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Arrest Warrant Issued for Phuket Killer Bus Driver
By Sert Tongdee Wednesday, November 14, 2012
An arrest warrant has been issued for the bus driver. Phuketwan reported in error that he had surrendered. Representatives of the company have been in talks with police and the women's relatives.
PHUKET: The driver of a Phuket tourist bus that killed two women in a crash tonight ran away and is being hunted by police.
The Pegas Touristik bus struck the motorcycle carrying the two women near a t-intersection in Thepkasattri Road about 5.30pm.
It continued travelling north for about 500 metres before the bus stopped and the driver fled. The bodies of the women were found 50 metres from the point of impact.
Both women were killed instantly in the crash, police said. It is thought the bus was heading north empty, except for the bus driver.
The vehicle did not stop after colliding with a Honda Dream at the lights at the junction of Thepkasattri Road with the Thepkasattri Road-Nai Yang Road, an alternate route to the Phuket International Airport.
Officers from Thalang Police Station named the two dead women as Jaroonrat Waree, 35, and Nartratda Waree, 17.
The two bodies were in Thalang Hospital tonight.
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Comments
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About 4 weeks ago when I was driving from Krabi to Phuket a Pegas bus in the exact same livery attempted on two separate occasions to run me off the road. First as I passed through a small town in full view of a police man the driver came alongside me and tried to force me off the road I refused to allow him to do so and vented my anger at the driver out the window... How did he respond? About 10 minutes later on the open road he cut across me from the outside lane doing close to 120 forcing me break very very hard... Approaching the airport I noticed him again driving recklessly endangering lives by weaving from lane to lane. Maybe not the same driver but maybe somebody involved with this company should look at their drivers...
Posted by
Nip
on
November 14, 2012 23:36
This is what you call journalism ?
What's the point here to highlight the Pegas name ? Don't you know those busses are from different suppliers include the drivers ? Even it's written all sides of the vehicles... Or you are getting paid to do this ?
Posted by
Eddie
on
November 15, 2012 00:00
Editor Comment:
The editor is not available this week for response.
Man Eddie, don'y get your panties twisted. It clearly shows in the photo that it was a Pegas Touristik bus.
Posted by
Randy
on
November 15, 2012 06:20
Instead of showing pictures of the accident, why not of interest to breakneck speeds of buses, taxis and trucks on the roads of Phuket? Almost all drivers are potential killers. This is the law of the strongest, life has no other interest. The police efforts but should be much more repressive vis-??-vis all the drivers, taxis, buses, trucks that do not respect speed limits! This is the true work of the press!
Posted by
phil
on
November 15, 2012 06:36
Editor Comment:
The editor is not available this week for response.
Perhaps Pegas will apply more stringent criteria in selecting their bus operators and drivers in the future because of this negative publicity.
Eventually such action would benefit everyone, except of course the irresponsible drivers who neither stop nor remain at the scene of an accident.
Fleeing the scene of an accident is considered a felony in most developed countries and can result in much harsher penalties than the accident caused on it's own might have.
Perhaps it's time Thailand criminalized this action.
Posted by
Andrew
on
November 15, 2012 06:36
When will the authorities wake up? Something has to be done with this terrible traffic. High speed and ignorance of all basic rules in general. You hardly ever see a traffic police or highway police doing anything to prevent accidents. Poor road conditions, bad driving education, high speed, driving against the traffic etc. etc. Something has do be done now, not tomorrow! Who did wrong this time doesn't matter. Cars are hard, bodies are soft.
Posted by
OJ
on
November 15, 2012 06:37
Is it really terrible traffic, high speed, poor road conditions and bad driving education which is the problem?
Posted by
Harald
on
November 15, 2012 07:57
C'mon guys...The "ED" is taking a week off and leaving the comments up to us...I'm sure he's chomping on the bit to respond but give him a break, as well as the rest of us.
Posted by
sky
on
November 15, 2012 08:08
Clearly a brake failure, it looks like! The driver couldn't avoid it. Looking at the front of the bus, a throttle failure, too. No one to blame, things like this happen here. Don't know, why the police is man hunting! In one or two days, the driver will present himself and walk on a small bail.
Posted by
Anonymous
on
November 15, 2012 08:17
Out of control and very sad for this family... is this the third bus accident this week? each day I feel sorry for mums I see taking their lovely children to school on bikes when seeing these mini vans, trucks and busses moving at crazy speeds. Do these drivers not have familes of their own? WHY DON'T hotels, their managers, the authorities here have a summit, introduce an 80km speed limit for all tourist vans, buses etc, plus ban them from flying up the inside lanes as on the main highway and leave these lanes for bikes only. Lets all slow down for the mums and their kids out there...
Posted by
Very sad
on
November 15, 2012 09:01
-- Randy , re ready may comment once again pls.i m a hotelier and know they are using transportation companies, so what's the aim here to point Pegas here ? Are they trying to address some thing or some body ? We should be fair in everything. I do hope this accident will wake up the authorities to push Police start to make their job, instead of asking for under table money. All is for the future of Thailand.together we can !!
Posted by
Eddie
on
November 15, 2012 09:39
4 days ago I had one of those Pegas [sic] busses about 2 feet off my rear bumper at about 60mph just north of Heroine Monument. Sorry I'm passing a car, too and am not speeding up. He gave me a cut over when he did pass me just to show me he owns the road. Why is there no traffic enforcement on this island whatsoever? Bangkok needs to supply more funding for this NOW !!
Posted by
CBF
on
November 15, 2012 10:05
Pegas or other Name must be show on a New paper so thumps up to Editor to show the true whats ever company is !! i don't see where is problem Eddie Please Relax
Posted by
ratatouee
on
November 15, 2012 10:34
I thought the point Eddie, was to highlight the bike under the bus, the Companies name just happens to be in the way. Intersections in Thailand are a dangerous place to be, especially with lights, ....people will often accelerate to get through them long after they have gone red, causing anyone turning to be in the way of an oncoming missile. If i was to speculate what happened here, it would be that.
Posted by
carvets
on
November 15, 2012 10:37
Eddie, you want to help Pegas avoid bad publicity? Perhaps you could advise them to tell their drivers to stop driving like maniacs. I've had MANY bad encounters with this company's minivans and buses in my daily commute between Chalong and Phuket Town. This particular logo often fills the view of my rear-view mirror when I have one of its minivans riding the tail of my car at high speed. Don't blame the messenger - a decent person would/should worry more about the families of these two young women killed senselessly than a company's reputation.
Posted by
LW
on
November 15, 2012 10:55
Two points. I feel that the company directors (in this case Pegus) should shoulder the responsibility of checking if their drivers are licenced properly. It isnt too much to ask.
Secondly, the motorbike driver was a staff member of a friend of mine. They had lunch together yesterday. Another of their colleagues came upon the accident and heard from witnesses that the bus jumped the red light. In my view, that, coupled with fleeing the scene, should carry a double digit jail term.
Posted by
Mr Man
on
November 15, 2012 12:17
Eddie- I have lost count of the number of times I have seen terrible and dangerous driving from buses and minibuses in PEGAS livery. Others are just as bad but they stand out for all the wrong reasons.
Posted by
Mister Ree
on
November 15, 2012 12:54
sorry Eddie... nice you are a hotelier and commenting, but most dont agree with your views, maybe this tradegy can see your industry come together in memory for these 2 ladies butchered. It is totally out of control, its only amazing more a not killed every few hours from this nonsence. Surely as a powerful group like yours eddie you can come together and instruct you only want your hotel guests to be driven at safe speeds. Instead of all the cheap talk, perhaps some serious action can come from this in honour of these 2 ladies(perhaps a mother and her daughter or two sisters lost)hope you can do something eddie as a hotelier...
Posted by
Very sad
on
November 15, 2012 13:44
Pegus buses and minibuses seem to be the worst on the road from my daily experience. Maybe Pegus doesn't own the buses or employ the drivers but the way they drive, especially when they are empty, I assume Pegus has put the squeeze on the company it's hiring.
Posted by
James
on
November 15, 2012 13:46
This not something that is unique to Pegas, but is a industry-wide problem. All the way from airport taxis to minivans to full size buses. from every company that provides transportation services. Granted, Pegas is very visible right now since they have grown rapidly tha last few years.
Posted by
christian
on
November 15, 2012 15:21
Very sad for the 2 ladies. Living Kata area, we had to deal with these Pegas tour buses daily, and the near collision, tail-gating, speeding through the busy roads of Kata... just unacceptable. Drivers for these Pegas tour buses are aggressive, angry, and dangerous every time they are on the road. I hope he's caught, punished and Pegas get all the crap media they deserved for not caring.
Posted by
Neiht
on
November 15, 2012 15:51
I agree with the comments on the frequency of bad driving and road manners exhibited by tour buses in general, and Pegas in particular. Pegas is a Russian tour company, and they are frequently seen taking visitors on tours all around the island.
The increasing numbers of Russians and Chinese has greatly increased the number of large tour buses on our roads, as the various tours are part of their holiday itinerary. I frequently see these monster buses using small sois to get to souvenir shops/spas/latex outlets etc, with rows of glum faces staring out of the windows. I'd be glum if I had to travel on one of these buses also.
RIP to the sadly deceased.
Posted by
Phil
on
November 15, 2012 15:58
I live in kata too, we are so fed up of these PEGAS bus drivers. They have no consideration for other road users, drive much to fast, and they are very dangerous. Please pegas do something about this or more of your busses will end up killing innocent people. Their drivers dont give a toss. grrr
Posted by
poppops
on
November 15, 2012 17:21
Perhaps the comments herein regarding Pegas should be forwarded to the company for their consideration and response... I would ask Pegas to put an ID & contact phone number on the front and back of each bus asking that people to contact them should they see any of their drivers driving dangerously! This might just make the drivers take more care...
Posted by
Nip
on
November 16, 2012 18:44
"The driver of the bus surrendered to officers early today and was being interviewed, along with relatives of the dead women, at Thalang Police Station."
Just enough time to flush any alcohol or illegal substances out of his body. A hair sample should be tested, if he hasn't shaved it all off.
Posted by
chrisT
on
November 17, 2012 08:29
Yet again a driver flees the scene of carnage / murder he caused to avoid blood tests for drugs or alcohol and more families are torn apart because of shockingly bad driving and care less attitude.
Posted by
Scunner
on
November 17, 2012 16:50
"Yet again a driver flees the scene of carnage / murder he caused to avoid blood tests for drugs or alcohol and more families are torn apart because of shockingly bad driving and care less attitude."
Possibly, but let's also not forget that it is in many instances safer for ones own safety to flee the scene and report later.
Posted by
stevenl
on
November 17, 2012 19:44
It's been reported (today) that the police are still looking for the driver - and that he has NOT handed himself in. Looks like the author of this report got his facts badly wrong.
Posted by
Big Bernie
on
November 19, 2012 13:39
Very unfortunate accident but do we really have to go down the western route of regulating every aspect of our lives.
Posted by
Damien
on
November 19, 2012 15:46
Editor Comment:
We avoid using the word ''accident'' because it means nobody was at fault. ''Accidents'' are rare.
I have lived in Phuket for some years and lately the speed which buses and mini buses travel seems to have increased to such dangerous levels as sadly seen here. I now try and avoid being alongside either (I ride a motorbike) I think the Police do need to enforce speed limits especially on main roads. No more deaths should be allowed to happen. Please Government give the Police power to do so, it will be better for the Thai people and give tourists a better impression of Phuket.
Posted by
Happy Farang
on
November 21, 2012 19:42
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About 4 weeks ago when I was driving from Krabi to Phuket a Pegas bus in the exact same livery attempted on two separate occasions to run me off the road. First as I passed through a small town in full view of a police man the driver came alongside me and tried to force me off the road I refused to allow him to do so and vented my anger at the driver out the window... How did he respond? About 10 minutes later on the open road he cut across me from the outside lane doing close to 120 forcing me break very very hard... Approaching the airport I noticed him again driving recklessly endangering lives by weaving from lane to lane. Maybe not the same driver but maybe somebody involved with this company should look at their drivers...
Posted by Nip on November 14, 2012 23:36