Thai police are actively searching for the driver of the car involved in the horrific accident. The driver walked away from a blue Honda Jazz car with number plates from Trang province at the scene. A family of five was left dead in his or her wake.
An entire Thai family was wiped out in the blink of an eye in a high impact collision between a car and motorbike on Friday night on which the family were riding. Three young children died in an instant along with their father while their severely injured mother died later after being removed to hospital by frantic emergency workers.
The tragedy of Thailand’s roads and the dangers of motorbikes was seen again in Thailand on Friday night last when an entire family of 5 were killed when their motorbike appeared to be involved in a near head on collision with a car in the southern Thai province of Nakhon Si Thammarat.
Thai police search for the driver of Trang Honda Jazz car who fled the scene of fatal accident
The horrific accident occurred in the city of Nakhon Si Thammarat in the Ban Ruam area. Police Lieutenant Colonel Chaiyawut Sriwelert is the head of investigation at the police station at Hua Sai in Nakhon Si Thammarat. He said that police had been informed of the accident at approximately 11 pm on Friday night. Police were reported to be searching for the driver of a blue Honda Jazz car who fled the scene of the accident.
High speed collision wiped out entire family
Emergency workers who arrived on the scene found a badly damaged car with licence plates from the nearby province of Trang. The wreckage of a Honda motorbike was also discovered. They found the bodies of a man and three young children. All are believed to have been killed immediately when the car struck the motorbike. It appears that the collision was at high speed. The emergency services found a Thai woman also at the scene but she was very badly injured and immediately removed to hospital. She died shortly after.
Three young children died immediately along with their mother and father in smash
Thai police have confirmed that all the five killed were from the same family. They have released information as to their identities. Chai Chaiyaphoo was the 44 year old father and husband of 28 year old Khwanwipa Disthapan. Their children were a 4 year boy, Kittisak and an older 6 year old boy, Theerapong. The couple’s 9 year old girl, Pitchaya, was also killed at the point of impact when the family’s motorbike hit the car. Police Lieutenant Sriwelert confirmed that the strength of the impact was such that the children and their father had died instantaneously.
Motorbikes cause three quarters of the huge death toll on Thailand’s deadly roads
Motorbikes are the cause of nearly three quarters of all Thailand’s road deaths with the country regarded as one of the most dangerous in the world for driving. It is quite common for Thai families to travel on motorbikes with more than 2 passengers. The government has been advised by the World Health Organization of the urgent need to tighten enforcement of road traffic laws and reforms. Currently, there is no law in Thailand that limits the number of passengers on a motorbike. There is a law requiring anyone on a motorbike to wear a safety helmet. Despite attempts by Thai police to enforce the law, it is reported that less than 50% of Thai people wear them on motorbikes although the figure is rising.
For many poorer Thais working multiple jobs, the need to travel necessitates the use of motorbikes and carrying in excess of two passengers. The sight of families on one motorbike is not unusual on Thai roads. Sadly, as happened on Friday last, it can easily and often result in tragedy.
