Boy Electrocuted After Stepping On Chord At Mall

[george]

Boy electrocuted after stepping on chord at mall

BANGKOK: -- Electricity Authority officials will help police investigate the circumstances of a three-year-old boy’s death by electrocution at the Fashion Island shopping centre Saturday evening.

Patipan Sirimas was standing barefoot behind a counter holding an iron bar on the mall’s second floor when he stepped on a plug and was electrocuted. The boy passed out and was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital on Sunday.

While his grief-stricken parents attended their son’s funeral at Wat Khiankhet in Pathum Thani’s Thanyaburi district, police asked the Electricity Authority to send officials to investigate, Bang Chan Superintendent Colonel Thongdam Lapikanont said.

Electricity officials will inspect wires and ports and determine if they were up to safety standards. If the building’s electrical system caused the boy’s death, police will charge the operators of the mall with manslaughter through reckless endangerment, Thongdam said.

He added, however, that an initial investigation of the scene seemed to indicate that the electrical port had been safely installed.

Police suspect that while scampering around, the boy might have caused a plug to dislodge in the port, thereby accidentally electrocuting himself.

On Monday, the store’s director of operations, Prasert Sriulapong, and director for personnel and legal affairs, Chalongchai Tangtrakanpong, told reporters the incident was “an unfortunate accident.” Both insisted that the store’s safety measures were up to standard.

The executives said they believed the incident happened because a plug was shaken loose, which resulted in enough low-voltage power escaping from the port to electrocute a small child. They said store staff deeply regretted Patipan’s death and would help pay the expenses incurred by the parents in their son’s death and burial.

Prasert and Chalongchai added that they would also beef up the already tough monitoring of the store’s electrical systems.

--The Nation 2005-08-17

[spog]

Boy electrocuted after stepping on chord at mall

The executives said they believed the incident happened because a plug was shaken loose, which resulted in enough low-voltage power escaping from the port to electrocute a small child. They said store staff deeply regretted Patipan’s death and would help pay the expenses incurred by the parents in their son’s death and burial.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What?

I mean: what?

[ovenman]

It's surprising that stuff like this doesn't happen more often in Thailand, given the careless manner by which most electrical wiring is done.

[Thetyim]

I know a thai man who was re-wiring a house and a baby was electrocuted. The police said he was responsible.

The fine was 30k baht

[sriracha john]

Fashion Island seems to have a sad habit of having children killed on it's premises with safety-related issues. Hopefully they won't be repeating it any time soon:

The Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) plans to carry out safety inspections at amusement parks inside shopping malls in the wake of the tragic accident in which two girls were trapped and killed in a fire during a train ride at Fashion Island shopping centre. Initial police investigations into the amusement-ride fire at Fashion Island shopping centre on Sunday in which two children died, found no circuit breaker was installed

An 18-month old toddler, who slipped between two railings and fell six metres to a cement floor at Fashion Island shopping mall early on Sunday, died in hospital yesterday.

As in this case, they seem to think as long as they pay out some money, everything's ok.

The parents of two girls who died in an amusement-park fire at Fashion Island shopping centre have yet to settle for the Bt500,000 compensation offered for the death of each daughter.

Fashion Island shopping mall yesterday paid Bt30,000 in funeral costs to the family of a toddler who died after falling off an elevated ramp to the mall’s car park.

I suppose "SOMETHING" should be done as this current incident is the third time.

[ovenman]

As in this case, they seem to think as long as they pay out some money, everything's ok.

Isn't that what you were basically told in another recent thread?

[chownah]

I know that westerners are used to large settlement amounts for wrongful deaths in their counties of origin, but is that good? How much should be paid if a child dies from some preventable cause? Should the company be bankrukpted and put out of business...even if the same danger is present in virtually all shopping centers, stores, homes, and gov't offices throughout the country? How much money can actually make up for the death of a child? 1 million baht? 10 million baht? all the tea in china? Maybe there should be more lawyers in Thailand getting bigger settlements and bigger fees for themselves?

I guess the main question here is, "How much is the death of a child worth to you?"

[PETERTHEEATER]

I live close to Fashion Island and visit there frequently. The permanent electical installation has shielded electrical sockets and is of good standard. I suspect that what happened in this incident is that the child stepped on (or touched!) some extension wiring set up amateurishly to feed many of the sub-vendor stalls set up in the walkspaces. You've seen examples all over LOS. Cheap 2 pin plugs and bits of tatty flex taped to the floor then run to a multi outlet strip with other external feeds.

As has been stated, shoddy wiring is so common we should be reading about electrocutions everyday.

It's surprising that stuff like this doesn't happen more often in Thailand, given the careless manner by which most electrical wiring is done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Heng]

If it was indeed just a standard electrical outlet and not live wires that anyone (who happened to be barefoot in the mall) could have stepped on, the parents should have been doing a better job of parenting. It's like blaming Honda or the state for your child running out into the street and getting killed.

[Butterfly]

It's surprising that stuff like this doesn't happen more often in Thailand, given the careless manner by which most electrical wiring is done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Yep. That and so many things like babies riding motorcycles

[mijan246]

I know that westerners are used to large settlement amounts for wrongful deaths in their counties of origin, but is that good?  How much should be paid if a child dies from some preventable cause?  Should the company be bankrukpted and put out of business...even if the same danger is present in virtually all shopping centers, stores, homes, and gov't offices throughout the country?  How much money can actually make up for the death of a child?  1 million baht? 10 million baht? all the tea in china?  Maybe there should be more lawyers in Thailand getting bigger settlements and bigger fees for themselves?

I guess the main question here is, "How much is the death of a child worth to you?"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No the question is what or how much will it take to ensure the store, company or individual takes it as a serious preventable incident. Lets be deadly serious here a young life has been lost - let a true and accountable investigation be conducted (TiT it wont happen) next time it may well be you or me too late then to reflect.

Heng in my opinion out of order thats why in Australia a speed limit of 40kph applies at schools during the main arrival & leaving times as responsible adults we are required to look out for the young " even animals do it out of instinct".

Satire has no place in a post of this nature. I am not a Mod nor Admin just hopefully a compassionate as the next type bloke!

Edited August 17, 2005 by mijan246

[mijan246]

MyNameIsFarang a newbie you may well be but take some advice "Wake-UP"

[chownah]

I know that westerners are used to large settlement amounts for wrongful deaths in their counties of origin, but is that good?  How much should be paid if a child dies from some preventable cause?  Should the company be bankrukpted and put out of business...even if the same danger is present in virtually all shopping centers, stores, homes, and gov't offices throughout the country?  How much money can actually make up for the death of a child?  1 million baht? 10 million baht? all the tea in china?  Maybe there should be more lawyers in Thailand getting bigger settlements and bigger fees for themselves?

I guess the main question here is, "How much is the death of a child worth to you?"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

No the question is what or how much will it take to ensure the store, company or individual takes it as a serious preventable incident. Lets be deadly serious here a young life has been lost - let a true and accountable investigation be conducted (TiT it wont happen) next time it may well be you or me too late then to reflect.

Heng in my opinion out of order thats why in Australia a speed limit of 40kph applies at schools during the main arrival & leaving times as responsible adults we are required to look out for the young " even animals do it out of instinct".

Satire has no place in a post of this nature. I am not a Mod nor Admin just hopefully a compassionate as the next type bloke!

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

If you want any store to take this sort of thing more seriously then you need the gov't to write and enforce laws to prevent this. I don't know exactly what happened in this case and neither do you. If the store was doing what everyone else does then it is not just to single them out for unusual punishment in my opinion. If what everyone is doing is wrong then the pressure to change should be placed on everyone.

[Scott]

With regard to the issue of western large settlements, I think some people may not understand the reasoning of courts and juries. First the actual fine levied against a company is generally in accordance with what the "value" of the persons life was (and there are some guidelines for this). There is also the issue of negligence involved--but that usually has to do with criminal rather than civil adjudications.

The one that most companies get hit with that causes the huge settlements is in punative damages. These are set up to punish the company. Many companies have actuaries and statisticians that tell them how much damages they can pay out rather than fix a problem. When the court wants the problem fixed they hit them with a punative damage in excess of the cost of fixing the problem, thereby usually forcing the company to fix the problem.

The lady who got scalded by hot coffee at a McDonalds is a case in point. She spilled coffee on herself, got burns and sued. Her settlement wasn't that great, but McDonald's got something like $10 million in punative damages--there folks had decided they could pay out about $10 million in medical costs to the occasional victim of a burn before it was worth resetting all the thermostats on all the coffee pots in all the McDonald's restaurants. That settlement took care of that. They then turned down the temperature.

Ford got the same thing on one of its cars -- I think the Pinto -- some years back. The gas tank was dangerously positioned and could explode in a collision. It would cost many millions to recall and fix the problem, so they didn't. Someone was killed, the family sued and the court gave them a fair settlement and many millions in punative damages. Ford then decided to fix the problem.

This boys premature death is a tragedy. Many places that operate with shoddy safety standards won't change because they can pay the few thousand baht for the occasional death or injury. When they get hit with a big, punative settlement then they will change things.

I don't know anything about Fashion Island, but I've seen a lot of very unsafe things, even in the nicest of malls. There is no warning of the danger.

[sriracha john]

As in this case, they seem to think as long as they pay out some money, everything's ok.

Isn't that what you were basically told in another recent thread?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It certainly does seem to be a disturbing trend...

[thaibebop]

After reading all these posts I see no one thought to ask where the parents were when this happened? Also, why didn't he have shoes on? This child should never have been where he was, it's the parents who should looked at by the law.

[sriracha john]

I know that westerners are used to large settlement amounts for wrongful deaths in their counties of origin, but is that good?  How much should be paid if a child dies from some preventable cause?  Should the company be bankrukpted and put out of business...even if the same danger is present in virtually all shopping centers, stores, homes, and gov't offices throughout the country?  How much money can actually make up for the death of a child?  1 million baht? 10 million baht? all the tea in china?  Maybe there should be more lawyers in Thailand getting bigger settlements and bigger fees for themselves?

I guess the main question here is, "How much is the death of a child worth to you?"

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

reminded of the phrase, "An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure"....

(I apologize for the non-metric measurements)

The solution is adherence to basic preventative safety measures. IMO it was the realization to companies elsewhere that it is cost effective to their precious bottom line to take these measures rather than face the large settlements typically given in rather easily preventable accidents.

I fear that if companies here continue to pay out relatively small amounts, there's no incentive to ahere to safety and preventable accidents will continue to occur.

[meelousee]

As in this case, they seem to think as long as they pay out some money, everything's ok.

Isn't that what you were basically told in another recent thread?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It certainly does seem to be a disturbing trend...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well I have read all the post on this subject, some are right; some are spot on yet most are dead wrong like the kid.

There is no control no over sight on any of this I cringe just walking from Soi to Soi as un kept, who knows what kind or where it was bought electrical appliances line the road.

What it will take is for this kind of crap to burn down a major shopping center and destroy all content.

Oops I mean an INSURED shopping complex

Is there an UL in Thailand?

No; the insurance companies block them from ever entering the private sector.

[ovenman]

The solution is adherence to basic preventative safety measures. IMO it was the realization to companies elsewhere that it is cost effective to their precious bottom line to take these measures rather than face the large settlements typically given in rather easily preventable accidents.

What was the name of that department store in Bangkok that had been condemned for years due to unauthorized and unsafe upper floors being added onto it? Recall that the powers-that-be couldn't be bothered to do anything about enforcing the order and ultimately didn't have to when the upper floors finally collapsed. Wouldn't want to step on some pooyai's toes now would we?

[phormio]

...

  Recall that the powers-that-be couldn't be bothered to do anything about enforcing the order and ultimately didn't have to when the upper floors finally collapsed.  Wouldn't want to step on some pooyai's toes now would we?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Well said - unfortunate but true -

this kind of thing probably won't change until a large group of politically astute Thais get really pissed off about it.

[The Gentleman Scamp]

It's surprising that stuff like this doesn't happen more often in Thailand, given the careless manner by which most electrical wiring is done.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Perhaps it does, just not with infants.

Adult electrocutions are common but don't make hard hitting controversial news.

[joe beets]

The solution is adherence to basic preventative safety measures. IMO it was the realization to companies elsewhere that it is cost effective to their precious bottom line to take these measures rather than face the large settlements typically given in rather easily preventable accidents.

What was the name of that department store in Bangkok that had been condemned for years due to unauthorized and unsafe upper floors being added onto it? Recall that the powers-that-be couldn't be bothered to do anything about enforcing the order and ultimately didn't have to when the upper floors finally collapsed. Wouldn't want to step on some pooyai's toes now would we?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Off the top of my head - was it New World?

In Banglamphu, right?

jb

[thaibebop]

I still don't hear anyone blaming the parents. Disturbing.

[MyNameIsFarang]

MyNameIsFarang a newbie you may well be but take some advice "Wake-UP" 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is funny on so many levels.

[TokyoT]

I do not think there is enough information in the article to place much blame on the parents – or the shopping center for that matter. What happened is certainly a terrible thing.

Parents – the mother and/or the father may have been standing right next to the child when this happened. I do not think there is enough information her to say they were being lax in the supervision of the child. As for the no shoes thing, just look around and you will see many children in Thailand without shoes. My wife pretty much grew up without shoes – no money to buy new shoes for her ever-growing feet. Plus young kids some times kick-off or remove their own shoes – and after putting them back on their feet a dozen or so times, many parents will just leave them off (particularly if they feel they are in a safe environment). This is not to say the parents do not shoulder any of the blame, just that I do not think there is enough information in the article to blame them.

As most parents out there can vouch it is a difficult task to keep your children out of harms way 24/7. Certainly a parents responsibility to protect their children, but a daunting task no the less – especially in a place where general safety standards seem to be sub-par. I can say as a parent myself that I am more concerned/worried about danger of this sort befalling my child here in Bangkok, and at the in-laws up-country, than I am when in the US.

Store – Not enough details to blame the shopping center for faulty wiring or something like that. I think a lot of what has been posted on this thread has more to due with poor wiring we have all seen many times in Thailand, and not so much what may or may not have been bad wiring in this case.

In general though I do think Thailand does a sub-standard job of providing sufficient safety standards, and laws (or enforcement of existing laws) to protect its’ population.

[andyfletch]

MyNameIsFarang a newbie you may well be but take some advice "Wake-UP" 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is funny on so many levels.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

What is funny about a child's death - especially in cirumstances like these???

[bdenner]

On Monday, the store’s director of operations, Prasert Sriulapong, and director for personnel and legal affairs, Chalongchai Tangtrakanpong, told reporters the incident was “an unfortunate accident.” Both insisted that the store’s safety measures were up to standard.

Bullsh1t - Where is or what happened to the RCD. AND. Did any of the onlookers attempt CPR? I'll bet not, unfortunately here is a life saving method not widely used in Thailand.

Condolences to the parents and relatives.

[Greer]

I can't believe anyone could, for even a second, find anything funny in the death of a child. Think of the promise of the future, all that child could have been, all the experiences and love that child will never know. The complete and utter destruction of a life, and the effect it has on all those who know and love that child.

The promise held in a young life cannot be overstated - and the loss of any human life is truly a tragedy beyond any comprehension.

Safety issues in Thailand are a matter of deep concern to me, I have young children of my own, and the thought that it could have been them wandering through a shopping centre and being hurt or worse absolutely terrifies me, as it would any parent.

It is way past time that the government took the responsibility that they should have taken long ago and provide for serious penalties for breaches of public safety. Operators of facilities that continually breach these regulations must be held personally responsible - this should be a criminal offence - fines are obviously not doing the job.

If heavy penalties are put in place (of course they would have to be enforced - another big problem in Thailand) perhaps we might see people taking better care to ensure public safety. I think it has got somewhat better in the years I have lived in Bangkok, but not anywhere near enough.

[Sphere]

A couple of months ago, the three y.o. daughter of a friend bumped into a table at a big bank's branch in a shopping mall in Bangkok. The glass top of the table crashed down and nearly severed the child's foot - but guess what? The bank staff insisted (and succeeded) on having the 7,500 Baht table top paid for and replaced by the lady!!!

TIT.....

[helitool]

On a slight tangent. I wonder if anyone attempted to give the child CPR? I believe the success rate for eletrocution is fairly good. I wonder if anyone in Thailand other than medical personel at hospitals have ever been given instruction in CPR or the Heimlich manuver?