Tour Bus Runs Red Light, Crashes into Motorcycle at High Speed; Driver Thrown Against Windshield and Dies

A tragic accident unfolded when a tour bus ran a red light and smashed into a motorcycle at high speed. The motorcycle rider was ejected into the air, striking the bus windshield before landing on the road. The motorcycle was dragged beneath the vehicle, leaving both vehicles severely damaged.

On May 4, 2569, Deputy Inspector Puriphattana Suksawasdi of Ranong City Police Station revealed that at 20:25 on May 3, they received a report of a passenger bus colliding with a motorcycle at Ranong Garden intersection on Phetchkasem Road, Bang Rim subdistrict, Muang district, Ranong province. Officers from Highway Police, Tourist Police, rescue units, Ranong Hospital, and the hospital's forensic doctor rushed to the scene.

The victim, 49-year-old Virappong (surname withheld by request), was found dead on the roadway, approximately 50 meters from the impact point. The bus involved was a VIP 24-seat air-conditioned coach on the Bangkok-Phang Nga route, registered in Bangkok. The vehicle's front showed collision damage with a cracked windshield, and a severely damaged red Honda Scoopy motorcycle, registered in Ranong, was found lodged beneath it.

Dashcam footage from a witness vehicle stopped at the red light revealed the moment of impact. As several vehicles waited at the traffic signal, the tour bus approached at high speed, attempting to accelerate through the yellow light before it turned red but failed to make it in time. Meanwhile, the motorcycle was the second in its lane waiting at the red light. When the light turned green, the rider proceeded forward, unaware of the bus running the red light from the perpendicular direction.

The violent collision sent Virappong's body flying into the bus's windshield, which stood over 2 meters high, before he fell to the pavement approximately 25 meters from the point of impact. The motorcycle was dragged beneath the bus for about 50 meters.

Initially, responders did not know the victim's identity, so they used a phone found at the scene to contact his relatives and identify him.

When questioned, the bus driver claimed he attempted to accelerate through the yellow light before it turned red because the heavy vehicle could not stop suddenly.

The tour bus was traveling from Khok Kloy district, Phang Nga province to Mo Chit in Bangkok with a full passenger load, though no passengers were injured. The transport company arranged a backup bus from Phang Nga to continue the journey, which is expected to arrive approximately 3 hours late.

The primary driver, Thaworn (surname withheld by request), is in police custody for questioning. He has been preliminarily charged with "careless driving resulting in another person's death." The victim's relatives have requested additional alcohol and drug testing be conducted on the driver.

Initial autopsy results suggest the cause of death was a fractured cervical spine from the violent impact. The forensic doctor at Ranong Hospital has sent the body for autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.