Four killed, one injured in trucks’ collision in Mae Sot

[webfact]

Four killed, one injured in trucks’ collision in Mae Sot
By The Nation

 

Two men, a woman and a girl were killed when their truck carrying motorcycle crashed into an oil tanker truck in Tak’s Mae Sot district Thursday, police said.

 

The accident happened at 11:45 am on Mueang Tak-Mae Sot road in Tambon Dan Mae Lamao in Mae Sot district.

 

Police said the truck was transporting motorcycles to Myanmar when it lost control on the downhill road and crashed into the oil tanker on the opposite lane.

 

The impact sent the motorcycles to be scattered over the road, blocking the traffic.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30309278

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-03-16

[webfact]

Four dead as truck and tanker collide following brake failure on Mae Sot - Tak Road in North West Thailand

 

Picture: Thai News Agency

 

MAE SOT: -- Four people died including a 4 year old child on the Mae Sot to Tak Road in Tak when a truck/trailer carrying 44 motorcycles collided with a tanker carrying molasses.

 

The driver of the truck - Warit Sukhonthanitkun, 64 - was heard to cry out as his brakes failed coming down a hill. He lost control and went into the opposite lane colliding with the tanker, Thai News Agency reported.

 

Dead at the scene were Warit, his four year old granddaughter, the  driver of the tanker and his wife.

 

Another person was injured though TNA did not report who this was.

 

Source: Thai News Agency

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-03-17

 

[Mook23]

Oops... bad hill! Bad brakes... 

[Get Real]

And bad maintainance of brakes....

 

I guess we will see a couple of minor scratched motorbike for sale

[onemorechang]

Professional drivers of Thailand.

Are the pits.

Sad loss of life.

 

Edited March 16, 2017 by onemorechang

[jerojero]

RIP. Brakes failing once again? Unbelievable.

[jaywalker]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

The driver of the truck - Warit Sukhonthanitkun, 64 - was heard to cry out as his brakes failed coming down a hill.

Sad story for sure all around, but especially about the little girl.

 

Thailand, the "hub" of brake failures.

[wprime]

2 hours ago, Get Real said:

And bad maintainance of brakes....

 

I guess we will see a couple of minor scratched motorbike for sale

Not necessarily, ever driven a truck down a hill? Could easily just be an incompetent or lazy driver.

[jaywalker]

4 minutes ago, wprime said:

Not necessarily, ever driven a truck down a hill? Could easily just be an incompetent or lazy driver.

I've driven some huge rigs, at night, in the rain when I was in the military.

 

I'd get a different truck & trailer every time I turned around.

 

The FIRST thing I'd do, was test the brakes in a safe area & I was in my early 20's.

 

I recall being 8 or 9 years old, with my Dad in Kentucky (very hilly, about like the Mae Sot area), going downhill in a 1976 Lincoln Continental & he told me he had dropped it out of "D" into 2nd so he could keep his foot off the brakes. I never forgot that lesson.

 

I'm just surprised the driver made it to be 64 years old.

[Get Real]

1 hour ago, wprime said:

Not necessarily, ever driven a truck down a hill? Could easily just be an incompetent or lazy driver.

Yeah, right! This time I just tried to come up with something that would work as an excuse for the ordinary obvious! LOL

[jollyhangmon]

> ...the truck was transporting motorcycles to Myanmar when it lost control on the downhill road  ...<

 

Well, 'it' certainly didn't lose control ... yes ^ jaywalker, to use the engines 'brake power' in low gear was one of the first things i was taught according to longer downhill drives in order to keep the brakes from overheating and subsequently failing ...

 

Christ, 4 people dead, most likely because of incompetent driving and/or so called 'maintenance' ... RIP.

[nuananddon]

I've driven that road many times and every time there's people, who just have no patience and just got to pass on blind curves and hills. They ought to rename that highway either "THE DAREDEVILS ROAD" or "THE IDIOTS ALLEY". One good thing is they're in the process of widening it all the way from Tak to Mae Sot

[Peterphuket]

At least, for more then one week we don't see brake failure.

[AlphMichaels]

Will a day ever come when the canned excuse "brake failure" is either inadmissible or tied directly to vehicle maintenance (lack thereof) and/or driver error??  Hasn't happened yet and guessing it may never but It's time..., past time..., to remove this excuse in any highway accident investigation.   Statements made must be investigated and corroborated.

 

 

[Peterphuket]

3 hours ago, jaywalker said:

I've driven some huge rigs, at night, in the rain when I was in the military.

 

I'd get a different truck & trailer every time I turned around.

 

The FIRST thing I'd do, was test the brakes in a safe area & I was in my early 20's.

 

I recall being 8 or 9 years old, with my Dad in Kentucky (very hilly, about like the Mae Sot area), going downhill in a 1976 Lincoln Continental & he told me he had dropped it out of "D" into 2nd so he could keep his foot off the brakes. I never forgot that lesson.

 

I'm just surprised the driver made it to be 64 years old.

No, I'm not surprised because the first Thai who can drive is not born yet.

[jaywalker]

2 minutes ago, AlphMichaels said:

Will a day ever come when the canned excuse "brake failure" is either inadmissible or tied directly to vehicle maintenance (lack thereof) and/or driver error??  Hasn't happened yet and guessing it may never but It's time..., past time..., to remove this excuse in any highway accident investigation.   Statements made must be investigated and corroborated.

 

 

That would require logic.

[Happyman58]

This is the Thais favourite song " Another one bites the dust " Good old brakes always fail I suppose speeding or inpatient driver have any thing to do with it Anyway dont matter they cannot say because they all died RIP Revised death tally for Thai roads just come in 25,000 dead this year

[Confuscious]

3 weeks ago, I was driving home on a busy 3 lane road.
My speed was about 70 km/hr.

As the car in front of me pushed his brakes, I pushed my brakes also.
But the brake pedal went suddenly all the way down without slowing the car (an automatic car).

I pulled my handbrake and moved the car to the right sidewalk to increase the friction on the tires.
I was able to slow down and stop the car WITHOUT hitting any other vehicle.
Once stopped, I went to check the car, and I noticed that the front left brake hose was broken.

Any car (vehicle) can be brought to a halt if KNOWING HOW TO DRIVE and BE ALERT.
Unfirtunately, these 2 assets are rarely found on a Thai driver.

[jollyhangmon]

43 minutes ago, nuananddon said:

I've driven that road many times and every time there's people, who just have no patience and just got to pass on blind curves and hills. They ought to rename that highway either "THE DAREDEVILS ROAD" or "THE IDIOTS ALLEY". One good thing is they're in the process of widening it all the way from Tak to Mae Sot

... well, if they are widening that road it will probably only mean that they can floor it even more (downhill) then for plenty of dumbos, i'm afraid.

[monspencer]

Who really knows the cause of the accident, could have been brake failure or incompetent driver.

 

Sad ending though with the deaths of 4 people including a little four year old girl whose life had only just begun. Now that brings tears to my eyes thinking about my little Thai granddaughter who is also just 4 years old.

[Pigdog747]

6 hours ago, Get Real said:

And bad maintainance of brakes....

 

I guess we will see a couple of minor scratched motorbike for sale

Every week we see another accident due to brake failure, In most case I would say the cause is one of 2 things, 1/ brake fade because he didn't gear properly and road his brakes down the grade,  2/ Maintenance, brakes not properly adjusted or worn out and the driver would have known this. The cause should be verified by a mechanic and the truck owner and driver charged if maintenance related and not with just a small slap on the wrist, but where it hurts, in the pocket book. The owner, 100,000 Baht and the second occurrence  1,000,000 Baht and so on.

 

[jaywalker]

8 minutes ago, monspencer said:

Who really knows the cause of the accident, could have been brake failure or incompetent driver.

 

Sad ending though with the deaths of 4 people including a little four year old girl whose life had only just begun. Now that brings tears to my eyes thinking about my little Thai granddaughter who is also just 4 years old.

Yeah my daughter is 11 now, but I remember when she was 4.

 

I'd probably go to Pattaya & do some balcony diving if had been her that was killed like that (or any other way).

[Pigdog747]

42 minutes ago, Peterphuket said:

No, I'm not surprised because the first Thai who can drive is not born yet.

Your wrong as I've seen some good Transport drivers out there, but very few if any, that are driving tandem and pulling a wagon.

 

[Peterphuket]

24 minutes ago, Pigdog747 said:

Your wrong as I've seen some good Transport drivers out there, but very few if any, that are driving tandem and pulling a wagon.

 

After 20 years driving in this country, I do quite a different opinion....or

[Bredbury Blue]

Have to say that road is the worst I've driven here. It's not so much the inclines or the bends, but there are few passing places, you get stuck in long line of traffic, idiots overtaking blind, and oncoming traffic cornering slightly over the centre line. I was relieved when I got up it.

[elgordo38]

1 hour ago, Confuscious said:

3 weeks ago, I was driving home on a busy 3 lane road.
My speed was about 70 km/hr.

As the car in front of me pushed his brakes, I pushed my brakes also.
But the brake pedal went suddenly all the way down without slowing the car (an automatic car).

I pulled my handbrake and moved the car to the right sidewalk to increase the friction on the tires.
I was able to slow down and stop the car WITHOUT hitting any other vehicle.
Once stopped, I went to check the car, and I noticed that the front left brake hose was broken.

Any car (vehicle) can be brought to a halt if KNOWING HOW TO DRIVE and BE ALERT.
Unfirtunately, these 2 assets are rarely found on a Thai driver.

It can be done keep cool and use your instincts (survival)

[Kasset Tak]

3 minutes ago, Confuscious said:

3 weeks ago, I was driving home on a busy 3 lane road.
My speed was about 70 km/hr.

As the car in front of me pushed his brakes, I pushed my brakes also.
But the brake pedal went suddenly all the way down without slowing the car (an automatic car).

I pulled my handbrake and moved the car to the right sidewalk to increase the friction on the tires.
I was able to slow down and stop the car WITHOUT hitting any other vehicle.
Once stopped, I went to check the car, and I noticed that the front left brake hose was broken.

Any car (vehicle) can be brought to a halt if KNOWING HOW TO DRIVE and BE ALERT.
Unfirtunately, these 2 assets are rarely found on a Thai driver.

Have you ever been to Mae Sot? The road is going over a mountain range and has an elevation that's changing over 400m over a stretch of about 60km and the only road (large road with heavy traffic) that I have been on that I think is worse is the Chang Mai - Pai road.

As Mae Sot is one of the few border crossings for trade with Myanmar and a SEZ there are many heavy trucks on that road and there are many accidents with cars breaking down (cars, pickups, buses and trucks, I have seen all of those broken down on that road!), and its anything from brakes, and over heated engines to (the worst I have seen) broken drive shafts! They even have emergency off ramps at some places along the road as a security measure.

"Any car (vehicle) can be brought to a halt if KNOWING HOW TO DRIVE and BE ALERT."
Yes, you can stop any car but what would you do? There are parts of this road that basically has a cliff wall on one side and a 1-200m drop on the other side, so what would you do; aim for the cliff wall, aim for the ravine or try to make it down to the bottom of the hill?

 

[cardinalblue]

Hard to believe - someone hears you cry out - my brakes have failed....

 

child in child seat?

 

sounds like face-saving to me...

[exalll]

"The driver of the truck - Warit Sukhonthanitkun, 64 - was heard to cry out ..."

 

Was heard by whom?  His grand-daughter, certainly, but she is dead and so unable to confirm this.  Was there someone else in the cab who survived and was able to report that he cried out?  The report doesn't say so.  Or was he perhaps on his mobile phone at the time and heard to cry out?

[berybert]

Air brakes on trucks. Brakes fail brakes lock on.