Two dead as foreigner on powerful bike hits local in Phetchabun

[webfact]

Two dead as foreigner on powerful bike hits local in Phetchabun

 

Picture: Thai Rath

 

PHETCHABUN: -- A foreigner on big bike heading to Pattaya was Killed along with a 68 year old local man on a bend in Phetchabun yesterday.

 

The two bikes collided in an area on a bend where the locals like to cross the central reservation to get to the other side,  reported Thai Rath.

 

Police from the Na Chiang station and Ruam Kathanyu medics attended the scene.

 

Dead at the scene was 68 year old local man named only as Ranthom.

 

Severely injured at the scene and unconscious with multiple fractures and head injuries was a 50 year old foreigner named as Mr Gerhard.

 

He was taken to Nong Phai hospital but died from his injuries.

 

Police at the scene found two bikes, a red Super Cub and a KTM 1,290 cc Superduke.

 

The big bike had severe damage to the front.

 

They were almost 100 meters from the area of impact. Police said it was likely that the foreigner hit the local man who was crossing the road on a blind spot on the bend.

 

Source: Thai Rath

 

-- © Copyright Thai Visa News 2017-05-15

 

Note- Thai media reported the foreigner is Australian but a report from the German media said he is Austrian.

[darksidedog]

Front end damage on the KTM and side damage on the Cub, indeed suggests the old fella was crossing to get to the other side of the central reservation and probably didn't look at what was coming too well. The KTM must have been seriously traveling though, for the bikes to come to rest 100 meters down the road. RIP to both.

[nandele]

Name was Gerhard and was Austrian not Australian...RIP


Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect

[ezzra]

Most unfortunate accident, with powerful bikes, the skills of the rider

to control the machine comes to play vividly, many, who has no experience

in riding super bikes are oblivious to that, not saying that this is the case

here, but it's known to happened frequently in places where you can hire

any bike you want, regardless whether you can ride it or not....

[phutoie2]

This is Route 21, a dual carriage road well  maintained. The town is actually called Na Chaliang, there is bend as you approach the town from the north just before you reach the towns traffic lights. I am usually reducing speed as I approach this bend. RIP to both involved. 

[Nowisee]

The factors that caused this could be controlled somewhat.

Speed kills.  There is no way around that fact.

Crossing a lane of traffic at a blind or limited view bend.

 

There is a time and place for going fast. BUT, for the life of me I do not understand why people go so damn fast in congested (people/animals/other bikes) areas, places where high speed is not reasonable, places with very limited forward visibility (hills/corners), poor road conditions.  

 

Daily, nightly I hear sport bikes ripping through the gears from traffic light to traffic light at high speed on a narrow, congested section of road full of small sois, businesses, parking lot exits and bends in the road.  

 

[robblok]

Looks like the old guy made an illegal crossover. The poor guy on the fast bike could have gone slower but the guy doing the illegal crossing was wrong. I hate it when people go against the flow of traffic.. do U turns the other way around and just cross roads where they cant cross roads.

 

Just crazy of locals crossing on a spot like that just to save a bit of money on fuel. We got a spot like that here too.. if they use the normal U turn it would be just 200 meter further up.. but that would mean an extra 400 meter.. and no that is too much so going against traffic is a better option.

 

I learn to adapt.. but its quite unsafe.

 

[JerryinTH]

Had the exact same accident happen to a friend of mine. The old guy didn't look left or right and just crossed the road. This was on the way out of Pattaya where the technical university is I believe. Long straight road where cars are traveling around 100km/h on average. Both of them survived with minor injuries. My friend was maybe speeding a bit, I would guess 100-120km/h and hit the old guy right into the side (on his leg) and both flew metres away from their bikes. Don't know if it was 50 or 100 metres but it was a good distance, judging by the pictures. 

[Farang hunter]

Damn  some ignorant foreigners when they just think the world is a perfect place.   hey stranger behave your self

[leeneeds]

Big bike riding over here is a constant risk

riding to conditions and surroundings 

is a constant up dating mechanism of where you are ,who is near by, whats going on behind you,  

 

what is the road doing? when is some one coming out from the left ?,or  the right ,? on the wrong side of the road, ?

So many things to take you out when  riding here, 

Speed and reaction time to adjust to a dangerous situation,

 

R.I.P

 

 

[Bluespunk]

8 minutes ago, Farang hunter said:

Damn  some ignorant foreigners when they just think the world is a perfect place.   hey stranger behave your self

It was an accident with both victims playing there part. 

 

The guy on the bike may have been going to fast but your blame game post is unnecessary. 

[Farang hunter]

I just can't admire big bikers enough on how they push their luck too far.

[o2eZy]

how many times have you seen bike riders just without looking pullout into traffic or take the easiest way from point A to point B..go against traffic and have no idea on road rules ...I just shake my head when travelling in Bangkok...is easy to understand why the death rate for bike riders is so high and there is nothing done to curb it ..police do nothing and either does the government ...

[LannaGuy]

RiP to both and it looks like both contributed but I know of many, many places people cross dangerous roads because Thailand does not build many bridges outside of BKK

 

I have found the propensity of having two-way U-Turns to be particularly dangerous when they could be one way only I'd say likely the bike was simply going too fast so it's 75/25 and that old man has probably been crossing like that for years just like everyone else

 

Personally I ride a small scooter fpr the very reason thats it's dangerous here so why take the risk? 

[Rhys]

RIP.... long rides ahead...

[robblok]

14 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

RiP to both and it looks like both contributed but I know of many, many places people cross dangerous roads because Thailand does not build many bridges outside of BKK

 

I have found the propensity of having two-way U-Turns to be particularly dangerous when they could be one way only I'd say likely the bike was simply going too fast so it's 75/25 and that old man has probably been crossing like that for years just like everyone else

 

Personally I ride a small scooter fpr the very reason thats it's dangerous here so why take the risk? 

I ride a fast bike and a scooter.. I can honestly say the fast bike is safer. Though I seldom ride the big bike real fast. Usually just a bit faster than the other traffic (so I don't get rear ended). That might sound fast but as I ride mostly in BKK i seldom go faster then 120. In general its a lot lower. However the big bike has more power to get me out of situations then the scooter. If you want to pass something extra power is good. 

 

But you said something about no u turns as much as in BKK.. now where I am is BKK and 200 meter extra drive is all it takes to use a U turn the right way around.. but the locals refuse... they just use an other U turn against traffic. Now you can say its because of lack of U turns.. but if they can't be bothered here to use the U turn correctly with one at 200 meters from the spot why would they use them anywhere else.

 

I place most of the blame of this accident on the old man, its illegal to cross there in a bind corner.. just too dangerous. 

[Bluespunk]

22 minutes ago, Farang hunter said:

I just can't admire big bikers enough on how they push their luck too far.

No on's admiring him.

 

[LannaGuy]

2 minutes ago, robblok said:

I ride a fast bike and a scooter.. I can honestly say the fast bike is safer. Though I seldom ride the big bike real fast. Usually just a bit faster than the other traffic (so I don't get rear ended). That might sound fast but as I ride mostly in BKK i seldom go faster then 120. In general its a lot lower. However the big bike has more power to get me out of situations then the scooter. If you want to pass something extra power is good. 

 

But you said something about no u turns as much as in BKK.. now where I am is BKK and 200 meter extra drive is all it takes to use a U turn the right way around.. but the locals refuse... they just use an other U turn against traffic. Now you can say its because of lack of U turns.. but if they can't be bothered here to use the U turn correctly with one at 200 meters from the spot why would they use them anywhere else.

 

I place most of the blame of this accident on the old man, its illegal to cross there in a bind corner.. just too dangerous. 

no bridges like in BKK?  for people to cross safely?   my comment about U-Turns is they are two-way so you cannot safely see round why not make them ,alternately, one way?  I'm convinced many lives would be saved - ride carefully :)  

[akirasan]

Yeah but the problem is that traffic here comes from every direction. 

[sweatalot]

39 minutes ago, o2eZy said:

how many times have you seen bike riders just without looking pullout into traffic or take the easiest way from point A to point B..go against traffic and have no idea on road rules ...I just shake my head when travelling in Bangkok...is easy to understand why the death rate for bike riders is so high and there is nothing done to curb it ..police do nothing and either does the government ...

I wouldn't blame the locals for their stupid and dangerous behaviour - nobody educated them. What seems normal and reasonable for us farangs isn't for the locals. They just don't know.

I'm not sure how I would behave in traffic without having enjoyed a good education. Probably I would have understood after a long time and some bad experience - or might be I was dead by now

[Farang hunter]

14 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

but the locals refuse.

Generalizing typically is a bad judgment.

[LannaGuy]

1 minute ago, Farang hunter said:

Generalizing typically is a bad judgment.

not a quote from any post I made and you should not be altering posts

[robblok]

15 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

no bridges like in BKK?  for people to cross safely?   my comment about U-Turns is they are two-way so you cannot safely see round why not make them ,alternately, one way?  I'm convinced many lives would be saved - ride carefully :)  

They U turns here are one way, but they still use them both ways because the other one that is also one way but the right way for them to take just a bit further away (200 meters). The U turns are quite safe here if used properly. 

 

I try to ride safely (never too fast even on the big bike), I have a car too but the bike(s) are so much more convenient. I use the scooter mainly for shopping and the big bike if I need to go further. The car is kinda a last resort to use. Make one mistake (direction wise) with a car in BKK and it cost you an half our at least. 

[LannaGuy]

Just now, robblok said:

They U turns here are one way, but they still use them both ways because the other one that is also one way but the right way for them to take just a bit further away (200 meters). The U turns are quite safe here if used properly. 

 

I try to ride safely (never too fast even on the big bike), I have a car too but the bike(s) are so much more convenient. I use the scooter mainly for shopping and the big bike if I need to go further. The car is kinda a last resort to use. Make one mistake (direction wise) with a car in BKK and it cost you an half our at least. 

oh ok that's good news.. in Chiang Mai they are two way and deadly dangerous and I hate using them as it's nigh impossible to see round the cars going the other way - many accidents!

[Farang hunter]

2 minutes ago, LannaGuy said:

not a quote from any post I made and you should not be altering posts

Sorry I thought I quoted robblok I'll buy you a beer.

[LannaGuy]

Just now, Farang hunter said:

Sorry I thought I quoted robblok I'll buy you a beer.

haha no worries I thought it wasn't from malice  :) 

[robblok]

1 minute ago, LannaGuy said:

oh ok that's good news.. in Chiang Mai they are two way and deadly dangerous and I hate using them as it's nigh impossible to see round the cars going the other way - many accidents!

Seen  a few here that are 2 way (by design) but they are safe here, its just when they start using the ones that are one way by design for going 2 ways that it starts to become unsafe.  

[onthesoi]

56 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

The guy on the bike may have been going to fast but your blame game post is unnecessary. 

Funny how you had no qualms liking the post blaming the Thai....not to mention the hundreds of posts you've made blaming thais in the past.

If the falang bike ended up 100m down the road its means he was speeding so didnt have time to avoid something on the road, if he'd been driving at a safe speed then both would likley still be alive. 

 

Guess what, speeding is wrong which means the falang is mostly to blame.

[robblok]

8 minutes ago, Farang hunter said:

Generalizing typically is a bad judgment.

Yea you quoted me.. in general i am always sticking up for the Thais but just can't understand this part. There really is a U turn at 200 meter that goes the right way.. but they still insist on using this one the wrong way (on motorbikes not cars).

 

And yes your totally right about generalizing its actually wrong to do mea culpa. 

[cyberfarang]

1 hour ago, darksidedog said:

Front end damage on the KTM and side damage on the Cub, indeed suggests the old fella was crossing to get to the other side of the central reservation and probably didn't look at what was coming too well. The KTM must have been seriously traveling though, for the bikes to come to rest 100 meters down the road. RIP to both.

Many foreigners come here, hire big powerful motor bikes, have little experience of big bike driving and have no experience of driving on Thai roads. They think that the same rules apply here as they do in their own countries.

 

I have seen Farlangs on their hire motorbikes when I`ve been out on my motorbike, trying to outrun everyone else, weaving in and out of traffic at speed as if their asses are on fire, look at me, the big bad Farlang, I can go faster than you.

 

Don`t care about those idiots, when they decide to become kamikazes on the highways, it`s who they take with them I have pity for. RIP for the poor old guy who never made it home on that day.