2 dead crossing a road!

[elef]

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

[Flashermac]

His view was obstructed by the crane???

 

In other words, he couldn't see where he was going!

[Pescator]

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

 

When I first read it I was surprised to learn that he didn`t flee the scene which seems to be standard procedure in these cases.

 

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

 

Bigger flags? Flags depicting royalty?

 

hn

 

 

 

 

 

[OhMyCod]

I got clipped on a Zebra Crossing a few weeks back, 2 cars had stopped to let me cross but a third decided to speed up in the third lane. I managed to jump back but the wing mirror of her car smashed into my shoulder bag smashing the mirror to pieces. The woman driving screeched to a halt and started yelling at me, saying that i damaged her car and i "Had to" give her my passport..Hmmm...that didnt go down too well and i called her a lot of unsavoury things in both English and Thai..I managed to get a grip before causing too much of a scene ( i know that the Thais watching would have been rooting for her) and walked off down the street...couldnt resist one last hand signal though..

 

The very next day i was crossing extra carefully over the same crossing and nearly got clobbered by a police motorcyclist going the wrong direction on a one way street..

 

Taking a baseball bat next time i use that crossing...

 

C

[SoiledCowboy]

Wear your facemask of Thaksin Shinawatra and you will always be perfectly safe on road crossings...not!

[Pescator]

Under the circumstances I think you kept your cool.

I tried the same also on a zebra crossing, a taxi nearly clipped my toes and I managed to kick the back of the car. Unfortunately I was wearing sandals and didn`t make much impact Not on the taxi anyway... only on my toes.

 

cheers

hn

 

 

 

[Gadfly]

In Chiang Mai they now have lights at some pedestrian crossings. You push a button and eventually the light turns green for pedestrians and red for cars. There is even a timer showing how much time you have to cross.

 

Now most tourists would expect cars to stop when the light is green for pedestrians and red for cars with this sort of set up. They would be naive.

 

At best some cars may slow down a bit and, if you make eye contact, they will stop, but you need to look for evidence that they are doing so. Any tourist assuming that cars will stop simply because they face a red light is in for a very nasty surprise.

[YimSiam]

Zebra stripes are just kind of a lottery system in Asia - if you're killed crossing the street in the zebras, the government pays for your funeral.