Chinese tourists injured as runaway Phuket tour bus crashes on Patong Hill

[springheeled jack]

a runaway bus does it mean the driver lost control of the bus there doesn't appear to be much information forthcoming did he have engine failure or brake failure from what I have read in the past patong hill is notorious for crashes caused by brake failure because of the steep gradient of the hill .

[lvr181]

You know its completely confounding me why tourists still flock to Thailand given the safety record. Moreover why do they continue to use these overnight death traps given the safety record which is well enough documented ! And the BIG question, Why is nothing ever done to guarantee both Thai and foreign safety in this country when it comes to road use and travel ?

The ONLY guarantee in Thailand at the moment is that there will be no free elections anytime soon (and cronyism and transparency will be reduced)!

Hope the injured have a speedy and full recovery.

And we wait, yet again, for more of the same, unfortunately. TIT.

[iReason]

@Post #28

"No one died or anything."

Well shucks, someone did...

"Bus driver Somphon Plotchaikwang, 41, was taken to hospital by rescue workers but he was later confirmed dead on arrival."

[aussiandrew]

Sorry to hear of the tourist plight travelling by bus on the Phuket Island hope they have a speedy recovery.

[lvr181]

a runaway bus does it mean the driver lost control of the bus there doesn't appear to be much information forthcoming did he have engine failure or brake failure from what I have read in the past patong hill is notorious for crashes caused by brake failure because of the steep gradient of the hill .

Driver never considers choosing the lowest gear BEFORE attempting the descent of this hill or any other dangerous descents? No brain no pain (ooops...... no brain, all pain).

[terryp]

this is a mystical Hill drive up or down and your breaks fail !!!!

[oldsailor35]

Good to see that ban on buses going that route is working. If I take a wild guess here, I 'd say brake failure will be claimed after the driver rode the brakes the whole way down.

Not thinking of changing into the lowest gear of course !

[clockman]

Come to sunny Thailand, and enjoy hospital hospitality!

[NamKangMan]

What amazes me is I fly with Bangkok Airways from Phuket to Pattaya in an ATR-72 aircraft. It holds about 78 people. The aircraft must pass strict safety standards, must be regularly maintained, and the pilot is trained to international standards.

These coach buses hold about 58 people - not that much less than the ATR-72. The driver most probably paid a bribe to get his license, as he clearly incapable of driving a heavy vehicle. The bus company looks for the cheapest drivers - lucky if this driver is on 10,000 baht a month salary, which reflects the lack of knowledge and training involved. There are no proper safety checks and maintenance schedules to keep for the bus.

But, worst of all, we all share the road with these incompetent drivers, and they could wipe any of us out at any time, and should they collide with another bus, or minivan, there is the potential for a loss of life great than an ATR-72 plane crashing.

So many of these bus crashes in Thailand and not a thing done about it.

[farcanell]

I see that in post 29 above... Someone is POINTING at the bus.... Home CSI Thai Visa readers could be excused for thinking it's the buses fault.... Even if my auto correct app did try to change buses to burmeses.... Dirty defamatory auto correct app!

[farcanell]

What amazes me is I fly with Bangkok Airways from Phuket to Pattaya in an ATR-72 aircraft. It holds about 78 people. The aircraft must pass strict safety standards, must be regularly maintained, and the pilot is trained to international standards.

These coach buses hold about 58 people - not that much less than the ATR-72. The driver most probably paid a bribe to get his license, as he clearly incapable of driving a heavy vehicle. The bus company looks for the cheapest drivers - lucky if this driver is on 10,000 baht a month salary, which reflects the lack of knowledge and training involved. There are no proper safety checks and maintenance schedules to keep for the bus.

But, worst of all, we all share the road with these incompetent drivers, and they could wipe any of us out at any time, and should they collide with another bus, or minivan, there is the potential for a loss of life great than an ATR-72 plane crashing.

So many of these bus crashes in Thailand and not a thing done about it.

Ah.... Wasn't the international flight safety regulator body, or similar, going to shut down a lot of Thai airplanes last year, due to a lack of.... Well... Everything?

[LivinginKata]

I believe in other countries, even if they made a deliberate effort to select the very worst bus drivers, they would not be able to match the incredible crash rate of Thai buses. One wonders how the drivers can be so so bad at driving.

Because the bus drivers have no driver training, no appreciation of engine braking, gearbox use, or an sort of general safety for their passengers. Long time ago when I turned 21 I took my PSV (Public Service Vehicle) in the UK. It was a week long course with a written and practical test at the end. Many potential bus drivers failed.

[njhorn2000]

Another one.

A runaway bus makes a change from a runaway driver I suppose.

Oh I'm sure the driver still ran away..

[njhorn2000]

Another one.

A runaway bus makes a change from a runaway driver I suppose.

Oh I'm sure the driver still ran away..

My mistake, I see the driver is now in "The great temple in the sky" along with Buddha and all the other little action figures. RIP knucklehead.. That hill is not that steep..

[sunnyjim5]

I live close by to where this latest accident occurred. To my certain knowledge this is the third time a "runaway" tourist bus has come of the hill, been unable to negotiate the right of left hand turn at the base of the hill and continued, at high speed, into the small residential street. On two occasions a bus crashed into a house demolishing the lower front elevation of the house.

It was "fortunate " this bus hit the power pole or it would have crashed into a deep klong.

Once again this bus (which has not yet been removed) was old and probably poorly maintained.

50% of the street is still without electricity which cannot be restored until the bus is removed and the power company can replace the pole and transformer

When will someone take some serious action to prevent these "accidents" ?

[Bangkok Barry]

Gee whiz, is this really news? There are vehicle accidents in every country everyday where people die.

No one died or anything.

Yet another who posts before bothering to read the article, which says the driver died. Yet another poster who does so as regularly as buses crash. Same same, day after day, with both.

[sabaii69]

same same. copy and paste.

change the date. change the number of dead and injured.

What in Sam Hill ..phuket hill...is wrong with these drivers there?

[johndudorn]

Gee whiz, is this really news? There are vehicle accidents in every country everyday where people die.

No one died or anything.

Bus driver Somphon Plotchaikwang, 41, was taken to hospital by rescue workers but he was later confirmed dead on arrival.

[Nemesis7]

Could have been more fatal.

[Ulic]

Come vacation in Phuket, accommodation provided by the Patong Hospital.

[snoop1130]

Reckless driving to blame for Patong hill bus crash say Phuket police
The Phuket News

The 17 injured tourists and bus driver, 40-year-old Jeerasak Kimbuathong, were taken to hospital where the driver was later pronounced dead.

PHUKET: -- Reckless driving is to blame for the Patong Hill bus crash which killed the driver and injured 17 tourists police told The Phuket News today (Feb 24).

Kathu Police Capt Yingyong Chuykit told The Phuket News that their investigation concluded that the accident happened because of the driver's recklessness.

The tour bus carrying Chinese tourists crashed at the bottom Patong Hill little before 9pm on Monday night (Feb 22). The bus driver's lost control of the vehicle then scraped the side of the temple wall before slamming into the light pylon. (See story here)

The 17 injured tourists and bus driver, 40-year-old Jeerasak Kimbuathong, were taken to hospital where the driver was later pronounced dead.

Full Story: http://www.thephuketnews.com/reckless-driving-to-blame-for-patong-hill-bus-crash-say-phuket-police-56346.php

-- Phuket News 2016-02-24

[LivinginKata]

I thought the early story was the driver was a hero because he sent passenger to the back of the bus on the descent down the hill because he knew the brakes were failing. Now that he is dead he gets the blame ???

[ChrisY1]

I thought the early story was the driver was a hero because he sent passenger to the back of the bus on the descent down the hill because he knew the brakes were failing. Now that he is dead he gets the blame ???

There's probably a 99% chance that the driver was actually at fault, given the nature of the accident...........and as we all know, most accidents are avoidable!

Edited February 24, 2016 by ChrisY1

[clockman]

Not reckless driving, but ingrained corruption! and patronage.

[CarolJadzia]

Bus driver 40-year-old Jeerasak Kimbuathong from Krabi** has been taken to hospital, rescue workers at the scene confirmed. He was later confirmed dead on arrival.

So as the driver did not die at the scene he will not even be recorded in the statistics.

Something really needs to be done about teaching coach drivers how to deal with complex advanced driving techniques, such as how to select a low gear when going down hill!

[CarolJadzia]

Kathu Police Capt Yingyong Chuykit told The Phuket News that their investigation concluded that the accident happened because of the driver's recklessness.

When does a Thai Bus or Coach Driver become Reckless?

I assume this happens when they have an accident and someone needs to blame someone?

At all other times it's considered normal driving.

Without training the drivers to deal with such incidents, nothing will change and the daily bus accidents will continue.

[Ace of Pop]

Do any have Taco here , or can they drive long hours.They all seem a bit tired to me.

[CarolJadzia]

Do any have Taco here , or can they drive long hours.They all seem a bit tired to me.

As far as I can tell - No.

No driver training or special test required either. Anyone with a Thai driving licence can get in and drive.

Please someone tell me I am wrong.

But without any proper training in how to deal with simple things then no wonder there are daily accidents.

[Norvid 1950]

Finally maybe someone will make a documentary on "The Killing ThaiRoads" . (Experienced it first hand) Don't confuse with the movie "The Killing Fields".

[LivinginKata]

Do any have Taco here , or can they drive long hours.They all seem a bit tired to me.

As far as I can tell - No.

No driver training or special test required either. Anyone with a Thai driving licence can get in and drive.

Please someone tell me I am wrong.

But without any proper training in how to deal with simple things then no wonder there are daily accidents.

No tacometers here, no maximum driving hours laws here, no HGV (heavy goods vehicle)or PSV (public service vehicle) drive test requirements here, as far as I know.