Local Driver Hospitalised After Crash With Bali Tourist Who Has Fled From Police

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Police in Bali have announced that they are searching for a 32-year-old Russian tourist in connection with a motorcycle crash in Uluwatu on Sunday, 12th February.

The incident involved a Russian tourist, known by his initials ‘D’, and a 29-year-old local driver who has been named as I Kadek Hendra Wahyuna. The local driver remains in the hospital, recovering from his injuries. Police have announced that D fled the hospital shortly after being admitted.

The case was shared with the media by AKP I Ketut Sukadi, who is the Head of Public Relations of the Denpasar Police. He told reporters that police were called to the scene at 1.30 am on Sunday, 12th February.

He explained, “The incident occurred on Jalan Uluwatu Ungasan, to be precise north of GWK, in front of the Andiani Ungasan shop, South Kuta, Badung.” The collision is believed to have happened at around 12.15 am. According to Sukadi, Wahyuna was driving northbound on Jalan Uluwatu Ungasan. He reported that D was driving southbound on Jalan Uluwatu Ungasan but drove on the opposite side of the road as he overtook the car in front of him. In doing so, D collided with Wahyuna.

D was driving a Yamaha N-Max motorcycle registered to a rental owner in the area. While Wahyuna reminds in Surya Hospital in Nusa Dua, recovering from his extensive injuries, police are now searching for D. He was admitted to the hospital to receive treatment for a suspected fracture to his right hand, abrasions on his arms and a cut to his ear. However, he fled the hospital shortly after his admission.

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Police discovered that D was missing when the motorbike owner asked police to locate him so as to assess the condition of the bike. They believe he may be looking to rent another motorbike and are working to locate him in the Uluwatu area.

This is just one of many collisions involving foreign tourists driving late at night in Bali’s popular resort areas. Tragically, some collisions have resulted in the fatalities of both tourists and local drivers. On Wednesday, 4th January, a local teenager was killed in a collision with a Dutch tourist in Kerobokan.

Police shared with the media that the 16-year-old moped driver was on his way to celebrate his father’s birthday when he collided with the foreigner as they were both driving across a four-way junction. The teenager died at the scene while the tourist was taken to hospital for treatment and investigation by local police.

Just days later, on Tuesday, 10th January, a Ukrainian tourist was found dead in the subak canal that runs alongside the Canggu Shortcut. As reported at the time, the 33-year-old driver was not wearing a helmet and is believed to have driven off the road and into the subak in the very early hours. He was discovered by local residents around sunrise. Police investigated the scene and reported the tragedy as a single-vehicle collision.

This incident, along with the death of a Russian tourist in Ubud who lost control of her friend’s moped and careered into a gorge, all sparked a conversation about the need to improve road safety. Police have recently issued statements calling on tourists and motorcycle rental owners to take more responsibility for road safety.

Late last week, Bali’s traffic police launched The Great Safety Operation 2023. The campaign will run until 20th February and is targeted at Bali’s leading tourist destinations, starting in Sanur. Traffic officers target ‘naughty’ foreign drivers who disobey the laws of the road.

While no fines will be given out, drivers flouting the law will be pulled over and given a verbal warning from the traffic police. Drivers are being pulled over for license checks and for not wearing helmets, and if officers observe them breaking the rules of the road.