Relatives of Lampang victims to sue bus company

[webfact]

Relatives of Lampang victims to sue bus company
The Nation



BANGKOK: -- RELATIVES OF the people killed in an accident in Lampang province on Wednesday are planning to sue the transport company whose bus plunged off a mountainside killing 22 passengers and wounding 17 others.

Ruenthong Tansathitikorn, who lost her mother, said Weeraphan Tour & Travel had not even bothered to have staff attend the funerals or even sent wreaths. She said she was leading a group of relatives to consider filing a class-act lawsuit against the firm.

A local administrative body in Chiang Mai, where most of the victims and their relatives are based, set up a bank account to receive donations. Donors can deposit money in Bank for Agriculture and Agricultural Cooperatives, Chiang Mai, Saraphi branch savings account number 020026936075.

Mayor Thawatchai Chaikaew, who heads the body, said a religious ceremony would be held to bless the families and ward off bad luck once the funerals have been completed.

Most of the funerals are being held in Chiang Mai after the bodies of the victims were retrieved from the morgue of the Lampang General Hospital. Ruenthong said she drove from Chon Buri to Lampang after learning of the accident.


-- The Nation 2013-10-26

[crumpled]

A class action might wield more strength and have greater chance of success. Good luck to them.

[yooper2001]

I hope they bankrupt the owner of the bus company, but I suspect the owner will pay a stipend to each victim and contribute a huge amount to government officials and maybe declare bankruptcy of this tour company today and start a new tour company with a new name tomorrow. The minister of transportation in Thailand is doing the worst job in the world. 29,000 deaths per year on the highways and is # 6 in highway deaths in the world. I think the minister of transportation is proud of this number. Do not forget the minister is in charge of railroad derailments and Airline ( running off the runway ) I wonder how this person keeps his job

[klubex99]

It's about time.... This sort of thing should also be used to encourage ALL relatives of victims of road deaths to sue EVERY company that owns buses and trucks that are responsible for the deaths of other road users.

It has been long overdue that these maverick entities have got away with not only keeping poorly maintained lethal weapons on the roads, but also the wan****s that they employ to drive them.

This should serve to encourage others to follow suit. Because unless these tossers are hit HARD in the pocket, it will continue.

There should be an organization set up for relatives to turn to for assistance in suing the arse off these people. In the USA there are hundreds of law firms making a shit load of money from helping people get compensation on a 'no win, no fee' basis. I would love to see one set up for victims of Thai road accidents.

I drove for 25 years in the west, and I have never even come close to an accident, and in 3 years here, I have almost been wiped out 3 times, twice to a truck and once to a bus. They are a menace to the roads and need sorting out NOW!

[jaltsc]

"Do not forget the minister is in charge of railroad derailments and Airline ( running off the runway ) I wonder how this person keeps his job."

Does the term "Cronyism" ring a bell?

I don't think much will be accomplished going after the big cats directly. Perhaps, a group of citizens could form inspection teams, go to bus terminals, inspect buses, and if the buses do not meet certain safety standards (too high for its width, no seat belts, no proper safety inspection certificate displayed, etc.), Then they stand in front of the bus with signs stating: "This bus is unsafe. Travel at peril to your life". Of course many of the passengers will ignore this as they clutch their fingers around their amulets.

[harrry]

Not so much the accidents that are a problem...compared to the state of the busses with the tops construsted of thin wooden beams and a thin metal shell. Wonder how TAT would react to a few photos like this one with the top torn off in foreign press.

People do expect roadworthy vehicles and these are not even when they come out of Somchai bus body builders.

Edited October 26, 2013 by harrry

[coma]

I wish them well.

[californiabeachboy]

It's about time.... This sort of thing should also be used to encourage ALL relatives of victims of road deaths to sue EVERY company that owns buses and trucks that are responsible for the deaths of other road users.

It has been long overdue that these maverick entities have got away with not only keeping poorly maintained lethal weapons on the roads, but also the wan****s that they employ to drive them.

This should serve to encourage others to follow suit. Because unless these tossers are hit HARD in the pocket, it will continue.

There should be an organization set up for relatives to turn to for assistance in suing the arse off these people. In the USA there are hundreds of law firms making a shit load of money from helping people get compensation on a 'no win, no fee' basis. I would love to see one set up for victims of Thai road accidents.

I drove for 25 years in the west, and I have never even come close to an accident, and in 3 years here, I have almost been wiped out 3 times, twice to a truck and once to a bus. They are a menace to the roads and need sorting out NOW!

I agree. Those of us in West love to complain about the legal system here in the West, sometimes justified, sometimes not.

But two things need to happen to reduce these tragedies - you need judges who can resist the tremendous pressure on them to gloss over it (money, job, etc.)

But I believe equally important, you need the relatives to realize that simply taking some quick money from the bus company and going away only makes the problem worse. Next time it could be them, their children or grandchildren.

Edited October 26, 2013 by californiabeachboy

[bangon04]

It is a difficult balance - hitting them in the pocket is the only way to make them pay attention, because normal people cannot rely on the police or criminal justice system to do their job. On the other hand do we really want Thailand to become the same compensation culture that the US and now Europe has become? Many expats in Thailand are running away from the Nanny State.

[Loles]

I hope they will win and the Bus Co. will be closed with empty cassa. Sometimes I have ti think does drive a monkey who stole bus or a human who just yesterday has seen bus first time in his life.