Ouch! Watch Where You're Driving...

While out for an event yesterday I came upon this post-accident scene. I'm not sure how "post-" it was, as there were no police or people in or around the vehicle and everyone nearby was going on with their lives as though it weren't even there.

Deaths by auto accident are half what they were 10 years ago, and that's a good thing. The unfortunate part is that they still happen; nearly 8,000 last year - and that doesn't include the ubiquitous motocy on the roads (and sidwalks).

The whole "mai pen rai" philosophy is fine if your friend is late for lunch, but it has slightly more serious ramifications if you're allowing yourself to be distracted or ignoring your surroundings while piloting a few tons of metal and plastic around, like this driver was doing.

Yes, accidents happen even in the most ideal circumstances, and there's no telling what was going on when this driver hopped the low curb and bent this metal standard, wrapping the front of the truck around it, but some can be avoided.

Many is the time I've seen a taxi driver nod a bit late in the evening as they speed along the streets of Bangkok, and energy drink bottles sometimes litter the floor around the driver's feet. Sleep deprivation, illness and alcohol abuse can all have an effect on a driver's performance. It fits neatly into the file folder of being aware of your surroundings and those who are caring for you - wherever you happen to be.

I looked closely at the truck before deciding to take the pictures to post here. The windshield wasn't broken, there were no signs of blood inside the vehicle and the steering wheel was intact and in shape (although I can't vouch for the driver's ribs).  I figured it wasn't too "tabloid", so here they are.

Drive carefully... and defensively. If you're a rider, you don't have to take the ride from someone who doesn't appear to be capable of doing the job. Sometimes convenience isn't worth the cost.

Cycle Accidents 2: What Happens After

The scars on his head still evident, Noom tries over and over to write a single word

In yesterday's post I sounded off about what I feel is the irresponsible act of not wearing at least a helmet while riding on a motorized cycle. My feelings about that haven't changed in 24 hours, so rather than just delete the post, here's the follow-up I promised yesterday about my friend's brother. To avoid the slim chance of embarrassment I'm going to call him Noom and obscure his face. This is Noom's story...

At the time of the accident, Noom was in his late 20s. He was good looking, but shy; hoping - as many men do - for a decent life, a wife and a family. He had his problems, as we all do, but also had a stable future farming the family's rice properties and a lot of life ahead of him. Unfortunately, Noom also had an affection for Thai beer, coupled with the feeling of indestructibility; something globally shared by many his age.

One night while riding back home on the dark dirt roads of rural Isaan something happened to cause him to lose control of his scooter, and he flew off it; cutting, scraping and bruising himself in numerous places, breaking a bone or two and, more seriously, hitting his head against something - probably a fence post, but nobody's been able to say for sure to this day. He left blood on a post and a couple of rocks at the spot where a neighbor found his body, unconscious and severely traumatized sometime shortly thereafter. That, in and of itself, certainly helped save his life.

When the phone rang at the family home somewhere in the wee small hours, his mother answered the call that strikes fear into the heart of any parent: Noom was in the hospital, and there wasn't a lot of hope for him... they needed to get there as soon as possible. The family dressed hurriedly and piled into the family pick up truck. Noom's cousin Bot from across the road was the best driver, so he drove and got them into Udonthani to the hospital as quickly as possible.

Noom was a mangled mess. After they managed to stabilize him and it seemed possible to save him the doctor came out to urge extensive cranial surgery immediately. It wouldn't be cheap, and the family didn't have more than the basic National healthcare, so they had to agree to accept a debt that would skyrocket over the next couple of weeks. To make his point the doctor handed Noom's mother a piece of his skull he'd carried out of the ER in a small dish. I expect that's a moment his mother will carry with her for the rest of her life.

For the next few weeks the family stayed as close to Noom as possible, waiting and praying in shifts. His mother slept in a chair near him or under his bed on a blanket. Slowly he began to regain consciousness, and about the time he was able to minimally respond to them the hospital said it was time for him to go home. They showed the family what was necessary to care for him - changing bandages and dressings, diapering, tending the tracheotomy opening in his throat and tube feeding him via a hand-held siphon through a hose in his nose that emptied into his stomach.

Back home, Noom continued to improve. It was both tiring and worrisome for everyone in the family, but they pulled together and there were several relatives with him at all times, except at night, when there would only be one or two. His mother lost weight she didn't really have to spare from her effort and worry, and several of them began to look drawn and tired. Still, they stuck with him.

When I got back to visit again, Noom was able to eat small amounts by mouth, and although he couldn't speak but a few words he was well enough to register his displeasure at his situation and condition. If anyone spoke of the accident he'd become so agitated they'd have to restrain him and calm him down.

Too weak to walk even with crutches, one of us had to lift him up from each side and hold his arms over our shoulders to support him in what some would call the "drunken Jesus" position. Then he could move his left foot forward a few inches on his own, and we'd push his right one forward with our left one, allowing him to "walk" and get a minor amount of exercise. It wasn't much, but it was a lot for him.

At the doctor's suggestion they repeatedly tried to stimulate his brain. Thinking that perhaps writing would be easier for him than speaking they put a pencil in his better hand and held paper to it countless times, encouraging him to write what he couldn't say - but that seemed to take forever, too. The VCD/DVD player I'd bought the family allowed him to watch movies and things that weren't on TV, and he had favorite movies he'd watch over and over.

Gradually Noom got stronger, his speech returned (although he still doesn't speak clearly) and he can walk again, with a pronounced limp. The most telling reminder of that night is something Noom must see every time he looks in a mirror: the crater above his right eye, where he struck his head. To protect it, he now wears protective head gear to ride in the car.

Already shy before the accident, Noom - now 31 - worries that no woman will want him and he'll live alone with his family, doing the best he can. He struggles with those discouraging thoughts every day. If we brought food to the house he would come out and eat with us, but he kept himself out of sight most of the times I was there visiting. He declined to come out with us to eat any of the times I took the family out to nearby restaurants, saying he was tired.

As my friend and I were leaving in the family truck to take me back to my hotel, Noom shouted sharply at my friend in Thai. I asked my friend what Noom had said. "He thinks I'm taking you back on motocy," my friend said, smiling. "He said 'wear helmet, stupid!' "

Noom has not gotten back aboard a motocy since.

Cycle Accidents... And What Happens After

Two cyclists, snaking through moving traffic at commute time in Bangkok

There will be a fair number of people reading this who might take me to task for what I'm about to say, but in this rare case I honestly don't care if they do: people who insist on riding around on motorcycles and motor scooters where there are autos, buses and other traffic without a helmet to protect their heads don't have much common sense at work within those heads. The same goes for bicycle riders.

When I was in school (long before helmet laws were in place) a friend on a Vespa scooter lost his confrontation with an automobile and drained an alarming quantity of blood from his head onto the street at the entrance of the school parking lot. I told myself then I wouldn't get onto another one myself, but I have, three times, and all of them in Thailand.

The first was with my Isaan friend, going to visit his family farm for the first time. I could say it was merely foolhardy, but to be honest it was stupid; neither of us had a helmet and we rode a good 20 kilometers along the highway on a small, rickety scooter he'd borrowed from his older sister. It was exhilirating when I could shelve the memory of Dave's accident and ignore the possibility of becoming 90Kg of ground meat myself at any moment.

The second you may remember from the "Motorcycle Taxi Safety (Or Not)" post from last April, where I said I was surprised at the number of folks who seem to go with the "if it's my time to die, it's my time to die" philosophy. That ride was actually more spooky because I was on the streets of Bangkok at the start of commute time, but I did have a helmet on. As you can see in the clip used in that post (repeated below) although there are a lot of cyclists in the Big Mango, most DO wear protection. In the clip all but one passenger had one on.

Cyclists in Bangkok... all (but one passenger) wearing a helmet

Unless it's changed, it's a 100 baht fine to ride without a helmet there, but I'd like to think most Thai wear one to avoid the risk of spending the rest of their days doing nothing more than drooling while propped up somewhere.

The third time I was on the back of a cycle there was just a little over a year ago, in Pattaya, and again I had a helmet on. My companion for dinner was giving me a ride back to my room one night, and I took a couple of HD clips. I'm repeating that clip below, but if you want to read about accidents and cycles again you can reference "Night Riding On A Motocy", also from early last year.

I guess what got me to thinking about the foolishness of riding around with nothing but air and exhaust between your head and a variety of immovable objects was running across pictures taken of my friend's brother after he was in a motocy accident without a helmet on, and remembering what a devastating effect it had on his family.

Some of you reading this have been hit up for money from people in Thailand (male and female), and may have already heard the "my brother was in a motocy accident" line, but in this case, it was true.

That story tomorrow.

Auto - 1, Bicycle Guy - 0

Walking down to MBK Mall to meet up with a friend for lunch today I walked past the result of an accident at the top of the bridge over the Saen Saep khlong (canal), the same one you saw a clip in July with the morning riverboats.

I didn't see the actual incident itself, which is fine with me. I find it nearly impossible not to glance at the aftermath but I don't care to see the collision itself, because of the lives involved. Things can be replaced, people are a little more difficult.

From what I could piece together the older man (in his late-50s, early 60s) in the red striped shirt above lost the match with a four-wheel vehicle - maybe the taxi that stopped, maybe not - but fortunately I could see he wasn't limping and there wasn't any blood showing, nor was he sporting any road rash. He was, however, both shaken and visibly shaky; perhaps acknowledging how close he'd come to seeing what he'd be in his next life.

Since I'd forgotten the gift I'd brought for my friend (a specific body wash soap, unavailable in Thailand) we made the short stroll back to my room after our lunch visit. When we passed the accident site the bicycle was chained to a post on the side of the bridge, and it still was when I escorted my friend back to the area of his office near Siam Center.

After some shopping I was nearing the incline to the bridge while hauling my things back to my room when I came upon the man again, trying to get his damaged bike home. The rear wheel of the bicycle was the worse of the two, and it wobbled wildly as the barefooted old man struggled to push it along, obviously still shaken. He was also obviously weary, and was shaking his head and speaking to himself. I could imagine he was trying to figure out where the hell he was going to come up with the funds to repair his transportation, this bicycle that was undoubtedly the source of his meager income.

Regular readers have already heard my opinions on charity, and in an instant it came back to me again, too: we can't save the world, but we can save little pieces of it.

I pulled a 1,000 baht note out of my pocket and trotted along to catch up with the man. It wasn't difficult, as he was really struggling just to push the dilapidated cycle along. He may have had a home, he may not have - nothing about him had had a washing in some time.

Tapping him on the shoulder, I asked him "You OK? I saw you had an accident today." He looked surprised and I know he probably only understood the "OK" part, but he looked back up at me and said "OK, yes".

I held out the note to him, and he looked confused. "Fix bicycle," I said, pointing to the obvious need he was pushing along at his side. For an instant he looked surprised, but then tears filled his eyes as he stopped to wai me, saying "Khup kun krap, khup kun krap, khup kun krap". I told him "Be careful, and chok dee (good luck) before turning to head along my way.

I glanced back to see him still standing there, wiping his eyes with his arm as his gaze shifted from the 1,000 baht note to the bicycle and back at the note, smiling.

Best moment of the trip so far.

Why Did The Tourist Cross The Road?

Q: Why did the tourist cross the road?

A: Maybe he was tired of living and decided to chance it!

It's an indisputable fact that any time you step off the curb and into the anything-goes world of Thailand city traffic you're taking your life into your own hands. Any time pedestrians share space with machines it's wise to remember that the machines usually win.

Not only do pedestrians not have the right of way, they're expected to be nimble enough to weave their way between tuk-tuks, taxis, automobiles, trucks, buses and folks piled aboard all sorts of two-wheeled rides as they attempt to reach the other side of the street. I personally have almost wet myself at least twice while avoiding Death looming toward me.

Traffic signals give you the glimmer of a fighting chance, but they're small comfort. Age slows us all down, and alcohol in the system doesn't help matters at all so in the tourist areas such as Pattaya the newspapers have a full clipping file of items about folks not quite nimble or observant enough to avoid taking a hard bounce or three.

The saturation of portable music devices and cell phones further increase the risks, as distractions certainly increase your powers of observation, and not being able to hear motorcycles and bicycles hustling through sidewalk traffic can be another nightmare altogether.

In the past I've tended to try to gauge what vehicles coming at me are going to do, but learned that's a little like predicting the weather a month out, too. Naturally, you have to use some caution but I've heard the most reliable way to cross is just to look for a slower pocket of traffic and keep moving, not trying to stop/start/stop your way across the road, allowing the drivers to gauge how to avoid me... figuring that they don't want to damage their vehicle by slamming into some Big Pink Guy. If this blog suddenly ends with no farewell, though, it may be that the theory didn't work for me, but for now it's what I'm working with.

I don't post this today to discourage anyone from leaving their rooms and venturing out into the "real world" of Thai cities, but as a reminder than when you're putting things into your pockets or purse as you prepare to go out, take your common sense, and - as is always a good idea - your powers of observation along with you.

Be aware, and stay safe!

Motorcycle Taxi Safety (Or Not)

Back in high school a friend of mine pulled his Vespa out of the student parking lot and got knocked through the air by a woman in one of those big 60’s land yachts. He never stood a chance, and probably wouldn’t have even if he was wearing a helmet. As I stood there dumbstruck the next morning, looking at the remnants of his blood not yet fully washed away I decided I’d probably never ride on one ever again.

Fast forward to 2005, and I’m out for the afternoon with the charmed offspring of a fairly well-off family in Bangkok. By “well off” I mean they owned the hotel I was staying in, he had a personal bodyguard and his biggest decision that day was whether he’d pick me up in his BMW or his Mercedes; that kind of “well off”.

He knew most of the motocy drivers outside his family’s walled compound and picked one for me that he assured me would get my sweaty self to one of the family restaurants for dinner unscathed. After dinner he assured me he’d have one of the hotel limos pick me up to take me back for the night. He said with the traffic as it was the cycles were the only way to get there in any reasonable timeframe. For some reason I didn’t consider the hundreds of other drivers we’d be jockeying for position with along the way and got on, my friend on another just behind us.

Had it not been that I would’ve been embarrassed to wet the back of the driver’s trousers I may well have peed my pants. Helmet or no helmet, this was a hell of a lot more risky than I’d bargained for, and as I tried re-learning to trust leaning with the bike while he zig-zagged his way along I was reminded of my decision some 40 years before.

I’d often been surprised at the devil-may-care attitude of cycle riders there but since that day I’ve paid closer attention to the hordes of people who evidently take the “if it’s your time, it’s your time” thing to heart. While on elevated walkways over intersections at commute time I like to watch the cycles filter their way to the front of the pack of four-wheel commuters at a red light, listening to the whine of their engines revving when the light changes and they rush out ahead of the cars and trucks.



Although I did hear one (mentioned in an earlier post on accidents) fortunately so far I haven’t witnessed an accident involving one of these cyclists, but I suppose that time will come. Evidence of past “road rash” is a fairly common sight on people and I’m surprised at the number of folks who have helmets but don’t wear them. It’s not all that much of a fine if you’re caught without it – usually about 100Bt – but I should think there’s a certain amount of inconvenience to trying to get around without a portion of your head.

One of my early friends there needed a loan for the down payment on a cycle to get him from his rural home to work and school, and to my knowledge kept his side of the agreement to wear at least his helmet to protect him while he paid the bank and myself back… but I still worried about him.

I suppose life’s full of choices, and I didn’t always think all that far ahead when I was their age, either. Ah, the invincibility of youth!

Night Riding On A Motocy

Motor scooters and small cycles are far more prevalent in many parts of Thailand than cars. You see them everywhere, and I mean everywhere: parking lots, streets, sois, sidewalks, walking paths, lobbys, front yards, back yards, fields – hell, I’ve even seen one parked inside of a laundromat. They’re cheaper and easier than a car to buy, fuel, maintain, park and navigate through the inexplicable maze that is Thai traffic.

They provide, however, next to no protection for the people driving or riding on them, (and I’ve personally seen a family of six piled aboard a single scooter) unless you consider a shirt, shorts and flip-flops to be “protective gear”.

Granted, there is a helmet law in place and you do see many people wearing them, but what good’s a helmet if an alarming percentage of your body’s been grated like parmesan cheese along the road after you’ve hit an immovable object at a combined speed of 50 miles per hour?

Coming back from a late dinner a bit south of Jomtien a few weeks ago I was looking out into the near-darkness along the road and chatting with my friend when I heard somewhere relatively close behind us the loud, concussive sound of a collision. No horns, no squealing of brakes, just the loud, low "WHUMP" of the impact. Being a good American (we can be such voyeurs) I craned my neck around to see what had happened, but only thought I saw a motorcycle on its side. My friend, both hands on the wheel, never even broke stride in the story he was telling me when I heard the noise.

"Hey!" I exclaimed, interrupting him "That was an accident back there. Aren't you supposed to stop and offer assistance?" "Maybe," he said, and then allowed "Yes, we're supposed to, but what could I do?" "Well, you're a doctor, for a start," I began, but he cut me off, saying "I don't have my bag with me, and if it was a motorcycle it's almost always just a matter for the coroner to clean up." Not judgmental, not flip - just being realistic, I suppose.

It did, however, make me think back to the previous night when, against my better judgment, I’d climbed onto the back of a friend's motocy and allowed him to drive my weary frame back to my room to sleep. A friend of mine had been killed on his motorcycle back some 40 years ago, and since then I'd only allowed myself to be on one of the contraptions two other times. I was, you might say, more than a little spooked.

Toey was sober, alert and a careful driver, but I'm amply aware it's the people who aren't who'll get you. However, figuring "in for a penny, in for a pound" I took out my little FlipHD recorder and filmed a couple of clips along the way, holding the camera out to my left. He seemed relieved that I'd abandoned the death grip I'd had on his kidneys when he first pulled out into the traffic on Second Road, and truthfully it was rather exhilarating... but not something I'm likely to repeat any time soon.

Here's one of the two clips I made that night while scooting through some of the lesser streets of Pattaya: