Tourists killed by tractor

**dirtydog** · 19-07-2006, 12:13 AM

Two foreign tourists were killed in Bangkok yesterday after being run over by a government construction tractor on a pedestrian crossing on Larnluang Road, even though they were holding flags used by pedestrians to signal motorists to stop.

The driver of the tractor, Saichol Innork, remained on his vehicle after running over Hanne Karlsen, a Norwegian, and Garry Thomas, a Briton, near the Princess Hotel on the busy street in Pom Prab district, as he feared a mob of bystanders was going to attack him.

Saichol, 34, who works for the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration's public works department, has been charged with causing death through reckless driving. He told police he was not speeding when he approached the crossing and failed to see either of the victims, both 28 years old.

Quoting witnesses, Nang Lerng police said the tractor was expected to stop for the tourists to cross the street as it moved slowly towards them. Both victims were using flags made for pedestrians to signal motorists to stop and raised them high when they were in the middle of the street facing the tractor.
Saichol only stopped when bystanders began yelling at him, 100 metres beyond the crossing.

the nation

**Marmite the Dog** · 19-07-2006, 12:16 AM

What's this flag business then?

**dirtydog** · 19-07-2006, 12:17 AM

Probably illegal tour guides.

**forreachingme** · 19-07-2006, 12:35 AM

More and more flags are seen on the Thai cars, country and love of the King, but never saw any pedestrian using this over here, for sure if they'll hand me one to cross the road i'll run away fast in the other direction....

anybody knows this poor chaps?

**Penzman** · 19-07-2006, 12:56 AM

Another "qualified" heavy machinery operator...

**Gerbil** · 19-07-2006, 01:26 AM

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Quoting witnesses, Nang Lerng police said the tractor was expected to stop for the tourists to cross the street as it moved slowly towards them. Both victims were using flags made for pedestrians to signal motorists to stop and raised them high when they were in the middle of the street facing the tractor.
Saichol only stopped when bystanders began yelling at him, 100 metres beyond the crossing.

the nation

WTF? Apart from the blind optimism of expecting any vehicle to stop for you as you cross the road in Thailand, WTF didnt they move? Or did they just stand there facing the tractor, 'daring' him to run them over?

**RDN** · 19-07-2006, 03:01 AM

Originally Posted by Gerbil

Originally Posted by dirtydog

Quoting witnesses, Nang Lerng police said the tractor was expected to stop for the tourists to cross the street as it moved slowly towards them. Both victims were using flags made for pedestrians to signal motorists to stop and raised them high when they were in the middle of the street facing the tractor.
Saichol only stopped when bystanders began yelling at him, 100 metres beyond the crossing.

the nation

WTF? Apart from the blind optimism of expecting any vehicle to stop for you as you cross the road in Thailand, WTF didnt they move? Or did they just stand there facing the tractor, 'daring' him to run them over?

Don't forget that a lot of the sense in these stories is destroyed by the translator. By "moved slowly towards them", the translator possibly means "was not doing more than 40 kph".

I've never heard of flags being used to "warn" drivers that you intend to cross the road.

I wonder who told them that and who sold them the flags and how much they paid for them (apart from with their lives, that is.)

I actually saw the news report on Thai TV tonight - film of dead bodies, people gawping at them, blood in the streets. Sickening. No privacy for the dead.

**Marmite the Dog** · 19-07-2006, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by RDN

I actually saw the news report on Thai TV tonight - film of dead bodies, people gawping at them, blood in the streets. Sickening. No privacy for the dead.

Agreed. They are still a backward people.

**stroller** · 19-07-2006, 10:22 AM

The Thais have a different concept of "privacy" and it doesn't extend to the dead. Death and its images are not a taboo here.

Maybe they should instead show their daughters dancing naked in the news to satisfy Westerners sense of propriety?

**RDN** · 19-07-2006, 08:07 PM

My sincerest apologies for jumping to the conclusion that the flags being waved by these two - now deceased - tourists, were part of some money making scam run by unscrupulous Thais.

Having read the Bangkok post today, it turns out that these flags are available at some crossings in Bangkok for any tourist to grab, wave and commit suicide.

Two tourists run over on zebra crossing

WASSAYOS NGAMKHAM

Two foreign visitors were crushed to death by an excavator as they held aloft road safety flags while crossing a busy road in Bangkok yesterday.

British tourist Gary Thomas Chambers, 28, and his Norwegian girlfriend Hanne Karlsen, 20, were seen waving the flags to alert passing traffic before stepping out onto the pedestrian crossing in front of the Princess Hotel on Lan Luang road in Pomprap Sattruphai district.

A witness said the two were then hit by an eight-wheel backhoe. The heavy vehicle mowed them down in the bus lane, crushing them both to death.

Pol Maj Akarachai Chamchoi, inspector of Nang Loeng station, said each of the tourists was carrying a safety flag. The flags were placed on the roadside so pedestrians could use them to signal oncoming vehicles to stop _ part of a government road safety campaign called ''Safe Crossing With Flags''.

Pol Maj Akarachai said the excavator belonged to the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration. The driver, Saichon Innork, 35, a city employee, was charged with reckless driving.

Mr Saichon said there was a problem with his brakes. He was driving back from a landscaping site and as he approached the hotel he spotted the two tourists but was unable to stop his vehicle. Police said the tyres had almost no tread.

Bangkok Post : General news

**DJ Pat** · 19-07-2006, 08:15 PM

Originally Posted by Gerbil

WTF? Apart from the blind optimism of expecting any vehicle to stop for you as you cross the road in Thailand, WTF didnt they move? Or did they just stand there facing the tractor, 'daring' him to run them over?

Probably. I've seen many tourists guitly of this.

**stroller** · 19-07-2006, 08:19 PM

Oh boy, I have been in Asia for too long.
Every time I drive in Germany now, I get into hairy situations, these pedestrians don't realise how dangerous a moving vehicle is!

...and then they get angry as well, when they could simply have moved or waited for me to pass.

**friscofrankie** · 20-07-2006, 04:40 AM

Two foreign visitors were crushed to death by an [/b]excavator[/b] as they held aloft road safety flags while crossing a busy road in Bangkok yesterday.

So we're talkin' about 20 - 30,000 lbs of iron movin' about 25 miles an hour. This attitude, "i've gotta flag you gotta stop" is just plain stupidity.
Can't see anyone criticing the operator, unless there's some real proof he did this on purpose. Then again; if I've got a backhoe moving 25 mph and some fool steps in front of me all arrogant and flag wearin'; I mighta run the motherfuckers over my-damn-self. How stupid can people be? Sad to hear of their demise, but; how does one go about nominating someone for the Darwin award?

**dirtydog** · 20-07-2006, 12:16 PM

BMA driver is jailed for deaths of two tourists

The driver of a Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) tractor that ran over and killed two foreign tourists was jailed yesterday pending further investigation.

Norwegian Hanne Karlsen and Briton Garry Thomas, both aged 28, were killed on Tuesday while using a pedestrian crossing on Larnluang Road in the capital.

Both had been holding pedestrian flags, which are used as a signal for motorists to stop, as they crossed the road.

Tractor driver Saichol Innork, 34, said he was not speeding and did not see the victims. He has been charged with reckless driving that caused death.

Major Akkarapol Chaem-choy of Nang Lerng Police Station took Saichol into custody and said that police would call witnesses and gather enough evidence for public prosecutors to consider within one month.

The BMA has offered its condolences to the victims' families and will pay compensation, city clerk Khunying Nathanon Thavisin said.

The families had already been contacted by their respective embassies.

The official sum for compensation in such cases is up to Bt1 million, but if the families request a higher amount the city will find the funds, Nathanon said.

She said traffic laws would be more strictly enforced, and the pedestrian-flags project would be reviewed and made more effective.

The BMA requested that Saichol, who is employed by the Public Works Department, be granted bail because he did not flee the scene.

Its initial investigation found that Saichol's view had been obstructed by the vehicle's crane, Nathanon said.

Deputy BMA spokesman, Thanom Onketpol, said Saichol would be disciplined and perhaps fired.

An official at the BMA Traffic and Transport Department said the pedestrian-flags project was not a BMA initiative but was set up by community and district leaders.

Traffic police are overworked during rush hours and are unable to provide enough assistance to pedestrians, said the official who asked not to be named.
The BMA has 34 pedestrian crossings with signs that count down the time it will take for the lights to change, 50 with normal traffic lights and a further 600 with flashing yellow lights, the official said.

the nation

**Marmite the Dog** · 20-07-2006, 12:58 PM

So were the brakes dodgy or not?

Is it a tractor or a crane?

The more I read these newspaper reports the more I realise that they were written by a bunch of fucking monkeys.

**qwerty** · 20-07-2006, 05:19 PM

^Agreed! The quality of journalism at the Post and the Nation is appallingly low. I'd give you a green for that, but: You must spread some Reputation around before giving it to Marmite the Dog again.

BTW, ThaiRath said the vehicle was a backhoe.

**Skulldigger** · 20-07-2006, 05:24 PM

As I understand it, articles are first written in bad English by Thai journalists, based on crappy dictionary translations and guesswork, and then passed on to native English speaker editors who are supposed to make the texts publishable, the room for error is pretty ample.

**BillyZ** · 20-07-2006, 05:52 PM

They do this flag thing in Laguna Beach. There, the cars will stop for you, for fear of Perry Mason coming after you. But here, I would not rely on people stopping.

**Marmite the Dog** · 20-07-2006, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by Skulldigger

nd then passed on to native English speaker editors who are supposed to make the texts publishable,

Most of the re-writers are Indian, so not quite right, but it is the Monkey journalists who fuck things up in the first place.

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