Crane Accident Leaves Rama I I I Area Without Power

[Lite Beer]

Crane accident leaves Rama III area without power

Monthien Inthaket,

Supachai Phetchthewee

The Nation on Sunday

This crane in Bangkok

BANGKOK: -- Residents in Bangkok's Rama III area suffered a blackout from yesterday morning until the evening after a crane became entangled in power lines and pulled down 32 electricity poles, causing damage to four cars and a townhouse and injuring six people.

Many poles were uprooted and toppled onto the road. A taxi and a container truck were among four vehicles damaged, while the six injured were taken to Charoen Krung Pracharak Hospital.

After the blackout, power was cut off for safety reasons. The accident, at 6.30am, paralysed traffic on Rama III Road from the Nang Linchee Intersection to the Ratchadapisek Intersection.

The road section was blocked so Metropolitan Electricity Authority officials could fix the power poles and lines so electricity could be put back on by 5pm. The damaged poles were later cleared away, and traffic fully resumed after 6pm.

Crane driver Sa-nguan Kittisakon, 55, told police he was trying to position the crane, with an attached boom in an upright position, on a hill in front of Dhipaya Insurance building, which is under construction, in order to lift a generator to the 10th floor. However, the crane slipped down the hill.

Taken by surprise, and with the upright boom making it difficult for him to regain control of the vehicle, he said he was unable to prevent the crane from damaging the poles and other structures and vehicles. Sa-nguan was charged with reckless driving, and causing property damage and injury to others. He was also ordered to submit to a drug test.

Wiwat Sutthipongchai, 50, whose townhouse was damaged by a fallen power pole, said he was sleeping with his family when he heard a loud thud on the roof and saw an electricity pole had fallen onto his home. He alerted officials to evacuate his family out of fear they would be electrocuted.

Thanasit Wirojsailee, whose car was damaged, said he was driving along Rama III when he saw the crane rolling down the hill dragging power poles along with it before one pole fell onto his car. Fortunately he wasn’t injured.

-- The Nation 2012-12-16

[tominbkk]

Oops!

[noitom]

A few more of these "runaway cranes" may be the best solution to get rid of all that spaghetti electrical wiring hanging all over main thoroughfares. Let's see how they fix it. Let's also see the follow up due diligence to enforce lack of compliance and safety, endangerments, lack of permits and no insurance. Let's see the under the table payoffs now.

[steveyinasia]

Stupid is as stupid does

[Fozfromoz]

I wonder if the drug test and results go a bit quicker than the red bull Ferrari case?

[theajarn]

Why am I not surprised to see one crane take down so many electrical poles?

Could only imagine what would happen if Thailand suffered ONE average-strength typhoon like the ones the Philippines has seasonally.

Edited December 16, 2012 by theajarn

[dcutman]

Why am I not surprised to see one crane take down so many electrical poles?

Could only imagine what would happen if Thailand suffered ONE average-strength typhoon like the ones the Philippines has seasonally.

Quite the domino effect.

I am not familiar with concrete power poles. In America they are wooden or steel. I can only assume one of two things, they are overloaded or under engineered, or the re-steel has deteriorated over time, witch either scenario is a scary thought.

[rishi]

Not too bad getting all power restored and the road cleaned up for traffic within 10 hours after such a major mess.

[Bluespunk]

He was surprised!! I bet he was.

[Bagwan]

Never a dull day in Thailand.

[Thunder26]

32 poles down!!! That is an achievement. Good job done by people who fixed the problem pretty quickly.

[BrianCR]

Stupid is as stupid does

Can you do better?

[BrianCR]

Why am I not surprised to see one crane take down so many electrical poles?

Could only imagine what would happen if Thailand suffered ONE average-strength typhoon like the ones the Philippines has seasonally.

Grow up and get a life!!!

[BrianCR]

Why am I not surprised to see one crane take down so many electrical poles?

Could only imagine what would happen if Thailand suffered ONE average-strength typhoon like the ones the Philippines has seasonally.

Quite the domino effect.

I am not familiar with concrete power poles. In America they are wooden or steel. I can only assume one of two things, they are overloaded or under engineered, or the re-steel has deteriorated over time, witch either scenario is a scary thought.

America... America... the greatest S**T of all. for Christ sake can we get back to, and accept that this is Asia?

[BrianCR]

32 poles down!!! That is an achievement. Good job done by people who fixed the problem pretty quickly.

Agreed!

[barefoot1988]

shit, for once i didnt see the driver doing a runner after a accident