Phuket Expat Road Death: Swiss Man Drives into Sea at Rawai

**StrontiumDog** · 16-02-2013, 10:13 AM

Phuket Expat Road Death: Swiss Man Drives into Sea at Rawai - Phuket Wan

Phuket Expat Road Death: Swiss Man Drives into Sea at Rawai

By Sert Tongdee
Saturday, February 16, 2013

PHUKET: A Swiss man was killed when he drove his vehicle straight into the sea at Rawai in southern Phuket early today.

The 46-year-old man may have missed the turn to the right from Viset Road into Rawai Beach Road and continued on to his death.

Injured in the spectacular crash was the man's Philippina girlfriend, who is now in Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket City.

The crash startled locals about 5.30am. Viset Road comes to an abrupt end near Rawai's sea gypsy village and even locals are sometimes caught unawares by the sharp right-hand turn.

Ir is not known at this stage whether the man died from the impact of the crash into the sea or drowned. Police believe he may have been drinking and unfamiliar with the road.

Phuketwan has the man's name but will not publish it because relatives have yet to be notified by Swiss envoys.

An out-of-proportion number of expats and tourists die on the roads on Phuket and in Thailand, mostly in motorcycle crashes.

The latest statistics available show that 119 people died on Phuket's road's in 2011. Thousands of other foreigners and locals are crippled and maimed in motorcycle crashes.

No figures have been released for 2012. The latest official Phuket monthly update on the Phuket road toll was for April last year.

No updated figures have been released since then.

No updated figures have also been released for drownings on Phuket - which mostly involve tourists - since then.

**chitown** · 16-02-2013, 10:23 AM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

Police believe he may have been drinking

They always say that. They should shut up unless their is a lad tests to prove it.

I guess that is because they are all a bunch of drunks that get behind the wheel without a thought.

**trabant** · 16-02-2013, 10:42 AM

Maybe the sign is gone - End Of The Road 500m before bend

Would suggest some speed involved, well-lit, signposted, and I'd have thought room to brake.

EDITED - added the arrows showing the direction the article suggests he wanted to take, ie heading south on 4024 then turning right on to 4233, but instead he kept going straight towards base of pier, over the edge into the sea

**trabant** · 16-02-2013, 02:34 PM

pics now on Phuketwan

Building is at base of pier as shown in prev post. Up over the kerb, ? hit those two mbikes, through the wall onto the beach - passenger lucky to have survived all that.

Deliberate?

I note they have altered the original article to include:

It appeared the driver was alert enough to avoid a large memorial in front of Rawai pier but sideswiped a neighboring sala at speed and kept right on going into the sea.

**Thetyim** · 16-02-2013, 02:54 PM

Originally Posted by StrontiumDog

even locals are sometimes caught unawares by the sharp right-hand turn

So would I because looking at the map it's a left hand bend

**Mid** · 16-02-2013, 02:56 PM

Originally Posted by Thetyim

So would I because looking at the map it's a left hand bend

the main road is the rh turn prior .

aka the brown not the grey .

**Sailing into trouble** · 16-02-2013, 04:28 PM

Old stomping ground. Never thought of it as a traffic hazard. Low volume of vehicles wide open road.

Not a cop, but no skid marks, for a small car to do that amount of damage, he was traveling. Sad that he died in what is a very nice place. Used to hang out their most days.

**Mid** · 16-02-2013, 06:15 PM

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

Old stomping ground. Never thought of it as a traffic hazard. Low volume of vehicles wide open road.

how old , the road extension and the pier are new to me .....................

**trabant** · 16-02-2013, 06:30 PM

^ I was going to say 'at least 2009' when we were there, but then found this on Youtube dated 14 Feb 2008.
Vague idea it was built/rebuilt with tsunami funds?

**weewillywinkie** · 16-02-2013, 06:40 PM

I imagine the car would have flipped into the air when it hit the kerb where the m/cs are. From there it would have took out the sala whilst airborne, and thence to the sea. It's a wonder the passenger survived.

**trabant** · 16-02-2013, 06:47 PM

Phuket crash kills Swiss tourist
Published: 16 Feb 2013 at 17.43

PHUKET – A Swiss tourist died after he lost control of his car and it plunged into the sea, crashing into the roof a motel on the way down.

The accident took place at the Rawai pier in Muang district on Saturday morning.

A preliminary investigation suggested that Stefan Braunwalder, 46, had been speeding and struck a barrier on the bridge because he was not familiar with the road.

Villagers were able to rescue the victim's Filipino girlfriend from the vehicle, which was found flipped over and floating in the sea with all four doors open, according to a report in Manager.

Police said the couple had been staying in Patong beach. They were on their way back from breakfast and sightseeing before the incident.

The survivor was sent to a nearby hospital. She will be questioned for more information after she recovers, police said.

**chitown** · 16-02-2013, 07:32 PM

Originally Posted by trabant

. They were on their way back from breakfast

I thought he was drunk. Which is it?

**StrontiumDog** · 16-02-2013, 07:35 PM

See also.......

Swiss man dies allegedly avoiding police checkpoint

Saturday, Feb 16, 2013 6:21:21 PM

PHUKET: A Swiss visitor allegedly trying to avoid a police checkpoint in Chalong died early this morning after his car hit a shelter in Rawai, on Phuket's south coast, flipped and landed in the sea below.

The 46-year-old was driving with a female companion when he hit the shelter at the sea gypsy village in Rawai.

“We got the report at about 5:20am,” said Chalong Police Deputy Superintendent Jumroon Plaiduang.

“We went to the scene and saw a Toyota Vios in the sea, about two meters from the shore. The bridge railing and the shelter on the road near the sea were damaged from the crash,” Lt Col Jumroon said

“The body of the man was still in the car. His female companion, who is from the Philippines, was sitting and crying on the shore,”...

Full story

**bretby** · 16-02-2013, 07:54 PM

Quote from Phuket Wan. "Police say that most of the damage to the shelter that was hit early this morning was from a previous incident. "

Maybe they need to put a bigger sign up.

**richie22** · 16-02-2013, 10:09 PM

Originally Posted by chitown

Originally Posted by trabant

. They were on their way back from breakfast

I thought he was drunk. Which is it?

I would say drunk according to this aticle.He must have been travelling.People use that road as a race track.

http://www.phuketgazette.net/phuket_...int-20263.html

**Sailing into trouble** · 16-02-2013, 11:41 PM

Originally Posted by Mid

how old , the road extension and the pier are new to me .....................

Years and years Mid! er well 2 1/2 at least

**richie22** · 17-02-2013, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by Sailing into trouble

Originally Posted by Mid

how old , the road extension and the pier are new to me .....................

Years and years Mid! er well 2 1/2 at least

More like 5 years.Doesn't time fly

Thread: Phuket Expat Road Death: Swiss Man Drives into Sea at Rawai

Thread Tools

Display

Phuket Expat Road Death: Swiss Man Drives into Sea at Rawai

End of The Road?

Named as Stefan Braunwalder

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

Posting Permissions