British family injured as van ends up in Rayong klong - Thai female guide is dead

[Jonathan Fairfield]

British family injured as van ends up in Rayong klong - Thai female guide is dead

 

Image: ThaiRath

 

RAYONG:-- A British family who rented a van from Ban Phe (Koh Samet) to Bangkok ended up submerged in a klong Wednesday as the driver of the vehicle lost control on Route 36.

 

Villagers rushed to extricate the family and Thai driver but were unable to save the female guide who was reportedly stuck in her seatbelt as the van sank in Klong Yai canal.

 

The British family are all recovering in Sri Rayong hospital. The driver Akhom Khumkhainam, 47, is in a serious condition in Rayong Hospital.

 

Guide Kanokrat Chaicharoensawat, 44, a native of Ayuthaya was pronounced dead at the scene. She was sitting next to the driver.

 

The accident happened at the Klong Yai bridge in in the Chern Nern area heading in the direction of Pattaya.

 

Police are investigating but as yet do not know for sure what happened. They suspect the driver either nodded off or had swerved to miss a trailer and lost control of the Toyotas Commuter van ending up in the klong on its side.

 

Investigations continue.

 

Source: Thairath

 

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2016-08-03

[Wilsonandson]

Accidents happen. Glad to see most survived, it could have been much worse. RIP Kanokrat Chaicharoensawat. 

[sweatalot]

53 minutes ago, Wilsonandson said:

Accidents happen. Glad to see most survived, it could have been much worse. RIP Kanokrat Chaicharoensawat. 

 

bad enough.

 but you're right. I like your way to view this

Should be more common. Not only in TV

Edited August 3, 2016 by sweatalot

[MyFrenU]

They should ban these minivans now in Thailand,they are just lethal!

[Bangkokhatter]

10 minutes ago, MyFrenU said:

They should ban these minivans now in Thailand,they are just lethal!

Nonsense, the vans are harmless, it's the drivers who need banning.

[MyFrenU]

Just now, Bangkokhatter said:

Nonsense, the vans are harmless, it's the drivers who need banning.

Guns don't kill people,minivan drivers kill people then?

[Bangkokhatter]

1 minute ago, MyFrenU said:

Guns don't kill people,minivan drivers kill people then?

In this case i imagine it would not matter what vehicle they were travelling in, so yes a mistake by the driver may well have led to this fatal accident.

[Lannig]

7 minutes ago, Bangkokhatter said:

Nonsense, the vans are harmless, it's the drivers who need banning.

I beg to differ. I've driven such a Toyota minivan once and they're a handful. High centre of gravity and therefore high sensitivity to wind and turbulence caused by passing trucks. They react very strongly to potholes, one has to be very careful and hold on really tight to the wheel.

Furthermore they offer very little protection to shocks and exiting the vehicle in an emergency is quite difficult due to cramped seats and the sliding door.

We don't get to see these models on the roads in Europe AFAIK, probably for a good reason. They wouldn't pass safety certifications, at least not with the number of passengers seen riding them in Thailand.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Lannig

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, Lannig said:

I beg to differ. I've driven such a Toyota minivan once and they're a handful. High centre of gravity and therefore high sensitivity to wind and turbulence caused by passing trucks. They react very strongly to potholes, one has to be very careful and hold on really tight to the wheel.

Furthermore they offer very little protection to shocks and exiting the vehicle in an emergency is quite difficult due to cramped seats and the sliding door.

We don't get to see these models on the roads in Europe AFAIK, probably for a good reason. They wouldn't pass safety certifications, at least not with the number of passengers seen riding them in Thailand.

 

Here's the situation in the UK:

 

"To drive a minibus which has 9 or more passenger seats for hire or reward you will normally need passenger carrying vehicle entitlement (PCV) (category D1 or D). To obtain this you must meet higher medical standards and take a further driving test."

 

I'm sure that the standards in Thailand are just as stringent, and that both drivers and enforcement agencies strive to their utmost to maintain them.

 

BTW, I drive a 3.5 ton Iveco tipper truck and a Mercedes Sprinter van in the UK (but not with the same "enthusiasm" that I drive my small hatchback).

Edited August 3, 2016 by Enoon

[Enoon]

32 minutes ago, Enoon said:

 

Here's the situation in the UK:

 

"To drive a minibus which has 9 or more passenger seats for hire or reward you will normally need passenger carrying vehicle entitlement (PCV) (category D1 or D). To obtain this you must meet higher medical standards and take a further driving test."

 

I'm sure that the standards in Thailand are just as stringent, and that both drivers and enforcement agencies strive to their utmost to maintain them.

 

BTW, I drive a 3.5 ton Iveco tipper truck and a Mercedes Sprinter van in the UK (but not with the same "enthusiasm" that I drive my small hatchback).

 

 

 Photos of Toyota Hi-ace and Mitsubishi L300 added by mistake to previous post.

Edited August 3, 2016 by Enoon

[Thechook]

3 hours ago, MyFrenU said:

Guns don't kill people,minivan drivers kill people then?

Why was he carrying a gun and felt the need to use it, I thought the guide drowned.

[webfact]

One killed, five injured in van accident in Rayong

 

 

RAYONG: -- A tour guide was killed and five other people, including the driver, were injured on Wednesday when a chartered passenger van accidentally skidded out of the road and plunged into a roadside klong in Rayong province.

 

Five passengers and the driver, 47-year Arkhom Kumkhainam, were in the van which left the Koh Samet pier for Bangkok.

As the van was travelling on Route 36 toward Pattaya, it suddenly skidded out of the road and ploughed into an irrigation klong.

 

Police said that the tour guide, Ms Kanokrat Chaicharoensawat, drowned in the klong before the arrival of rescue workers because she could not free herself from the seat belt.

 

All the injured were rushed to Rayong provincial hospital for treatment.

 

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/one-killed-five-injured-van-accident-rayong/

 

-- © Copyright Thai PBS 2016-08-04

[Artisi]

4 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Here's the situation in the UK:

 

"To drive a minibus which has 9 or more passenger seats for hire or reward you will normally need passenger carrying vehicle entitlement (PCV) (category D1 or D). To obtain this you must meet higher medical standards and take a further driving test."

 

I'm sure that the standards in Thailand are just as stringent, and that both drivers and enforcement agencies strive to their utmost to maintain them.

 

BTW, I drive a 3.5 ton Iveco tipper truck and a Mercedes Sprinter van in the UK (but not with the same "enthusiasm" that I drive my small hatchback).

Yes,  testing in Thailand is very strict, tell me your name, thank you, pass. 

And by the way, I ride a push bike sometimes but never as fast as my old car. 

[craigt3365]

Highway 36 is like a raceway.  People passing on the left, trying to sneak by on the right.  It's absolute insanity.  Too many trucks and too many drivers trying to pass them anyway they can.

 

It'd be great if Thailand started roving police patrols like other countries do.  Pass on the shoulder and get an immediate 5,000B fine.  Sadly, these van drivers are some of the worst.

[Orac]

Sadly, I fear, the only lesson that will be learnt from this is not to wear a seatbelt.

[NormanW]

11 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

Highway 36 is like a raceway.  People passing on the left, trying to sneak by on the right.  It's absolute insanity.  Too many trucks and too many drivers trying to pass them anyway they can.

 

It'd be great if Thailand started roving police patrols like other countries do.  Pass on the shoulder and get an immediate 5,000B fine.  Sadly, these van drivers are some of the worst.

Yes. The problem is they'd be vehicles laid up every where because they couldn't pay the 5k fine.

 

They have to take all the good things about traffic management from other countries and implementthem ere. Way easier said than done!

 

We live/drive/ride in hope that at least somethinghappens in the next 20-30 years. 

 

Am I being too optimistic???????

[cumgranosalum]

why was the vehicle able to leave the road and drop into the canal? What about barriers etc?

[craigt3365]

9 minutes ago, cumgranosalum said:

why was the vehicle able to leave the road and drop into the canal? What about barriers etc?

If this is the place, the barriers are quite low.  At speed, easy to pop over them.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.6895529,101.2963262,3a,75y,329.61h,76.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFxwCJzf5abF9-LBQKpE1wg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[zyphodb]

17 minutes ago, NormanW said:

Yes. The problem is they'd be vehicles laid up every where because they couldn't pay the 5k fine.

 

They have to take all the good things about traffic management from other countries and implementthem ere. Way easier said than done!

 

We live/drive/ride in hope that at least somethinghappens in the next 20-30 years. 

 

Am I being too optimistic???????

 

Yes I'm afraid so.....

[little mary sunshine]

These van usually speed and never

slow down for wet roads, so dangerous.

Edited August 4, 2016 by little mary sunshine

[Caps]

6 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Here's the situation in the UK:

 

"To drive a minibus which has 9 or more passenger seats for hire or reward you will normally need passenger carrying vehicle entitlement (PCV) (category D1 or D). To obtain this you must meet higher medical standards and take a further driving test."

 

I'm sure that the standards in Thailand are just as stringent, and that both drivers and enforcement agencies strive to their utmost to maintain them.

 

BTW, I drive a 3.5 ton Iveco tipper truck and a Mercedes Sprinter van in the UK (but not with the same "enthusiasm" that I drive my small hatchback).

That would depend on when you got your licence.  Mine came with D1 (carry 9 to 16 people) and D1+E.  No extra test or medical 

 

 

Anyway back to the topic.  It could have been a lot worse.  Shame about the woman...hope the family are ok

[whatproblem]

I will never sit in a minibus in Thailand ,no way what so ever or my son ,they pass me on the way to school as if their lives depend on how quick they get there ,the children's lives mean nothing to them 

[arithai12]

RIP thai female guide. I hope the survivors will help shed light on the cause of the accident and that at least her family will get some compensation.

 

 

[cumgranosalum]

55 minutes ago, craigt3365 said:

If this is the place, the barriers are quite low.  At speed, easy to pop over them.

https://www.google.co.th/maps/@12.6895529,101.2963262,3a,75y,329.61h,76.6t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sFxwCJzf5abF9-LBQKpE1wg!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

 

 

Barriers in general in Thailand are a matter of huge concern....in most countries they are carefully designed for a purpose.....e.g. preventing oncoming traffic colliding or vehicles leaving a road. Usually this is done with Armco barriers that are specifically designed for their shock absorbing properties. the height is crucial and even when quite a high vehicle strikes them they are able to retain the vehicle on the carriageway.

I Thailand I see no such science applied and most barriers are concrete with little or no shock absorption properties. in fact they ca even exacerbate the incident - which would appear to be the case here.

 

most of the posts sadly rather than discuss the real problems critically are just an exercise in confirmation bias.

[sahibji]

10 hours ago, MyFrenU said:

They should ban these minivans now in Thailand,they are just lethal!

 

MyFrenU

so many people have expressed unhappiness about the resiting of the minivans from the Victory Monument that it is not possible even to think of minivans being banned. Not until alternative means of transportation are available.

[sahibji]

accidents are unfortunate.

 

however, since no other vehicle was involved it is either poor road conditions,speeding. reckless  driving, driving under the influence of stimulants or a combination thereof.

'the only solace from the episode is that the casualties were low.

[metisdead]

An off topic nonsense post has been removed. 

[cumgranosalum]

40 minutes ago, sahibji said:

accidents are unfortunate.

 

however, since no other vehicle was involved it is either poor road conditions,speeding. reckless  driving, driving under the influence of stimulants or a combination thereof.

'the only solace from the episode is that the casualties were low.

/sadlt the analysis by the police will be no better than your rather inadequate appraisal.

if yo really want to see what SHOULD be done in the event of an incident l;ike this, check out any European or UK roadv accident website....they have records and analysis dating back years ...all available to the public.

 

As for journalism  (Sotirios)- well as the papers normally write a load of <deleted> gleaned from an inadequate assessment by the local bobbies it is probably best that they say nothing at all........ assessing an RTI is like a crime scene - it requires thorough and methodical investigation before any pronouncement is made - in Thailand this never happens. This means they never learn either so the same mistakes are made again and again.......unless there is a need for a cover up....then the fairy-tales begin.

[mesterm]

13 hours ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Investigations continue.

 

Brake failure.

[Aussieroaming]

RIP

 

Banning minivans wont help the millions of people who utilize them to commute, but driver training, random drug testing and speed limiters might help.