Ex-politician’s son causes deadly accident in Sadao district
A devastating accident unfolded in Tambon Samnak Kham, Sadao district on Wednesday when 35 year old Wissanu Tongsai lost control of his pickup truck and ploughed into a group of students, resulting in two fatalities and 13 injuries. Wissanu, the son of an ex-politician from Samnak Kham Municipal Council, was later charged with reckless driving and illegal drug use.
Chanaporn Uetrakul, representing Songkhla’s Provincial Education Office, paid a visit to the injured students from Ban Phru Tiao School at Hat Yai Hospital on Thursday on behalf of Education Minister Police General Permpoon Chidchob. Wissanu claimed that a motorbike abruptly cut him off, leading to the tragic event. However, the police are sceptical of this account. Police Colonel Sudjarit Petchjom, Sadao Station superintendent, confirmed that Wissanu tested positive for amphetamines.
Ban Phru Tiao School, home to 120 students and 12 teachers, had completed its annual scout hike on the day of the accident. Many students were resting at a checkpoint approximately 500 metres from the school premises. This checkpoint, assigned as a hiking stop, was where the collision occurred. According to Muhammad Senmuli, the school’s director, the pickup truck, moving at a high speed, crashed into the checkpoint where nearly 20 students and teachers were conducting safety checks, reported Bangkok Post.
Wissanu’s vehicle first collided with a road barrier, then flew over a drainage ditch before finally crashing into the checkpoint. The impact of the collision claimed the lives of two students, Assananee Langputay and Suriya Jantra, instantly. Their bodies were later returned to their families for funeral arrangements.
The remaining 13 casualties included Patcharee Intalay, a teacher who supervised the checkpoint, with six of them critically injured. Currently, eight of the wounded are being treated at Hat Yai Hospital while two are at Sadao Hospital. Three victims have been discharged.
As a gesture of support, the school director announced that each family of the deceased will receive 10,000 baht (US$278), with an additional compensation of 5,000 baht (US$139) for those with injured family members.
In related news, a Thai nurse raised concerns about safety for medical professionals after a patient with Yaba (methamphetamine) addiction bit off a colleague’s finger during treatment. The incident sparked demands for accountability.
