Udon Thani Thailand Forum - Udon Thani, Thailand

Just been informed of a horrendous accident near UD Town parking area, involving a foreigner believed to be Australian, who according to witnesses was driving (pick up truck) 'Like crazy', and a motorcycle being ridden by a local Thai national picking kids up from school.
Will post update link when I have it.

There are some photos at https://www.facebook.com/homenewsch1/ph ... =3&theater
Looks like the accident happened on the shortcut to Homepro, along the railroad tracks behind UD Town. The link above reports 3 dead.

According to witness reports, the pick up collided with a vehicle near Central Plaza, then several other vehicles whilst trying to flee the scene.

Stevo wrote:According to witness reports, the pick up collided with a vehicle near Central Plaza, then several other vehicles whilst trying to flee the scene.

Sad reality here that farangs choose to do this, even sadder there are still those here in town that then help them escape town, -similar to an event not long ago. Only going off the report "foreigner believed to be Australian" who knows, guess we'll hear more details in the coming hours.

RIP to the kids, a terrible fate.

Looks like they'll have another fatality under the truck once it's lifted.

Not sure if this is a victim or the driver of the truck.

@jimjay
The kids were passengers on that bike. The guy on the floor is the driver of the pick up, NOT a victim..

Steveo yeah I figured such after looking at more pics.

well they're gonna hang him high for this one, trying to RUN AWAY and such, or the cops will do their sinister best to let him BUY his way out of it, a sad day indeed no matter how one calls it.

An absolute terrible thing for the loss of life, all of us with kids going to and from school on bikes have this on our mind constantly. RIP little ones and the rider.

But aren't some quick to demonise the man. The investigation needs to be done completely.
Some have already closed their minds that he was 100% at fault.
Why don't you guys go down and get him from the cell and then string him up. Let this investigation run its course.
I'm not saying he was not at fault but come on, posting his photo on UM is not helpful. Yes its on FB social media but I thought we may be above that.
Just my opinion.

Whilst not disagreeing with what you say Barney it is unfortunately a sign of the times that we live in. If you want access to anything and everything instantly then you will also get access to those items you may not really want.
I had a phone call from my wife to tell me about it a couple of hours ago ...... and she is in Hong Kong at the moment.
Joe public and social media have now replaced the paparazzi.
RIP to those killed

SUPER SAD RIP LITTLE CHILDREN!

some more pics and vids from the udon city reporter:
https://www.facebook.com/191NewsUdon

terrible thing.
just hoping it will never ever happen to me.

Tragic

Discussions about the mental stability of the Alien and he had taken some medications to stabilise his behaviour.

Driver has also admitted (on video clips posted) consuming alcohol with those meds.

I just hope and pray this bastard will not be able to pay his way our of this...as is the norm in Thailand...I hope he rots in a Thai jail for rest of his life...and for those of you defending him and making excuses for him shame on you...two small children making their way home from a day at school mowed down...may they RIP...

I agree. I've no sympathy for drunk drivers.
Anyone who does drink and drive needs to take a good hard look at those facebook photos and videos.

His Real Name is Joel Mc Garry, Hes a Pyscho, and is well known to Udon police
I feel so sorry for the Kids and people that were involved in this terrible accident.

Joel Mc Garry i Really hope you gets whats coming to you this time.
You FXXKIN ASSHOLE

On one of the videos posted on Facebook the foreigner taken into custody admits to having mixed the prescription drug, Lorazepam, with alcohol which would explain his erratic behavior. He should have known better. It's a toxic cocktail!

The following is taken from an addiction blog on the internet:

"Lorazepam is an anti-anxiety medication used to treat mood disorders. Lorazepam duration of action is about 6-8 hours, although some therapeutic uses have been known to last for up to 72 hours. Because lorazepam can cause a euphoric high some people think snorting lorazepam side effects or mixing lorazepam with alcohol intensify the effects of the drug. Self-reports of combining the two include the following effects:

•impaired coordination
•irritability
•loss of inhibitions
•memory loss and amnesia
•suicidal and self-harming behaviors

However, the fact is that this combination of alcohol and lorazepam so profoundly impacts memory and behavior that it makes mixing lorazepam with alcohol extremely dangerous".

According to a story posted on Thai-Visa Forum this morning:

"The Australian man said he had a Thai wife from Udon. He had been to a clinic where he is being treated for a mental illness.

He said he sideswiped a car and collided with a taxi but damage was minimal.

He did not stop but a security guard called police who gave chase".

In no way do I condone the behavior of the Australian, but there should be clear guidelines by the Thai Police on when they are to give chase, especially in high traffic areas were this deadly accident occurred. He was running away from a minor accident, and there was no urgency for the police to apprehend this fellow and put the public in danger with a high speed pursuit. Chances are fairly certain that they already had his plate number and a full description of the vehicle, so why not deescalate the situation and go to the guy's house and arrest him? There's more than enough blame to go around here on both sides!

6 years ago two guys on a motorbike sideswiped me and ran away from the accident. I gave chase and after a mere 50 meters I realized that such a pursuit was not a good idea since I would more than likely wind up killing somebody in another accident, so I gave it up and let it go. It's not rocket science!

Australian Expat Kills 2 Fleeing Police In Udon Thani
By Stickboy BKK - June 21, 2017
Australian Expat Kills 2 Fleeing Police In Udon Thani

An Australian expat killed a woman and her nephew as he fled police over a minor traffic accident in Udon Thani on Tuesday evening that also left a young schoolboy in a coma.

55-year-old Joel MacGregor was found behind the wheel of his pickup sobbing as three bodies lay scattered on the road and the bike they were riding lodged under the front of his vehicle.

Australian Expat Kills 2 Fleeing Police In Udon Thani

The female rider, a 50-year-old woman, was pronounced dead at the scene having suffered a broken neck and internal injuries. Her 15-year-old nephew was unresponsive and died a short time later in hospital where her 11-year-old son is still in a coma with life threatening injuries.

Witnesses said MacGregor had a minor bump with a taxi before the accident and failed to stop. Police gave chase when he hit the motorbike.

The information and evidence we have at this time makes it all pretty straightforward and damning. This Aussie has big problems no matter how anyone tries to cut it or provide excuses for him.

I hope the third victim of the crash recovers completely. [-o<

Lone Star.

Was the alcohol consumed below the legal thai limit ?

Had he consumed alcohol on a licenced premise ?

Was it an expat bar and they didnt practice responsible serving....

Were the medications issued by a clinical provider ?

Did the driver receive information about the interactions ? Was it in english ?

Did his clinical condition over rule his judgement that lead to this tragic incident.

I certainly wouldnt want pre-conceived opinions to stand in the way of biased judgements.

I presume all on here have seen expats leave bars / watering holes over the limit.

Did anyone intervene ?

No doubt all on here have also boycotted Red Bull products.

Im NOT defending this guy just staying clinical contributions are not always a physical issue.