Round-The-World Uk Cyclists Killed In Thailand

[zzzz]

http://www.nbcnews.c...e/#.USJrnKXrzk0

 

AP London

 

"A British couple's round-the-world cycling odyssey ended in tragedy when both of them were killed in a road accident in Thailand.

 

Peter Root and Mary Thompson, who had been chronicling their journey in a blog, died Wednesday when they were hit by a pickup truck in a province east of Bangkok, Thai police said Monday.

The couple, both 34 and from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, left Britain in July 2011 and had cycled through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and China.

The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the couple, who met in art school and spent six years saving money and planning their journey, Peter's father Jerry Root told the Associated Press in an interview.

"They were both inspirational," Jerry Root said. "They didn't just talk about it, they did it. I couldn't be prouder of them."

He said they were both experienced cyclists who knew the rigors and risks of extended bicycle travel.

"They were camping wild, as they called it," he said. "What helps me is to think of how happy they were with each other. They were leading the life they wanted to. It was the happiest, the most fruitful of lives."

 

The couple had been posting photos and details of their trip on the website Two on Four Wheels. They also had many followers on Twitter and Facebook who were tracing their journey and vicariously enjoying their adventure, which included a trip through remote parts of Central Asia.

A video they posted from that part of the journey shows them camping in the desert, riding through hills, stopping to swim in rivers and lakes, and braving heavy snowstorms. They also cycle through tense situations as armed conflict breaks out during their journey through Tajikistan.

There is also footage showing Thompson suffering a gash to her knee after an apparent collision with a truck.

The couple look tanned, joyous and relaxed — if a bit windblown — in the footage. It is apparent life on the road agreed with them.

Thai Police Lt. Col. Supachai Luangsukcharoen said Monday that investigators found their bodies, their bicycles and their belongings scattered along a roadside, along with a pickup truck that crashed between some trees.

Supachai said the truck driver, 25-year-old Worapong Sangkhawat, was seriously injured in the crash. He told police his truck hit the cyclists as he was reaching down to pick up a cap from the vehicle's floor, Supachai said."

[Flashermac]

"He told police his truck hit the cyclists as he was reaching down to pick up a cap from the vehicle's floor, Supachai said."

 

 

Great, driving and picking things up from the floor.

 

I nearly got taken out in the States by a tow truck, whose driver admitted he saw something move on his seat (his clipboard sliding), and before he knew it had crossed to my side of the road. If I hadn't been in a full size pickup, he'd have done me in. It was a two-lane road with no shoulders and nowhere for me to got. Instead I just got bruised and cut up a bit.

[zzzz]

A guy I used to know was an avid cyclist who commuted to work on his bike. He believed that he had as much right as a car; and he rode his bike in the middle of the road. I do a lot of riding myself but keep to the side of the road, like most people in these parts. I've been lucky and never been hit while riding. One time I asked him, 'how many times have you been hit by a car?' 'Three times,' he said, 'one time, landing on my head.' ... He was one those souls God protected. He was originally from Indonesia (Dutch/Indonesian heritage) who spent a few adolescent yrs in a Japanese concentration camp during WWII... Last I heard, he retired and was sailing from USA to Indonesia with his wife.

[Flashermac]

Whatever happened to those two Brit girls who set off from Bangkok to drive overland to the UK in a tuk-tuk? Last I heard of them was in Laos, about to enter China.

[BelgianBoy]

Whatever happened to those two Brit girls who set off from Bangkok to drive overland to the UK in a tuk-tuk? Last I heard of them was in Laos, about to enter China.

China is a big country.......

[zzzz]

A happy ending for them. They completed the journey and wrote a book. http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/1673466.Tuk_Tuk_to_the_Road

[cavanami]

This was on the Thai TV News several days ago.

 

RIP

[Flashermac]

Two Girls, Three Wheels, 12,500 Miles (To say nothing of the dog)

[Boo Radley]

Thai truck driver who knocked down and killed British couple on 23rd country of their round-the-world cycling trip escapes with £18 fine (Daily Mail 27/05/14)

 

 

Peter Root and Mary Thompson were knocked down by a truck in Thailand

The couple, both 34, had cycled through Europe, the Middle East and China

Truck driver, Vorawong Sangkawat pleaded guilty to driving with negligence

Was fined just £18 and given a two year suspended prison sentence

Inquest into their deaths gives an accidental death ruling

 

A Thai truck driver who knocked down and killed a British couple who were on a round-the-world cycling trip was fined just £18.

Peter Root and Mary Thompson, both 34, left Guernsey in July 2011 and had cycled through Europe, the Middle East and China before reaching Thailand, their 23rd country.

But the couple were killed when they were run over by the driver of a pick-up truck while riding their bicycles on a road 70 miles east of Bangkok in Phanom Sarakham, Chachoengsao in February last year.

The couple were travelling on the hard shoulder when a pick-up truck veered from its lane and struck them.

The truck driver Vorawong Sangkawat lost control when he bent down to pick up a hat off the floor of his Toyota truck, according to Thai police.

The lapse in concentration sent his vehicle swerving into the hard shoulder, where it knocked down and killed the couple.

The 25-year-old was arrested and charged with killing them both through negligence.

However, he was given a suspended two-year prison sentence and fined 1,000 Baht, the equivalent of just £18.

A post-mortem examination in Guernsey confirmed that the couple had both suffered severe head injuries consistent with a road traffic accident.

The examination was delayed because of difficulties in obtaining details of the driver's prosecution.

Eventually officials discovered that when Sangkawat appeared in Chacheungsao Provisional Court last year, he pleaded guilty to an offence of causing death by negligence.

The single offence violated several laws and carried a potential sentence of up to 10 years in jail.

But he left court with a two-year suspended sentence because of his guilty plea, remorse and previous good character.

He was also placed under probation service supervision for one year and made to attend a seminar relating to the country's Land Traffic Law.

Mr Root, was an acclaimed artist and lecturer born in Jersey but grew up on the Channel Island of Guernsey.

He met Bristol-born Ms Thompson when they both attended art college in Falmouth, Cornwall, 14 months earlier.

In the wake of their deaths, Peter's father Jerry described them as a 'golden couple' who 'loved life'.

Both of them were highly acclaimed artists who had put on exhibitions all over the UK and as far afield as Istanbul and Bolivia.

Mr Root had work displayed in the Saatchi gallery, while Ms Thompson exhibited at the prestigious Waterman's Gallery in London.

She was also a highly regarded jewellery designer, while Mr Root taught digital media and design at the Guernsey College of Further Education.

An inquest in Guernsey heard they had cycled through the whole of Europe and a number of dangerous places including Iran and Afghanistan.

Their online blog, 'Two on Four Wheels' described how they faced extreme weather conditions and even came under gunfire during the 19-month trip of a lifetime.

Judge Philip Robey recorded a verdict of accidental death, saying the medical evidence was consistent with severe head injuries caused by a traffic collision.

In the wake of their deaths, family members set up the Peter Root and Mary Thompson Charitable Trust for the future promotion of the arts and other charitable interests.

Mary's brother Ben, from Bristol, said at the time of their deaths: 'Mary was a ray of sunshine - a hugely positive, gentle person who just loved people and making friends.

'Equally, Pete's dry wit, irreverent sense of humour, generosity and boundless enthusiasm won him friends everywhere he went.

'Many people just talk about their dreams - Mary and Pete actually went out there and lived them.

'The world is undoubtedly a much poorer place for their passing, and they leave behind two heartbroken families and countless friends.'

Thailand is well known for its perilous roads, with more than 13,000 killed and almost 1million injured each year in accidents.

http://www.dailymail...ed-just-18.html (27/05/14)

http://www.dailynews.co.th/Content/regional/55319/%E0%B8%8A%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A7%E0%B9%82%E0%B8%A5%E0%B8%81%E0%B8%9B%E0%B8%A3%E0%B8%B0%E0%B8%93%E0%B8%B2%E0%B8%A1%E0%B9%84%E0%B8%97%E0%B8%A2%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%A1%E0%B8%B7%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%87%E0%B9%81%E0%B8%AB%E0%B9%88%E0%B8%87%E0%B8%AD%E0%B8%B8%E0%B8%9A%E0%B8%B1%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B4%E0%B9%80%E0%B8%AB%E0%B8%95%E0%B8%B8 (original Thai story from 18/02/13).

[Flashermac]

I'd forgotten all about this. Maybe the Thai court thought this would be ignored, but it's is going to stir up a hornet's nest.

 

When I lived up north, I rode a bicycle both inside and out of the town. Fortunately, I knew enough to keep to the side of the road and be aware of every vehicle approaching me. I saw a Thai bike rider stuck and killed almost right in front of me by a driver who ran a stop sign. That memory stayed with me. These poor folks didn't know how dangerous it could be riding in rural Thailand.