The 62-year-old British expat died after a quad bike smashed into a concrete barrier on a motorway in Lopburi, Thailand, sending him plunging 30ft to the ground below
A British man has died in Thailand after his quad bike smashed into a concrete barrier.
The 62-year-old was reportedly driving the vehicle at high speed when he smashed into the concrete barrier on a motorway flyover in Lopburi on March 1. The collision sent the all-terrain vehicle spinning across the road while he was catapulted through the air. He is said to have badly injured his head after plunging 30ft to the ground below.
Police said they received a report of the accident at 5am local time on Saturday. Officers arrived at the scene and found his damaged vehicle near the sharp bend. Black skid marks were visible on the concrete barrier that the quad bike had struck. His body was found on the grass below the flyover.
The man had been living in Thailand with a caretaker for around 14 years and retired only this year, police said, adding that his family back in the UK have been informed. The Mirror has approached the Foreign Office for comment.
Police Lieutenant Sirirat Darunikorn of the Ban Mi District Police Station said: “We received a report from the radio centre about the accident at around 5am. The vehicle crashed against the bridge barrier and the victim fell to the ground, resulting in his death. The scene was an elevated U-turn bridge over a railway.
“The deceased had a caretaker in Thailand. They were lovers but they weren’t married. He had been staying in Thailand for around 13 to 14 years, travelling in and out of the country for work before he retired this year.
“After he retired, he stayed in Thailand, and the locals were quite familiar with him. His family here have already informed his relatives back in his home country.”
Thailand has one of the world’s worst road safety records. Ministers have set the goal of reducing fatalities from 32.7 deaths per 100,000 people to 12 per 100,000 people by 2027. Deaths among tourists on motorbikes are thought to contribute to the figure, alongside a lack of road safety education in schools, easy-to-pass driving tests, and police failures to enforce road laws.