Manager denies responsibility for drowning of woman in underpass

By KORNKAMON AKSORNDECH 
THE NATION

 

 

A MANAGER at Bangkok’s Golden Nakara housing estate on Monday denied charges of recklessness leading to the death of a businesswoman who drowned last month after her pickup truck became stuck in a flooded underpass leading to the estate.

 

The manager, who so far remains unnamed, is among five persons summoned to face the charges.

 

The manager’s lawyer, Khomkhai Sanguannapaporn, who accompanied him to the Prawet precinct to hear the charges, said the underpass belonged to a private company, the contractor who built the estate. 

 

She said she had documents clearly indicating that the contractor had rented the land from the State Railway of Thailand and so was accountable for any damages linked to the underpass it had built for entry to the estate. 

 

 

She said the estate had also warned people via the Line application not to use the tunnel at the time, and the manager also had earlier helped arrange for the vehicles belonging to other motorists to be towed out of the flooded tunnel. 

 

“My client also joined the diving operation in an attempt to help the victim, but the water was two metres deep and the tunnel was dark, resulting in the death. My client is regarded as a Good Samaritan, so if he faces such an accusation who will dare to do good?” 

 

In addition to the manager, a second estate executive and three security guards were summoned to face the charges. In the early morning hours of September 6, businesswoman Panumat Sae-tae, 41, was unable to escape from her pickup truck after it was inundated in 2.5 metres of water during a storm. Panumat drowned after frantic rescue efforts failed.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30355583

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-10-02

Sounds like scapegoats to me. How is the manager and/or the security guards responsible for this. Or is there more to this story?

what about the responsibility of the driver???  Don't drive into flooded tunnels.

Be interested to know under what law they are going to charge the three security guards.

So if you live in and estate, are you supposed to check Line, can you drive into the tunnel? If the tunnel is flooded, I would think that the responsible people should have it blocked off. If you see some water on a road or tunnel, how do you know if its safe to use it? Or can the water even be seen, before its too late?

33 minutes ago, nahkit said:

Be interested to know under what law they are going to charge the three security guards.

 

Article 44.....

Driver should be mindful of the flooded tunnel syndrome from flash floods in Bangkok. It happens all the time. The roof of the tunnel would give the telltale sign of the water depth. Driver should have her wits about her and not just drive thru even if no signs put up. Reminds me of the UK lady driver who drove into a flooded road and got her car stuck because google map tell her to go thru. common sense need to prevail . 

Verdict misadventure.....

1 hour ago, rwill said:

what about the responsibility of the driver???  Don't drive into flooded tunnels.

Kind of like don't drive into unmarked holes on the road. Good luck with that. There should have been a barrier in place. DUH

Unfortunately, sending out a warning message to "everybody" on line app. does not cut it.

Did they remember to leave the pumps on that should be on auto by using 2 simple rods 

to control their start & stop ?     What pumps???

Was there a tree branch warning. All Thais know what that means.