balo]

Accidents like this you will never see in Europe. It's just plain stupid.

[bheard]

why would the truck driver leave his lights on? "it make battery finish lil lil"

why would the motorcycle thing have a working front light? "it cost 35bt....mai mee."

why are we even surprised when this happens?

Quite so. Unfortunately both parties contributed to this disaster. So, not surprised when this happens.

[Rimmer]

A 'why is this news' Troll post has been removed.

[fester the benevolent]

Don't quite understand why the truck driver is getting blamed - if he was falling asleep at the wheel and decided to pull over for a nap then that is better than reading another story about a truck slamming into somebody.

If the samlor (which legally shouldn't be on the road in the first place although that is by the by) can't manage to avoid a huge parked truck then it isn't the truck driver's fault. Who's to say the samlor driver didn't fall asleep?

[Maggusoil]

Did the parked truck have any lights on I wonder?

The truck was almost certainly parked in the motorbike lane forcing motorbikes to go around it. Night time makes it doubly dangerous.

There were probably no lights at all on the truck and possibly no reflectors on it either or any reflectors it may have had were covered with dirt. I'd venture to say the truck was parked in such a way as to be difficult to spot. So many people here just give no thought or consideration as to how what they are doing could be deadly dangerous for someone else.

R.I.P.

Still, you have to be pretty unobservant not to notice a truck, if you are travelling at a safe speed. Drunk, tired, speeding, asleep at the handle bars? Could be anything.

Personally, I "always" pull off the road, for "any" stop I make. I hate the way people leave their parked cars in the road here. Like taking up more than half their side of the road on a blind corner. Amazing. Its hard to believe some people, far too many people, just don't get it at all.

[MyFriend You]

Did the parked truck have any lights on I wonder?

Probably not, that would use battery power wouldn't it?? They of course have no concept of batteries being recharged while the vehiucle is in operation. RIP to the old one, he was just trying to eck out a living and wound up dying needlessly.

[Pattaya28]

50-50 the motorbike rider never saw the parked truck because he had no front light.