Video: Last moments of motorcyclist as 18 wheeler flees the scene

[fxe1200]

5 hours ago, Just Weird said:

The idiot in this case was the motorcyclist trying to overtake on the left.

Overtaking on the left is permitted in Thailand. The motorcyclist did this on a designated lane separated from the right lane with a solid line, which the truck driver may not cross. The truck driver is to blame.

[dunroaming]

5 hours ago, BestB said:

As long as there is an excuse , no matter how retarded or ridicoulos 

In Thailand nobody accepts responsibility for anything.  I was told over twenty years ago that you always allow a Thai to save face by blaming someone else.  I have been with my wife for over eighteen years and she has never been in the wrong about anything.... ever! Me, on the other hand  ????

[Spidey]

No matter how much you disagree with it the lane that the scooter rider was in is normally construed as the motorcycle lane and is routinely used by them to overtake vehicles. Having said that, it was almost certainly in the truckers blind spot and, as such, the trucker probably wasn't aware of his presence.

 

Just a tragic accident if it weren't for the fact that the scooter rider had ample chance to ride over onto the grass, giving the truck plenty of space. Unfortunately it seems that with young scooter riders in Thailand, the always believe that they have the right of way and are happy to play chicken with a truck, assuming that the truck has seen him and will back off.

 

As the old saying goes: "The world is full of dead people who lived by assumption".

[thailand49]

4 hours ago, darksidedog said:

The bike to me looks to have a fairly legitimate, though not particularly advisable position. He is on the far inside well before the bend and in the overwhelming majority of occasions, he would have been fine.The lorry just cut the corner too tight, probably not realising the bike was there. One quick look in his mirrors would have alerted him, but many drivers here seem to have no clue what they are there for. I have seen more than a few drivers who adjust them so that they can see themselves, rather than the road behind them.

I fully understand this is Thailand.  As a certified instructor for commercial vehicle and heavy equipment operators with all the endorsements prior to retiring, years of working along the Department of Transportation and California Hwy Patrol Unit until you actually sit and drive a vehicle of this size many have no idea once you do one realize it is tough to spot everything and impossible stop a commercial vehicle on a dime!

Here you have very little if no commercial training at all to how to properly use both mirrors. What I do know Thai commercial drivers are very skilled in tight spaces but on the open road many in general are a danger to society they don't know because there isn't anyone who can teach them properly, this opinion is the same for a person in a motorbike or regular car!

In this situation, although it is normal here to undertake or overtake in the West we call this " splitting the lanes "  undertaking is really against the rule from their own handbook.  Then handbook states " Solid white Line "  the position of the motorbike undertaking is basically using the shoulder of the road and have crossed and broken the solid white line pretty much the same as a solid yellow line this area is basically the shoulder of the road for emergency or walking not an actual lane for a bike or car. 

In commercial driving, one of the major training is " getting the big picture that means you are constantly scanning your mirror left to right right to left, sitting so high you have two mirrors the large one and a smaller one that allows for you to see low basically your rear wheels even then when moving it is tough to see. Part of the big picture is to train your eyes to look forward 7 seconds so to know what is ahead and around your vehicle so you can prepare yourself and your vehicle for the unexpected you can't slow down carrying a ton of steel like a motorbike or car.

It really is the complete fault of the motorbike driver but we need to understand there isn't one Thai person in government or police that understand or can teach what dangers to look out for when around commercial vehicles. So not surprised the motorbike did what he did very common here.

The motorbike got taken out in the front because he tried to undertake the truck around the bend, even if he didn't if he was near the rear wheels going around the corner he also would have been crushed since a tractor-trailer rear does a Banana which the rear portion would have closed and crossed into the shoulder area reducing the motorbike spacing.

What is the Banana affect? When testing we take the commercial driver into the City area particular the financial district you have pedestrians always at a red light standing off the sidewalk waiting to cross while the truck driver starts to turn we see whether he/she is going to stop and wait for the pedestrian to wake up and smell the coffee and get back on the sidewalk. If the vehicle rears wheel touch or rubs against the sidewalk it is an automatic fail, doing so mean you just kill the pedestrian. 

From the video to me it looked like the truck driver was taking the turn a bit fast although the left rear wheels closed and cross over the solid white line (Banana affect) that is common, it is impossible to keep a ton of steel in track and once he hit the motorbike they can't just slam on the brakes and stopped doing so jackknife the truck which would have caused a lot more damage. But this doesn't mean the driver didn't try to take off if he/she was properly trained the driver would have known he/she wasn't at fault.

 

 

[Superphoenix]

5 hours ago, BestB said:

As long as there is an excuse , no matter how retarded or ridicoulos 

Right. I’m wondering about the bystanders... nobody seems to make an attempt to help or care about the victim. They just let him dying alone on the road. Nobody seems to care... seen often here in the LOS. Why is that?

[tandor]

5 hours ago, z42 said:

This donkey behind the wheel wasn't trying to flee, only took him 3km to stop.

Serious question, but is hit and run even a crime here?

 

RIP to the victim even if his driving certainly contributed to the outcome

..i counted the truck stationary for 21 seconds, with the driver standing looking back at the injured/deceased rider before he drove off.

[tandor]

3 minutes ago, Superphoenix said:

Right. I’m wondering about the bystanders... nobody seems to make an attempt to help or care about the victim. They just let him dying alone on the road. Nobody seems to care... seen often here in the LOS. Why is that?

..scared shitless.

[kcpattaya]

Instant Karma.

Motorbike was wrong.

[connda]

Typical Thai driver.  Can't maintain a lane.  In this case, it cost a live. 
A wai to Thai society and 5000 THB will make it all right.

[dunroaming]

7 minutes ago, Superphoenix said:

Right. I’m wondering about the bystanders... nobody seems to make an attempt to help or care about the victim. They just let him dying alone on the road. Nobody seems to care... seen often here in the LOS. Why is that?

By going to the aid of the accident victim you may get drawn into being responsible for the accident.  This is common in Thailand and so people keep their distance.  Goes against everything we believe and have been taught but T.I.T and compassion is often viewed differently.

 

Having said that more people do tend to stop and help these days.  Maybe with the rise of the mobile phone cameras, people feel less vulnerable to be implicated.

[connda]

5 hours ago, keith101 said:

Was the truck overtaking the motor bike or did the bike try to cut up the inside of the truck as so many do ?

The motorcyclist was in the correct lane for motorcycles.  Nothing says he can't pass a vehicle from the shoulder which is reserved for motorcycles. And what if he was simply going the same speed as the truck? It's his fault for driving in the lane that by law is a 'motorcycle lane?'  That IS the motorcycle lane by law!  The truck on the other hand cut the corner instead of maintaining a lane.  This is par for the course with Thais and as dangerous as hell.  I've made a leisurely drive from Nan to Phrae today though the mountains and watched as about  75% of the drivers literally weaver from the inside shoulder, across two lanes of traffic, and into the outside shoulder when taking curves in the mountains on the 4 lane divided highway. This insanity is ingrained into the Thai psyche and it gets people killed.  This is just one statistic that proves it.  It's preventable.  But considering that there are no cops on the road to enforce laws, and 'maintaining a lane' isn't probably even a law on the books in Thailand - it's anarchy on the Number One Most Dangerous Roads in the World.

[Somtamnication]

Well, at least he didn't blame the brakes!

[smudger1951]

I would only comment that if the rider was using his mirrors and was aware of the encroaching truck, he could have braked on a smaller machine or accelersted away on a large bike.

[theonetrueaussie]

Not Surprised at all, Was on a 3 lane road today and this stupid guy in a pickup was going from right lane to left lane and back to right lane to take the corners. 

[TEFLKrabi]

The motorbike was in the motorbike lane. An experienced truck driver could have made that turn without encroaching. RIP motorcycle guy.

[Straight8]

One would think, even in Thailand, driving or riding on the shoulder of the road is illegal.

 

Sadly & tragically, Bike rider clearly at fault.

[sammieuk1]

The fastest first responder to leg it in history no hope is there????

[Patriot1066]

5 hours ago, geoffbezoz said:

Cleary the truck driver is guilty of failing to stop.  However the unfortunate death of the motor cyclist just typifies the stupidity of motorcyclists in Thailand.  This happens often. They do not have the common sense to understand the physical movement of a truck with trailer whilst making a left curve yet they are still stupid enough to undertake !!  Anyone who suggests that the motorcylist was not at fault for his/her own demise must be sadly lacking in road skills.

It does look like both had some impact on the accident causes the truck should have stayed to the road side of the white line, but is the bit to the left actually for scooters or just the road margin. I prefer my big bike here to a scooter, as at least you can accelerate away from danger where the scoters simply can’t do anything. RIP though not nice no matter who’s fault.

[Bigz]

The accident was 100% the poor biker's fault as he was overtaking from the left and he was in the blindspot. However the lorry driver must have noticed it and there is no excuse leaving the scene.

[digger70]

5 hours ago, watcharacters said:

 

I would't call anyone involved in this accident an idiot.    It's simple a tragic accident.     The motorbike should have wisely not been to the side of the truck during the curve but it wasn't illegal.     The truck did come into the bike lane a bit but not severely.

 

The just became a sad part of the reality in Thailand.

 

When the bike hit the truck ,,look at the white line the truck was on the right side of the white line ,,, the trailer behind the truck is cutting on the white line But that's got Nothing to do with the bike hitting the truck. I would say it's mostly the bikes fault for hitting the truck and the truck won.

[Chongalulu]

What this has reinforced is the complete absence of anticipation or hazard perception by Thai drivers which I see time and time again. If the motorcyclist had an iota of that he would not be sailing up the inside of such a vehicle as it is turning in his direction. As I’ve said before- thick as shit most of them.

[Tchooptip]

6 hours ago, keith101 said:

Was the truck overtaking the motor bike or did the bike try to cut up the inside of the truck as so many do ?

Just saw the video of the bike trying to overtake the truck on the inside which was a major cause of this accident .

 What about the truck not respecting the line of the lane, was it not THE major cause of this accident?

[Straight8]

2 hours ago, Kerryd said:

It is quite clear that the motorcycle was 100% at fault (and yes, I am a bike rider).

For starters, the shoulder is NOT a "traffic" lane. It is the "shoulder". By rights (and law) the scooter should NOT have been riding on there at all (despite how almost everyone does it regardless).

However the scooter driver, after starting out in the middle of the shoulder, for some reason keeps going straight until he is at the right edge of it, as it starts to curve to the left and he was nearing the front of the truck. It is actually the scooter that makes contact with the truck, causing the scooter to crash.
 

The truck had his signals on and barely touched the white line dividing the left lane from the shoulder. Even if he noticed the scooter in his mirror, he would have (rightly) expected it to stay to the middle or left side of the shoulder like most people do. There is virtually no way the loaded truck/trailer could have avoided that accident at all.

When I watched that video, I got the impression that the scooter rider was trying to overtake the truck and cut in front of him, as though he thought the truck was going to go straight and stop at the lights.

The way he moved from the middle of the shoulder to the right side as he got close to the front of the truck made me think that he was thinking that the truck wasn't going to turn (even though his signal lights were on) and the scooter rider was going to try and squeeze ahead of him so that he'd be first at the lights going across the intersection.

You can see the scooter going straight, then the brake light comes on (on the scooter) but he doesn't start turning until he's almost on the white line and realizes the truck is turning. The brake light goes off and he starts to go left but it's too late. His momentum causes him to brush the truck and he's a goner.

 

Obviously the truck driver should have pulled over immediately, and should get nailed for leaving the scene of an accident (or the Thai equivalent of that), but the accident itself wasn't his fault.

This kind of thing happens so often, every day, all over the country. It's not a surprise that Thailand is usually in the top 2 for traffic accidents/fatalities in the world year after year.

 

 

 

 

Well said, too many ignorant people who have NFI replying saying the truck was at fault.

[chang1]

7 minutes ago, Bigz said:

The accident was 100% the poor biker's fault as he was overtaking from the left and he was in the blindspot. However the lorry driver must have noticed it and there is no excuse leaving the scene.

He did notice, stopped, got out, had a good look and then fled. 

The biker was a fool to try and undertake on a bend but probably thought there was plenty of room as the shoulder was wide when he started but became too narrow. Instead of braking when it was obvious he was in trouble, he just kept going. Lorries like this need a lot of room so always be ready for them to use much more of the road. 

When do we get to see the crushed lucky amulets? This might encourage Thais to stop thinking they are invincible and start taking more care on the roads.

[flyingfox1]

As a hgv1 driver for many years also class 2 drag like the one in this accident, I can guarantee the world is full of the chancers or little of no training, the person on the bike should of had more road sense to see had very little road and never ride anywhere near one of these monsters driven mostly by reckless idiots... I noticed the truck did stop and seems the driver got out and looked, saw the injured/ dead person in the road and decided to do a runner... it also appears from the video that the person filming rushed back to his car to possibly follow the truck as whiteness..
regardless as many who read these and have bikes like me, know you can be dead here in a blink of a eye... RIP another life waisted.! - the fox ????


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[chang1]

14 minutes ago, Tchooptip said:

 What about the truck not respecting the line of the lane, was it not THE major cause of this accident?

No. 

[Russell17au]

Well, the usual now all traffic lawyers are out in force but it still shows that they do not know what they are talking about. Open your eyes and ears and you MIGHT learn something. All heavy vehicles all over the world track differently to your little toy car and that is why in some countries they carry signs on the back as a warning. If you have a good look you will see that the steer wheels of the truck are in the turning lane but the rear wheels on the trailer are on the shoulder and that is natural wheel tracking of a heavy vehicle. The truck driver has not driven in any dangerous manner and has not caused this accident. The motorcyclist failed to take into account that the normal action of the truck will be that the rear wheels track to the left in a left hand turn. That is why many larger trucks must start their turn from a lane further away from the curb or the rear wheels will cross the curb.

[gerritkaew]

You see the driver of the truck stop, driver step out en look at what he just run over, walk back to his truck and drive away.  What was he thinking,, nobody see it and his truck easily get lost in traffic ??

Also the bike driver see the corner comming when he passed the truck, what was he thinking at this moment??

 

I'm myself a truck driver and the driver of this one could easily take a wider corner whit his truck, his lorry would follow him, not a trailer who cut off the corner.

 

Why Thai people make so many simple mistakes causing lives, do you know?

 

[Thingamabob]

Motor cyclist at fault.

[chang1]

47 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

The fastest first responder to leg it in history no hope is there????

Probably immediately saw the rider was dead before chasing 3kms, stopping and making a citizens arrest of the fleeing lorry driver. Well done to him for going beyond what most in the west would do in that situation.

What would you have done?