For a while I've been having breakfast at the same place on Phetkasem Road, just outside of Hua Hin town centre on the way to Pranburi.
Despite the glorious setting (sea on one side, mountains on the other) this road is a dangerous place. You have the treacherous combination of fast moving traffic, heavy goods trucking, and motorcycles (many travelling, at speed, in the wrong direction).
So anyway, we've all witnessed road accidents in Thailand. In this instance, I was chasing my two year old around the outdoor restaurant, trying to feed him, whilst my missus got stuck into her breakfast. All of a sudden you hear the unmistakable 'WHAM' of something unnatural occurring, and all those present and within earshot stood up and looked across to where the noise came from.
After missus had taken charge of the boy, I made my way to the roadside, a mere 100 yards, where a car sat parked awkwardly, and beyond a motorcycle lay in the brush. Just beyond that, the landscape drops around 10 feet gradually, into an open copse, where the motorcyclist lay.
I knew what I was about to see would be harsh, but in such circumstances, what option do you have but to help? The first thing I noticed was the awful way in which his body was contorted; he lay completely still, but his right arm was twisted behind his frame in such a way that I thought the lack of reaction must surely mean he was dead.
He was a kid, maybe 18 years old, trendy, ear piercings etc.. He lay apparently lifeless. I wanted to correct his unnatural posture, but being unable to, I just talked at him.... hoping that he might register in some way my rambling voice... I remember my mother had a very bad car accident in England, and she told me that, the only thing she remembers clearly, was one of the ambulance guys talking to her, engaging her, making her laugh...
His eyes were completely rolled back into his head, but oh so slowly, he tried to awake. It was, in itself, a painful experience, watching him gradually come around, knowing that his arm must be in excruciating pain.. after about a minute, as he began to try and rise, only then could I pull him up so slightly and let his arm slip back to the front of his body. His face, a bloody mess having been razored by 50 feet of brittle sun-hardend brush, instantly showed relief, as his arm came back to a natural position.
After that the road crew arrived and I retreated, and left. On my way back, I noticed the lady who'd been driving the car that hit him.. Apparently, so my wife tells me, she'd been pulling into the same restaurant, and not seen him in her mirrors... She was on the phone, and I remember wondering if her phone was pressed up against her ear when the accident happened.
Just another tale of another violent, pointless and preventable road accident in Thailand.














