Tyre-rifying mishap: Pickup truck reverses over 5 year old, leaves tyre marks on his back

In a distressing incident in the northern province of Chaing Rai, a pickup truck reversed over a five year old boy, leaving tyre marks on the young victim’s back. The incident took place on Monday, July 17, at approximately 4.30pm when 54 year old Aryo Wuimae drove his pickup into Mae Yao Wittaya School premises to pick up his child.

Regrettably, little Somchai Muelae, who was waiting for his parents at the school, was innocently playing behind the parked pickup. Unaware of the child’s presence, Aryo accidentally reversed his vehicle, running over Somchai, but fortunately, the young boy miraculously survived the harrowing ordeal. A shocking photo shared on ThaiRath revealed the impact of the accident, showing the massive tyre mark on the victim’s back.

Swift action was taken as the rescue team promptly arrived at the scene and rushed Somchai to the hospital for immediate medical attention. The incident deeply concerns the school’s director, Surin Kahmmano, who reported that there is a strict rule prohibiting vehicles from entering the school premises to prevent such accidents. However, Aryo claimed he was unaware of this rule as it was his first visit to the school.

In light of the tragic event, the school authorities and the relevant education department convened a meeting to discuss additional safety measures to prevent such accidents in the future. Surin acknowledged that the school’s limited staff posed challenges in adequately supervising the students.

The school expressed profound remorse over the unexpected accident, emphasizing that it was an unforeseen and regrettable incident. They are committed to implementing measures to prevent similar occurrences from happening again.

As for Somchai’s condition, the school shared that he is currently receiving treatment at the hospital and is thankfully in a stable state. Details about the compensation agreement between Somchai’s parents and the pickup driver were discussed at the police station, but the school was not privy to the specifics.

Tragically, school accidents have been reported elsewhere in Thailand as well.

In another incident, a teenage boy from a school in the northeastern province of Chaiyaphum lost most of his hand when he accidentally stumbled upon a bomb and tried to remove it to protect others. Additionally, a devastating fire drill at a school in Bangkok resulted in the loss of an 18-year-old male student’s life due to a gas cylinder explosion.

Such incidents serve as crucial reminders for educational institutions across Thailand to enforce stringent safety measures and precautions to ensure the well-being of their students.