British tourist dies after ’losing control’ of motorbike in Thailand
A British man died in a motorbike crash in Thailand overnight.
Billy Thomas James, a 30-year-old from Hammersmith, lost control of the rental vehicle while driving along a road in Ao Nang, a popular resort in Krabi region.
He was found covered in blood flowing from a head wound while sprawled on a kerb near the Khlong Ying Suea Bridge.
Mr James is believed to have been speeding without wearing a helmet when he crashed a few hundred metres from the bustling beachfront bars, police said.
The shattered black Honda Click 125cc motorcycle lay on its side at the edge of the road.
Police received a call about the crash around 12.45am local time, according to Police Captain Thitikorn Pantubtimthong.
Tourists can hire motorbikes and scooters for as little as £4.50 a day in parts of Thailand (Picture: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPres)
He said: ‘Rescue workers and medics were trying to save the British driver’s life.
‘The left side of his head had a large laceration and a puncture wound on the left chest from the attempts to revive him.
‘The cause of death has not yet been released, but a death certificate has been issued by the Watthanapat Ao Nang Hospital.
‘We don’t know if he was drunk driving because he was not tested for alcohol. We could not smell any alcohol on him because the odour of blood was so strong.’
Mr James was not wearing a helmet when he crashed and sustained a head injury (Picture: Asia Pacific Press via ViralPres)
Mr James may have been unfamiliar with the road he was travelling on, police said.
It’s possible to hire motorbikes and scooters for the equivalent of £4.50 a day, with no license checks, in tourist hotspots.
Two American tourists – Elias Giangrande, 28, and Jack Niehaus, 25 – died when they crashed head-on with a minivan in April.
It was in the early hours of the morning, along a narrow road, as they were riding home from the Full Moon Party on Koh Phangnan island.
Thailand has one of the worst road safety records in the world, with 32.7 traffic-related deaths per 100,000 people.
Its government wants to reduce this to 12 per 100,000 by 2027.
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