Parents of eye doctor killed in hit-and-run to receive 27 million baht

[webfact]

 

A court ruling yesterday determined that a 23 year old police officer must pay 27.3 million baht in compensation to the parents of a doctor he fatally hit while riding a motorcycle in 2022.

 

The incident occurred when the officer, Norawich Buadok, who was travelling between 108 and 128 kilometres per hour on his Ducati Monster big bike, struck 33 year old Dr Waraluck Supawatjariyakul at a pedestrian crossing in Ratchathewi district.

At the time of the incident, Norawich was part of the Protection and Crowd Control Division of the Metropolitan Police Bureau. He had just collected a police document and was overtaking other vehicles approximately 30 metres before the crossing.

The victim, an ophthalmologist, was hit in front of Bhumirajanagarindra Kidney Institute Hospital. Despite causing severe injuries, the officer failed to stop and assist Dr Waraluck, who tragically passed away within an hour of the collision.

The lawsuit was initiated by the deceased doctor’s parents, Anirut and Ratchanee Supawatjariyakul, both 64 years old. They sought 72.26 million baht for lost financial support from their daughter and an additional 539,493 baht to cover funeral expenses.

 

In the ruling today, the Civil Court ordered Norawich to pay 27 million baht for the lost financial support and an additional 331,230 baht for the funeral costs. The calculation was based on Dr Waraluck’s monthly salary of 31,000 baht at the Police General Hospital and her estimated annual income of between 1.8 and 2.4 million baht from part-time work at three private hospitals, reported Bangkok Post.

 

The Royal Thai Police Office was also named in the lawsuit. However, the court dismissed this part of the case, ruling that Norawich was solely liable for the tragic event. Norawich has also faced criminal charges related to the incident and was previously sentenced to prison. In January, his prison term was increased to five years and one month by the Court of Appeal.

 

ORIGINAL STORY: Police officer faces a total of 9 charges for speeding and hitting an eye doctor at a crosswalk

 

The police officer who sped his Ducati motorcycle through Bangkok and stuck an eye doctor walking on a zebra crossing, killing her, is now facing a total of nine charges. He was initially charged with seven, but authorities slapped on two more charges. But the parents of ophthalmologist Dr. Waraluck Supwatjariyakul say the charges are still too light and they are concerned there won’t be justice for their daughter.

 

Officer Norrawit Buadok was driving his Ducati motorcycle between 108 and 128 kilometres per hour when he hit Waraluck who was walking on the zebra crossing on Phaya Thai Road on January 21, according to the Bangkok Post. Waraluck worked as an ophthalmologist at the faculty of medicine at Chulalongkorn University on Phaya Thai Road. She was just days away from her 34th birthday.

 

The charges Norrawit faces include…

Reckless driving causing death
Speeding
Violating the Road Traffic Act by driving a vehicle without a registration plate
Failure to keep the motorcycle in the left lane
Failure to give pedestrians the right-of-way at a crosswalk
Violating the Car Act by using a vehicle with unpaid yearly tax
Using an incomplete vehicle (His motorbike didn’t have a rearview mirror)
Using a vehicle without third-party insurance as is indicated in the Car Accident Act of 1992
Driving without regard for others’ safety

After talking to the police at the Phraya Thai station, the doctor’s parents interviewed Thai media about the updates on the case. According to reports, the father shared that the suspect didn’t contact him to offer compensation. He says the charges are still too light and the mother is worried that they won’t get justice. The father added that he wants his daughter’s case to lead to stricter enforcement of traffic laws to prevent similar accidents in the future.

 

Phraya Thai Police Colonel Borwonpop Sunthornrekha also gave an interview with Thai media. He shared that information, witnesses, and evidence will be collected and submitted to prosecutors by February 11.

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal 

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Source: The Thaiger 2024-03-27

 

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[JoePai]

27 million ?  Never in a month of Sundays !

[flyingtlger]

5 minutes ago, webfact said:

A court ruling yesterday determined that a 23 year old police officer must pay 27.3 million baht in compensation

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

[SAFETY FIRST]

8 minutes ago, webfact said:

the deceased doctor’s parents, Anirut and Ratchanee Supawatjariyakul, both 64 years old.

So sad, the parents have lost their little girl. 

 

It's a cruel world at times. 

 

[proton]

Five years was a laughable sentence for that list of offenses, likely he will never pay anything

[NorthernRyland]

Meanwhile in Phuket they have their panties in a twist over foreigners spray painting while crazy kids speed with immunity on deadly bikes everyday and no one even notices. If they didn't have wrong priorities they'd have no priorities at all.

[stoner]

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

They sought 72.26 million baht for lost financial support from their daughter

 

what the ? 

 

44 minutes ago, webfact said:

The calculation was based on Dr Waraluck’s monthly salary of 31,000 baht at the Police General Hospital and her estimated annual income of between 1.8 and 2.4 million baht from part-time work at three private hospitals, reported Bangkok Post.

 

so her hospital salary was about 360k per year. added to the max of 2.4 part time. thats 2.76 mil per year salary.

 

now the parents originally asked for 72 million. they are 64. so lets say they live for another 20 years. that works out to be approx 300k a month that they are claiming they have lost. 

 

even at the max of 31k a month plus the 2.4 mil the doctor only  pulls in 230k per month total income. 

 

yes i know it wasn't what they were awarded but it is what they originally asked for. 

 

 

Edited March 27 by stoner

[NorthernRyland]

2 minutes ago, stoner said:

so her hospital salary was about 360k per year. added to the max of 2.4 part time. thats 2.76 mil per year salary.

 

now the parents originally asked for 72 million. they are 64. so lets say they live for another 20 years. that works out to be approx 300k a month that they are claiming they have lost. 

 

The love of money has corrupted Thai morality if you ask me. Is buying new cars and taking fancy vacations going to help them feel better about their daughter's death? that makes me cringe to think about.

 

Worst of all nothing will be done to prevent this from happening again and the person responsible won't face serious justice as he could never repay this debt.

[nausea]

No way this guy can pay 27m, which begs the question why award it in the first place. Symbolic, I suppose, and failure to pay may influence sentencing.

[connda]

What did the family of the cop that Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya killed?  100K THB I believe.

Here in Thailand the state is happy to separate the haves from the have nots again (as the Thaksin fiasco exemplifies).

Nobodies get next to nothing in compensation; somebodies get lavish compensation.
And if the prep is a somebody?  They skate.  If the prep is a nobody? Throw the book at them.
Here in Thailand that is called equity and justice.

Edited March 27 by connda

[bamnutsak]

54 minutes ago, webfact said:

The incident occurred when the officer, Norawich Buadok, who was travelling between 108 and 128 kilometres per hour on his Ducati Monster big bike

 

"his"?

 

The original story was that he illegally took this bike from the police impound lot, where it was being stored as evidence in another case.

 

8 minutes ago, nausea said:

No way this guy can pay 27m,

 

Police family, his father was his direct supervisor, so they could "raise" the funds.

 

 

 

[ikke1959]

Ridiculous amount of money... Where is it based on?? Suppose it was a "normal"person He would have been fined with 30-50k... of course he needed to be fined, but let's be fair nobody likes to kill someone and maybe the doctor did not watch too for the traffic as everybody knows it is very dangerous  in Thailand with all non educated drivers. The government should be responsible for it as they don't educate properly and don't maintain the roads  and signs.. 

[NanLaew]

1 hour ago, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

 

Make him national police chief? I understand that there's a double vacancy at the moment.

[edwinchester]

32 minutes ago, connda said:

What did the family of the cop that Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya killed?  100K THB I believe.

Here in Thailand the state is happy to separate the haves from the have nots again (as the Thaksin fiasco exemplifies).

Nobodies get next to nothing in compensation; somebodies get lavish compensation.
And if the prep is a somebody?  They skate.  If the prep is a nobody? Throw the book at them.
Here in Thailand that is called equity and justice.

100k USD not Baht.

[bamnutsak]

Related/similar cases...

 

https://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2020/10/26/hiso-police-capt-kills-fishball-seller-in-hit-and-run/

 

https://aseannow.com/topic/1253224-billionaire-former-top-cops-son-in-porsche-severely-injures-foreigner-on-motorcycle-in-bangkok-smash/

 

 

 

[hotchilli]

4 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

Him or his insurance?

[twizzian]

฿27m. An impossible amount to payout for an ordinary cop. He must be thinking of an alternative way out of this lifetime debt

[khunPer]

5 hours ago, connda said:

What did the family of the cop that Red Bull heir Vorayuth Yoovidhya killed?  100K THB I believe.

Here in Thailand the state is happy to separate the haves from the have nots again (as the Thaksin fiasco exemplifies).

Nobodies get next to nothing in compensation; somebodies get lavish compensation.
And if the prep is a somebody?  They skate.  If the prep is a nobody? Throw the book at them.
Here in Thailand that is called equity and justice.

1 million baht according to the news stories shortly after the incident. 1 million baht is also the common compensation for death, for example is that amount mentioned in insurance policies.

[soi3eddie]

6 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

 

If he was 53 then quite possibly after many years of receiving "bonuses" for services rendered. At age 23 there's zero chance of 27 million. Sad loss for the parents of the young lady. This happened not far from where I live.

 

[Srikcir]

7 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

And five years in jail.

[Srikcir]

2 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Him or his insurance?

Him.

7 hours ago, webfact said:

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Using a vehicle without third-party insurance as is indicated in the Car Accident Act of 1992

 

[hotchilli]

40 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Him.

 

So I wonder where he will find 27.3 million baht.... 

The police fund won't cover that for sure.

[Anant72]

8 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

He could ask those policemen allegedly getting 100,000,000 baht per month in bribes from illegal businesses. No problem.

[digger70]

8 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

Collecting donations ? Him and his Cronies.

[cowellandrew]

 Ducati Monster big bike 

Titanosaurs

just do a red bull and travel around watching F1,

[cracker1]

On 3/27/2024 at 9:16 AM, flyingtlger said:

Really, how is a 23 year old Thai cop going to come up with that kind of cash?

Perhaps Insurance ?