3 foreign motorcyclists abandon injured friend and woman after crash in Phuket

Three foreign motorcyclists fled the scene and abandoned their injured friend after running a red light and crashing into a Thai woman’s motorcycle in Phuket this morning, December 17.

According to Phuket Times, the accident occurred at an intersection near the popular restaurant Go Benz Rice Porridge Phuket, where Patiphat Road meets Vichitsongkram Road. The crash happened after four foreign motorcyclists allegedly ignored a red traffic light while riding through the junction.

The report stated that the Thai woman, whose identity was not disclosed, was injured in the collision. One of the foreign riders was also hurt. However, the injured foreign man was left behind at the scene after his three companions fled, apparently to avoid legal consequences.

As of the latest update, the conditions of both the Thai woman and the injured foreign man had not been released to the public. The remaining foreign motorcyclists involved in the incident were still at large.

Foreign motorcyclist runs red light and crashes
Photo via Facebook/ Phuket Times ภูเก็ตไทม์

The incident sparked strong reactions among Thai netizens, with many mentioning reckless behaviour by foreign motorists in Phuket. Some users said similar incidents happen frequently and blamed a lack of strict enforcement of traffic laws. Some of the comments stated…

“A lot of foreigners run a red light in Phuket. When Thai traffic laws will be effective.”

“I’m sure that the foreigner on the yellow motorcycle rode against the flow of traffic and almost crashed into me.”

“Before blaming the foreigners, blaming the rental shops first. They focus only on their income. They should be punished when accidents occur.”

“They (rental shop owners) rent cars and motorcycles too easily even without skills. I don’t dare to overtake them on road even if they rode very slowly because they always make unexpected and reckless moves.”

Foreigners escape motorcycle accident in Phuket
Photo via Facebook/ Phuket Times ภูเก็ตไทม์

In a related incident, a foreign tourist was killed in a motorcycle accident in Phang Nga on December 12. The tourist and his friends had rented motorcycles in Phuket and travelled to Phang Nga for sightseeing.

During their return journey, one rider reportedly lost control on a downhill curve, causing the motorcycles to collide and resulting in a fatality.

Earlier in November, three foreign motorcyclists were fined 4,000 baht each for running a red light at an intersection in Phuket. Fortunately, no one was injured in that case. The Thai motorcycle rental owner who provided the vehicles was also fined.

Foreigners flee scene even if friend injured in accident
Photo via Facebook/ Phuket Times ภูเก็ตไทม์

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Petch Petpailin

Petpailin, or Petch, is a Thai translator and writer for The Thaiger who focuses on translating breakingThai news stories into English. With a background in field journalism, Petch brings several years of experience to the English News desk at The Thaiger. Before joining The Thaiger, Petch worked as a content writer for several known blogging sites in Bangkok, including Happio and The Smart Local. Her articles have been syndicated by many big publishers in Thailand and internationally, including the Daily Mail, The Sun and the Bangkok Post. She is a news writer who stops reading news on the weekends to spend more time cafe hopping and petting dwarf shrimp! But during office hours, you can find Petch on LinkedIn and you can reach her by email at petch@thethaiger.com.