Pursuit of American Citizen Gregory Yamada Ongoing After British Family Injured

The pursuit of Gregory Yamada remains ongoing after the 41-year-old smashed his motorbike into a British family on Koh Chang, Thailand, while four times over the drink-drive limit – and efforts to locate him continue as investigators track information about his movements.

The collision took place just before 8pm on January 22nd 2024, turning a long-awaited family holiday into a nightmare within seconds. A 36-year-old British father, his 40-year-old partner and their four-year-old daughter were walking along a footpath when a powerful Honda motorbike ridden by Greg Yamada veered directly toward them. The father witnessed the machine travelling at speed smashing into the family, throwing the small child through the air and knocking the mother unconscious.

The injuries were devastating. The mother suffered severe head and body trauma, including multiple broken bone fractures in her neck, bleeds from the scalp that required stitches, and extensive abrasions and lacerations across her body. Their young daughter sustained multiple soft-tissue injuries to her face, eyes, torso, arms and legs, including a deep laceration above her eye that resulted in scarring, a subconjunctival haemorrhage that left the eye completely blood-red, and a dangerous sinus fracture on her skull caused by the force of the impact.

Police arrived roughly 15 minutes after the crash and immediately determined that Greg Yamada was four times over Thailand’s legal alcohol limit. He was taken to hospital with the victims, where the father describes him as visibly intoxicated and showing no remorse.

Gregory Yamada was formally charged with driving while drunk causing a crash that injured other people, a criminal offence carrying a potential sentence of three to six years in prison. But when ordered to appear in court, Gregory Yamada failed to attend.

Gregory Yamada is an American national who holds both United States and Japanese passports, a detail noted in case files following his disappearance.

Immigration records report him crossing the border into Cambodia.

The British family – who spent around £5,000 on what was meant to be a 25-day dream holiday – returned to the UK after the crash to continue receiving treatment for their injuries. The father describes the event as “life-changing”. “From what I witnessed, they are lucky to be alive,” he says. “He showed no accountability. Unless he is caught, he could do this again.”

The family say his cowardly disappearance has intensified their suffering in his attempt to avoid responsibility for the devastation he has caused.

The matter remains active, and information connected to his movements continues to be examined as enquiries progress.