Efforts to trace American citizen Greg Yamada, 41, are still underway after a motorbike crash in Thailand left a British family seriously injured only days into their holiday. Yamada, who police confirmed was four times over the legal alcohol limit, failed to appear in court and exited the country.
The collision happened on January 22nd 2024 on the island of Koh Chang. A British father, his partner and their four-year-old daughter were walking on a footpath when a powerful Honda motorbike ridden by Gregory Yamada veered towards them without warning. The father later described seeing the bike travelling at speed before it struck the family, throwing the child into the air and knocking the mother unconscious.
Emergency services reached the scene shortly after the crash and took all involved to hospital. The mother, 40, suffered severe injuries including multiple broken bone fractures to her neck, scalp wounds requiring stitches, and extensive abrasions and lacerations across her body. Their daughter sustained injuries to her face, eyes, torso, arms and legs, along with a deep laceration above her eye that resulted in scarring, a subconjunctival haemorrhage that left one eye completely blood-red, and a sinus fracture on her skull.
Police determined Yamada was four times over Thailand’s legal alcohol limit at the time of the crash. At the hospital, the father said Yamada appeared visibly intoxicated and refused to acknowledge the incident. He was later charged with drunk driving causing injury to other people, an offence that carries a potential sentence of three to six years in prison.
However, Greg Yamada did not appear for his scheduled court hearing. Records note that he holds both United States and Japanese passports, and immigration records confirm he crossed the border into Cambodia after the incident.
The family returned to the United Kingdom for continued treatment. The father described the crash as “life-changing” and said the recovery process has been long and emotionally difficult, particularly for his partner and daughter.
After returning home, the family said Gregory Yamada’s cowardly disappearance has intensified their suffering, saying it reflects an attempt to avoid responsibility for the devastation he has caused.
The matter remains open, and information connected to Yamada’s movements continues to be reviewed as enquiries advance.
