Motorcycle Nearly Hits Ambulance Refusing to Yield While Rushing Cancer Patient with Respiratory Distress to Hospital
A teenage motorcyclist nearly collided with an ambulance transporting a critically ill cancer patient to a hospital in Ayutthaya on May 21, after refusing to yield despite the vehicle's activated sirens and warning lights.
On May 22, 2569, officers from the Ayutthaya Ruamjai Association posted dashcam and eyewitness video of a harrowing moment as rescue personnel were transporting a patient to Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Hospital with sirens blaring and warning lights activated. As the ambulance was turning into the hospital entrance with rescue staff on motorcycles blocking traffic to facilitate the turn, a teenage rider suddenly cut across the ambulance's path at speed, nearly colliding with the emergency vehicle. The incident occurred around 11 p.m. on May 21.
Chaiyanrong Tangon, 28, a rescue officer with Ayutthaya rescue unit, revealed the frightening incident occurred while he was urgently transporting a 70-year-old woman with a history of cancer suffering from abdominal rigidity and severe respiratory distress to the hospital. During the operation, the team activated emergency lights with two additional rescue officers on motorcycles leading the way to clear traffic at intersections. Most vehicles cooperated, but as the ambulance approached Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Hospital's entrance and began turning in, a teenage motorcyclist came speeding toward them in the opposite direction without stopping. The ambulance narrowly avoided collision when the driver braked in time, preventing an accident.
Chaiyanrong urged all road users to remember that when encountering ambulances, rescue vehicles, or emergency vehicles with lights and sirens activated, someone's life may be at stake. Slowing down, stopping, or yielding not only gets patients to medical care faster but also prevents secondary accidents during emergency response operations.