Poncho peril: Boy’s rainy day ride ends in mishap on Friendship Highway

A young Thai boy’s loose rain poncho became caught in a motorcycle wheel, leading to an accident on the Friendship Highway in the Isaan province of Nakhon Ratchasima, which left him with a broken arm.

Members of the Hook 31 Rescue Foundation rushed to the accident scene on the Friendship Highway at about 8am yesterday, September 25. Upon arrival, rescuers found a blue Honda Wave motorcycle overturned on the road, with the boy, aged between eight and ten, trapped by his left arm in the rear wheel spokes.

Rescuers used a metal cutting tool to cut the wheel spokes to free the boy’s arm before providing first aid. The rescue team informed Channel 7 that the boy’s arm was broken, so he was taken to Maharat Nakhon Ratchasima Hospital for further treatment.

The boy’s father told the media that he and his son were travelling to school in the rain. He asked the boy to wear a rain poncho, but the size was much too large for him.

The boy was unaware of the loose rain poncho, and when parts of it became stuck in the motorcycle wheel, the moving wheel pulled his arm into it, causing the motorcycle to crash. His current condition was not reported.

Rescuers issued a warning to the public, advising them to be cautious of the dangers posed by loose or long clothing such as long-sleeved shirts, long trousers, and long skirts.

In a similar incident last year, a five year old Thai girl lost her left arm after wearing a long-sleeved jacket while riding on a motorcycle with her mother in the Isaan province of Roi Et. The end of the jacket’s left sleeve was caught in the wheel, followed by her arm.

The girl was rushed to the hospital along with the severed arm. Unfortunately, doctors were unable to reattach it due to the damage to the main artery.