Fast and the Furious

[English_Bob]

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/local/213864/police-prepare-to-charge-teen

Police will file charges of reckless driving causing injuries and death against the 16-year-old driver of a car involved in a fatal tollway crash, says a senior police officer.

Pol Maj Gen Amnuay Nimmano, deputy chief of the Metropolitan Police Bureau, said Orachorn Thephasadin Na Ayudhya had been summoned to acknowledge the charges on Jan 5. She will also be charged with driving without a licence.

Ms Orachorn was identified as the driver of a Honda Civic involved in an accident with a passenger van travelling on the Don Muang expressway on Monday night. Nine people were killed as a result of the accident.

The force of the collision sent the van crashing into the tollway barrier near the Bang Khen exit of the tollway. Eight passengers, including the van driver, were thrown from the vehicle and were killed when they fell to the road below.

A student among the seven people hurt in the accident yesterday succumbed to her injuries, bringing the death toll to nine.

She was identified as Chanjira Simkrathok, a fourth-year student at Thammasat University's public health faculty.

Pol Maj Gen Amnuay said the summons was served after Ms Orachorn failed to report to police on Wednesday.

The girl's family contacted police to arrange for the questioning but she did not show up, he said.

A warrant would be issued for the arrest of Ms Orachorn if she failed to report to police next Wednesday.

Pol Maj Gen Amnuay said immigration police had been asked to keep a watch in case Ms Orachorn tried to flee the country.

The Thephasadin Na Ayudhya family yesterday issued an open letter offering an apology to the crash victims and their families.

Laddawan Thephasadin Na Ayudhya, the mother of Ms Orachorn, said her family was devastated by the losses and would not try to dodge responsibility.

She said her daughter had changed hospitals three times after the family received death threats.

"We are not fleeing," Ms Laddawan said. "But we'll wait for the public to calm down. One may want to escape prosecution, but we can't escape responsibility."

Ms Laddawan said the accident took place when her daughter tried to avoid the van, which kept changing lanes.

Death threats? Really?

[SweetieBabie]

A letter of apology is kinda lame actually, no decency to come out and say it.

[English_Bob]

A letter of apology is kinda lame actually, no decency to come out and say it.

I agree... But I'm amazed when ANYONE says 'sorry' these days.

The only reason this is a big issue is that it's 'hate-the-rich' season in Thailand. And any time a person is richer than someone, they get called 'elite' and blamed for all the ills of the country.

I wonder how many people are killed by poor people in Thailand. No insurance. Crappy, unmaintained vehicles. Driving while drunk. Those people don't get this kind of demonisation.

[beej]

a. its a Honda Civic..... she's not THAT rich?!?!

b. is the van driver blameless.... we all know how those ***** drive, maybe it was as much his fault as it was hers?

[SweetieBabie]

b. is the van driver blameless.... we all know how those c*nts drive, maybe it was as much his fault as it was hers?

does not want to sound like a misogynist. both drivers were female.

[Damnam1]

Hey EB - you must be a wise man to judge other peoples opinion as garbage. You are not supposed to work as an innkeeper.

[English_Bob]

Aaahhh but are YOU supposed to judge a 16 year old girl AND her parents based on a picture you saw in the newspaper and some gossip?

If you WERE a judge, don't you think you'd wait until you'd heard ALL the evidence first?

You didn't write it as opinion...

Thai society and its mindset is evolving and not longer accepting that upper class is superior compared to middle class, proletariat or people in precarious conditions.

Thanks god the internet provides a vox populi as a counterpart to virtually aligned thai media.

You wrote it as fact. And the fact that you rely on Facebook as your counterpoint is telling in the extreme.

[Damnam1]

wasnt it you complaining heavily about the thai legal structures when you had that aciident not long ago ?

[beej]

b. is the van driver blameless.... we all know how those c*nts drive, maybe it was as much his fault as it was hers?

does not want to sound like a misogynist. both drivers were female.

Ahhhh didn't know that... even more possibility that the van driver was in the wrong now!!!

[English_Bob]

wasnt it you complaining heavily about the thai legal structures when you had that aciident not long ago ?

Yes! Exactly! Go and read my posts. It was two POOR people who f**ked me over. Everyone knew - me, them, the police, my friends, Tfers - everyone knew they would **** me over and take no responsibility for their actions.

And they were poor. You are jumping on the rich, elite bastards ******* people over bandwagon. But you have no evidence that this is the case yet. No evidence at all.

She could be completely innocent (except for the underage driving) but there is already a mob calling for her to be imprisoned (or even killed!) without hearing the full story.

And you are part of that mob.

Why not wait until you know something more than what you implied from a photograph of her standing next to a car with a phone?

[Damnam1]

wasnt it you complaining heavily about the thai legal structures when you had that aciident not long ago ?

Yes! Exactly! Go and read my posts. It was two POOR people who f*cked me over. Everyone knew - me, them, the police, my friends, Tfers - everyone knew they would f*ck me over and take no responsibility for their actions.

And they were poor. You are jumping on the rich, elite bastards f*cking people over bandwagon. But you have no evidence that this is the case yet. No evidence at all.

She could be completely innocent (except for the underage driving) but there is already a mob calling for her to be imprisoned (or even killed!) without hearing the full story.

And you are part of that mob.

Why not wait until you know something more than what you implied from a photograph of her standing next to a car with a phone?

Apart from this discussion it is your claim of absoluteness that is annoying. You are not able at all to accept other peoples opinion. Not only in this thread.

Your offensive language towards a lot of people here on TF (garbage, calling me being part of the mob..) is keeping a lot of thai women away from the discussion because they dont dare to discuss any issue in english.

Unfotunately I am not able to express myself the way I am used to in german, but maybe your new years resolution ought to be to live and let live and be a bit more of an english gentleman always claiming to know about the thai way, graeng djai and so..

However, I rest my case. Happy New Year.

[English_Bob]

wasnt it you complaining heavily about the thai legal structures when you had that aciident not long ago ?

Yes! Exactly! Go and read my posts. It was two POOR people who f*cked me over. Everyone knew - me, them, the police, my friends, Tfers - everyone knew they would f*ck me over and take no responsibility for their actions.

And they were poor. You are jumping on the rich, elite bastards f*cking people over bandwagon. But you have no evidence that this is the case yet. No evidence at all.

She could be completely innocent (except for the underage driving) but there is already a mob calling for her to be imprisoned (or even killed!) without hearing the full story.

And you are part of that mob.

Why not wait until you know something more than what you implied from a photograph of her standing next to a car with a phone?

Apart from this discussion it is your claim of absoluteness that is annoying. You are not able at all to accept other peoples opinion. Not only in this thread.

Your offensive language towards a lot of people here on TF (garbage, calling me being part of the mob..) is keeping a lot of thai women away from the discussion because they dont dare to discuss any issue in english.

Unfotunately I am not able to express myself the way I am used to in german, but maybe your new years resolution ought to be to live and let live and be a bit more of an english gentleman always claiming to know about the thai way, graeng djai and so..

However, I rest my case. Happy New Year.

Oh dear... Got an issue? Here's a tissue!

Your point WAS garbage! You made a simple traffic accident into part of a class war against a clan of elusive elite without the slightest piece of evidence.

If my language is an issue, please take it up with Admin and the moderators and ask them to take action against me. By all means, quote the offensive post(s).

And by all means back up your assertion that Thai girls don't discuss in English because they are scared of English Bob. I will accept copies of PMs, journals and other forum posts. Or maybe you could do a poll and publish the results... I don't mind, I'm thick-skinned enough.

(I'd also be interested in where I claimed to be an English gentleman)

My New Year's Resolutions are to continue to point out garbage whenever I read it. To be brave enough to debate with people who hold different points of view.

(Saying 'I rest my case' when you haven't made a case is pointless.)

Happy New Year to you too.

[English_Bob]

http://ireport.cnn.com/docs/DOC-534901

Here are some photos from the accident...

Numbers 4 and 5 are interesting.

4 shows the van in the inside lane at 21:33:42.

5 shows the van in the middle lane at 21:33:47

That would suggest the driver of the minivan moved across two lanes at high speed within 5 seconds.

Photo 2 shows the girl listed as 18 on Facebook. But Facebook is not the most reliable of sources.

http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/430052-teen-involved-in-fatal-bangkok-tollway-crash-stressed-out-mum/

The 16yearold girl blamed for the fatal tollway accident on Monday has become so stressed out that she asked why she did not die, her mother said yesterday.

"Why don't they take my life? Why don't I just die?" the girl was quoted as saying.

The girl is being treated for injuries at an unspecified hospital. It was the third hospital she went to for treatment after angry threats prompted her family to move her twice to a new medical facility.

"There was an intrusion into her room at a hospital," the mother, Laddawan Thephassadin na Ayutthaya, told the "Chao Kao Khon Kon Kao Chao" TV programme.

The Thephassadin na Ayutthaya family yesterday issued a statement expressing deep condolences over the people killed and injured in the accident.

The accident, which took place after a van brushed the girl's Civic car, killed nine people and injured six others.

Many people were enraged after seeing the 16yearold girl post her comments on a socialnetworking site right after the accident.

To many, her comments seem to show no repentance.

"We would like to apologise to all the injured and killed victims and their families," Laddawan said yesterday.

She said an aunt of the girl would soon attend the funerals of the dead victims and visit the injured at hospitals.

"Our family is now suffering. We are shocked and saddened that our daughter was involved in the fatal accident. We have spent sleepless nights," Laddawan said.

She said the situation was almost too much to bear when her family members' telephone numbers and the daughter's picture were published on Facebook.

"Verbal abuse and threats have since flooded in," the mother said.

Laddawan said she understood the public sentiment. However, she explained that her daughter used her BlackBerry to chat with her friend because the Civic belonged to the friend.

"She was not playing with the device. She sought information on the car's insurance number," Laddawan said.

She said her daughter indeed drove at high speed but it was the van that tried to move into the lane she was using.

"When she signalled the light to ask for the way and [her intentions] with her lights, the van moved back to its lane. She tried to speed up but the van came back too fast. That's how the accident took place," the mother insisted.

She urged police to check all security cameras on the tollway to find out the truth.

"We are ready to let her undergo the judicial process," Laddawan said. She added that the prestigious surname did not mean her family had any influence or any special power to manipulate the case.

Also, the mother denied rumours that her daughter had fled to a foreign country.

"We cannot escape the consequences of our actions," she said.

Police have summonsed the girl to report to them at noon on January 5. She will be charged with reckless driving causing deaths and injuries, and driving without a licence.

If convicted of the first offence, she will face a jail term of up to 10 years and/or a maximum fine of Bt50,000.

"When she comes, we will arrange the negotiation sessions between her and the damaged parties too," Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner MajGeneral Amnuay Nimmano said.

If the girl fails to show up next Wednesday, police will seek an arrest warrant for her, he said.

Lawyers Council of Thailand chairman Sak Korsaengrueng said his organisation was ready to help the accident victims is asked to do so.

"The offender should be punished and forced to pay compensation," he said.

The council's secretarygeneral Wanchai Sornsiri believed the parents of the girl could be held responsible too because they failed to prevent their daughter from causing an illegal act.

"The parents may face both criminal and civil actions," he said.

Currently, each killed victim receives Bt200,000 in initial assistance from two insurance firms while each injured victim receives Bt150,000.

The Civic sedan's insurer may offer up to Bt1 million compensation for each death.

So far, I can only see that she was an underaged driver... of which there are tens of thousands in Thailand.

Someone intruded into her hospital bed? That's pretty shitty.

There are hints that her parents may be held responsible too, if it is proven they allowed her to drive.

It would be interesting to see what comments she posted on a social networking site immediately after. If it's "OMG just killed 9 plebs in a van... Gonna be soooo late!" I can see a problem.

It's interesting the insurer of the car is considering paying compensation. I would have thought an underaged driver nullifies the policy.