Thai drug addict crashes pickup, killing 2 students, injuring 13

A Thai man addicted to drugs crashed his pickup into a roadside pavilion in the Sadao district in the southern province of Songkhla yesterday, resulting in the deaths of two students and injuries to 13 other pupils.

Officers from Sadao Police Station were alerted to the fatal car accident at about 11am yesterday, February 21. The accident took place when a group of more than 20 students and teachers were attending a Boy Scout activity at the roadside pavilion near the primary school, Baan Phuteaw School.

Police discovered the damaged pickup, a grey Isuzu, at the scene, but the driver was not present. The pavilion was also damaged, with its roof crashing down.

Police had to coordinate with several rescue foundations due to the number of injuries. Fifteen students and teachers were injured, including seven boys, seven girls, and a 42 year old female teacher named Phatcharee Intalay.

Rescuers took each victim to Sadao Hospital, Padang Besar Hospital, and Hat Yai Hospital. Unfortunately, two children, a girl named Autsananee Lungputeh and a boy named Suriya Chandra, died on the way.

The pickup driver, 35 year old Witsanu Thongsai, surrendered himself at Sadao Police Station later in the day. Officers discovered drugs in his system and took him to the hospital for a further drug test. Police denied his bail request and issued three charges against him including:

• Section 291 of the Criminal Law: driving recklessly causing death. The penalty is imprisonment for up to 10 years, a fine of up to 200,000 baht, or both.
• Section 162 of the Narcotics Control Act: using Category 1 drug. The penalty is imprisonment of up to one year, a fine of up to 20,000 baht, or both.
• Section 43 of the Land Traffic Act: using drugs while driving, which causes the death of another person. The penalty will be imprisonment from three to 10 years, a fine from 60,000 to 200,000 baht, and driving licence withdrawal.

Hat Yai Hospital announced last night that it urgently needs blood from all groups of accident victims. The blood donation centre is open daily from 8am to 6pm on the fourth floor of the hospital.

Baan Phuteaw School announced that the families of the two dead students will receive a compensation of 10,000 baht each, while the families of the injured victims will be provided with 5,000 baht each from the school. Additionally, the school offers life insurance coverage for every student, with a payout of 50,000 baht for fatalities and 5,000 baht for each injury.