PATTAYA, Thailand — A Russian man was killed and another injured early on New Year’s Day when their motorcycle crashed into a tree on a notoriously dangerous curve in Pattaya, police said.
The accident occurred at about 8:50 am on Janaury 1st, 2026, on Jomtien Second Road near a condominium complex in Nong Prue subdistrict, Bang Lamung district, Chonburi province, according to Pattaya City Police.
Police said the motorcycle, a green Yamaha Aerox registered in Chonburi, lost control on the curve and struck a tree on the road’s central median. The impact left the motorcycle heavily damaged, with debris scattered across the roadway, and split the tree’s trunk.
One rider, identified as Zubairu, a 28-year-old Russian, was pronounced dead at the scene. A second rider, identified as Nikolai, 27, also a Russian, suffered minor injuries and was taken to Jomtien Hospital for treatment, police said.
A security guard at a nearby condominium said he heard a loud crash and ran to the scene, where he found two foreign men who had been riding the motorcycle. One was unconscious, while the other remained at the scene until emergency responders arrived.
Police said preliminary investigations suggest the motorcycle was travelling at high speed before failing to negotiate the curve and crashing into the median. Authorities noted that the stretch of road, often referred to locally as a “deadly curve,” has seen frequent serious accidents. More than 10 casualties were reported there over the past year.
