Dangling wires cause injury in Samut Prakan motorbike crash

Thailand has long been known for its obnoxiously tangled wiring that stretches and sags along and across streets, notable in Bangkok but seen even in small towns around the country. The cables are often in disarray and sometimes even dangling dangerously low to the street causing injuries and death. A recent report in Thai media highlighted one such accident, where a motorbike driver was thrown from their bike and badly injured when it got ensnared in hanging wires.

The driver was on his motorbike on Soi Udomdech in an area of the Muang district of Samut Prakan that locals say they have already complained repeatedly to authorities about but been blown off when they ask for dangerous dangling wires to be repaired. Residents tied a red cloth to the wires to make them more noticeable and even put a flashing light there to grab attention.

But the alert seems to have backfired as it may have distracted the motorbike driver who did not see the wire that looped around his handlebars and yanked his motorbike out from under him, sending the driver flying and tumbling across the pavement.

Videos of the hazardous wire have now gone viral online getting the interest of reporters and adding some clout to the cries of local residents who have called for authorities to act with no result. Now angry locals are daring any government authority or telecom company to come forward and accept responsibility for the tangle of wires and the damage they have caused.

Back in October, Russell Crowe posted a tweet that would massively viral showcasing Bangkok’s infamous tangle electrical, phone, and internet wires, bringing global attention and ridicule as well as condemnation to the mess seen daily all over Thailand. The Metropolitan Electricity Authority defended themselves, saying that the wires in his photo were not theirs, and PM Prayut Chan-o-cha called for the mess to be cleaned. Earlier this month, crews finally cleaned up one often-photographed and viral jumble of cables at Soi Petchaburi 31 in Bang Kapi.

SOURCE: ASEAN Now