Round-the-world UK cyclists killed in Thailand

[onehandle]

Source: AP



LONDON (AP) — A British couple's round-the-world cycling odyssey ended in tragedy when both of them were killed in a road accident in Thailand. Peter Root and Mary Thompson, who had been chronicling their journey in a blog, died Wednesday when they were hit by a pickup truck in a province east of Bangkok, Thai police said Monday.

The couple, both 34 and from Guernsey in the Channel Islands, left Britain in July 2011 and had cycled through Europe, the Middle East, Central Asia and China. The trip was a once-in-a-lifetime experience for the couple, who met in art school and spent six years saving money and planning their journey, Peter's father Jerry Root told the Associated Press in an interview.

"They were both inspirational," Jerry Root said. "They didn't just talk about it, they did it. I couldn't be prouder of them." He said they were both experienced cyclists who knew the rigors and risks of extended bicycle travel.

"They were camping wild, as they called it," he said. "What helps me is to think of how happy they were with each other. They were leading the life they wanted to. It was the happiest, the most fruitful of lives." The couple had been posting photos and details of their trip on the website Two on Four Wheels. They also had many followers on Twitter and Facebook who were tracing their journey and vicariously enjoying their adventure, which included a trip through remote parts of Central Asia.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/round-world-uk-cyclists-killed-thailand-161455377.html

[Gregorian]

1. Blind idiots in cars!!!

I heard about them on a London based bicycle show a year or so ago.

Cars suck.

[Taverner]

2. Thai roads are DANGEROUS!!

Take it from someone who lived there for 2 1/2 years, and rode his bike everywhere

[FightingIrish]

3. When I was in Tahiland many years ago I was told

that if you, or a cab you had hired, were to hit a pedestrian you should make sure they were dead. Otherwise you would be responsible for the injured party for as long as they lived.

[Duer 157099]

4. Holy hell.

Although, that explains how *both* of them died. That was surprising, and seems against the odds. Now it makes sense.

Disgusting.

[Tanuki]

8. But that isn't what happened, acording to the article.

"....Supachai said the truck driver, 25-year-old Worapong Sangkhawat, was seriously injured in the crash. He told police his truck hit the cyclists as he was reaching down to pick up a cap from the vehicle's floor, Supachai said.

The driver has been released on bail and faces charges of causing death by dangerous driving, which carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in jail...."

[secondwind]

16. Here in Dominican Republic, if you hit anyone, you are mandated to put the victim in your car and

drive them to the nearest clinic. They have very little ambulance/EMT services on this island.

[Ezlivin]

5. They died but not their dream

Their actions have spurred countless individuals to set out after their own dreams.

That is the only good I can pull from horrible news such as this.

R.I.P.

[mainer]

6. I know of two different acquaintances who died due to Thai traffic

One was a US professor who stepped off the curb and forgot that traffic was coming from the left. The other was a young man who died on a motorcycle.

It's a dangerous place for both pedestrians and cyclists.

[Katashi_itto]

7. Christ, I was in Thailand doing research for the indie movie I am directing..Holy Hell its dangerous

to drive in...I always took cabs and getting hit was my number one fear

[progressoid]

9. Damn.

[tawadi]

10. Amazing they made it that far really

The odds were stacked against them. Unfortunately.

[Blue_Tires]

11. very sad...

r.i.p.

[daybranch]

12. Why such a small penalty?

Ten years for killing two people seems awfully small. Maybe the disparity between the damages caused( lives lost) and the punishment is a big reason why Thailand roads are so dangerous. But it is interesting he could not just find a corruppt policeman to pay off and go on his way- maybe improved from what it used to be?.

[harmonicon]

15. Seriously?

I suspect you need to think on this some more. For starters, the idea that harsh prison sentences would deter crime/dangerous activity can very easily be disproven. We've got enough countries with enough different laws that we don't have to speculate about that. Secondly, "small" compared to what? Do you know anyone who's accidentally killed someone in a car crash? Can you actually begin to conceive of what ten years in prison would be like?

[truthisfreedom]

13. What a horrible tragedy.

Sigh. Just awful for everyone.

[Beacool]

14. So sad.

I'm terribly sorry that they are gone. What's the matter with some drivers? The driver in the pickup didn't see two people on bikes???

[countryjake]

17. Looks as tho their site "Two on Four Wheels" is down now.

I found another biking blog which has a few good pictures left of the couple's trek:

http://www.theurbancountry.com/2013/02/british-bicycle-bloggers-on-world-journey-killed-in-thailand.html

This is such a sad end to the journey for these two. I do hope someone from friends or family will decide to document and publish everything that they'd chronicled...it's a trip to remember, for sure.