Teen dies in freak foam accident at Songkran swamp party

[webfact]

Teen dies in freak foam accident at Songkran swamp party
By Coconuts Bangkok



BANGKOK: -- A 14-year-old boy died at a Songkran party when a foam machine electrocuted him and another teen.

Peechakorn Boonpu, 14, was playing in the foam at a party in Pichit province when a water-soaked power cable sent a deadly jolt of electricity into those nearby.

Panic ensued as revelers sought to escape. The party was an official event organized by Pichit authorities for thousands of attendees in a swamp there.

Patiwet Tiangkijsuwan, 16, was also near the machine and is in the hospital with serious injuries. [read more...]

Full story: http://bangkok.coconuts.co/2014/04/14/teen-dies-freak-foam-accident-songkran-swamp-party

-- Coconuts Bangkok 2014-04-14

[Costas2008]

And the bad news keep coming.

Happy Songkran.

RIP little fellow.

[Seastallion]

An official function involving water and electricity. No isolating transformer, seemingly no safety measures. Sad

[art vandelay]

hardly a 'freak' accident if you mix water and electricity without adequate thought to safety. i'm making a wild guess here but i doubt all electrical components and cables were adequately sealed, no safety testing of the equipment has ever been carried out and that the organisers dont have third party liability insurance.

very sad but hardly surprising

[Just1Voice]

RIP to the victim, and condolences to the family, but this is what happens when you mix stupidity and ignorance.

[tezzainoz]

An official function involving water and electricity. No isolating transformer, seemingly no safety measures. Sad

A core Balance auto trip mechanism is compulsury on all commercial jobs in Australia

Thy are now compulsary in ever new home for the last 15 years

when I put one in our home in Thailand the wife thought I was mad

her dad still believes when you stick your finger in the power point the man next door must run across and switch of the power, after I had to show him their was no mouse inside the box

In Thailand Life really has no value except if you can claim compensation

[Pib]

Safety First is a slogan used throughout Thailand...you see the slogan at building and road construction sites all the time...but like I said, it's only a slogan in Thailand. And what's wrong with having a bunch of water-soaked power cables at a swamp party because I'm sure they had several Safety First signs on display.

[Jonmarleesco]

A tragic but unfortunately predictable accident in a nation where authorities and public alike too often fail to recognise hazards-in-waiting.

[Artisi]

Very unlikely a "freak" accident - more like a "the brakes failed" excuse.

[peecee]

hardly a 'freak' accident if you mix water and electricity without adequate thought to safety. i'm making a wild guess here but i doubt all electrical components and cables were adequately sealed, no safety testing of the equipment has ever been carried out and that the organisers dont have third party liability insurance.

very sad but hardly surprising

That's always the way here; no earth wire coupled with an RCD and exposed conductors usually = Death.

Very very sad, but a lack of "Duty of Care" & inept safety legislation flourishes throughout Thailand.

[buck99]

Why is this a news story except for a morbid interest? Will those in authority try to remedy the life threatening dangers in Thailand? The answer is no! If there is no money in it then no one cares. Just throw the body on the heap and move on. Life is cheap and the carnage will continue unabated.

[atsiii]

So sad... and once again avoidable.

I'm still trying to figure out what a "foam party in a swamp" is. Was this actually in a muddy swamp with frogs, snakes and other natural inhabitants? Was this a foam making machine of some sort creating soap foam in a natural setting? This was actually advertised and promoted for "thousands" of people?

[DLP]

When accidents like this happen, it is sometimes said that you can learn by mistakes so these tradgic accidents do not happen again.

Sadly this is Thailand.!!! WATER & ELECTRIC DO NOT MIX.

[HooHaa]

Seems to me its fine opportunity for many here to feel superior

[scorecard]

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hardly a 'freak' accident if you mix water and electricity without adequate thought to safety. i'm making a wild guess here but i doubt all electrical components and cables were adequately sealed, no safety testing of the equipment has ever been carried out and that the organisers dont have third party liability insurance.

very sad but hardly surprising

And quite possibly all set up by someone with no / little specific knowledge or proper experience of what they were doing.

[tingtongteesood]

Whenever I went out on my bicycle my mother would say 'wear your helmet and be careful' and I would always say 'Don't worry about me'. To this my mother always replied 'It's the other people I'm worried about' - poor kid did nothing wrong, his death was caused by others stupidity. This is one of the things that makes me angry here, I see so much stupidity everywhere,this kid should not have died, the other should not have been injured - a great many deaths and injuries are caused by utter stupidity here, from the drugged up van drivers falling asleep at the wheel to the 13 year olds speeding down the expressways in mummy and daddy's Benz, from buildings collapsing because the builders cut too many corners to people's hands getting chopped off by machinery as there is no safety guard. Makes me sick !

[Johnnie99]

It's not a freak accident, merely one waiting to happen.

[Johnnie99]

Seems to me its fine opportunity for many here to feel superior

Yes indeed - and with very good reason.

[Muhendis]

Quick!

Cut off that ridiculous green wire before someone has an accident and trips over it.

[Halion]

Seems to me its fine opportunity for many here to feel superior

I assume by superior you mean common sense. People die as a result of this lack of common sense.

[ggt]

And the beat goes on...and the beat goes on...

[Bignose]

An absolute tragedy to see the loss of such a young life, the pain and grief for his family will diminish over time but will never actually go away. Commiserations and condolences to them all.

A very real and sad reminder of the danger in using normal everyday electrical equipment, I have read several threads on this forum where people give "advice" on carrying out electrical work. It has ranged from installing ELCB's/RCD protective devices, to testing the earthing of a house.

Could I please ask that anyone who ever considers some "do it yourself" electrical work please DON'T Stop before you even start and get a reputable electrical contractor (preferably one with a western training/history) Let them do the work for you and get the job done properly, it may cost you a few Baht but it will be worth it in the end.

We do not want to read other tragic posts like this one...

[surangw]

shows how ignorant thai gov people are.

[GentlemanJim]

The term 'freak' accident, implies that despite all planning all risk management, something occurred that could just not be legislated for. Clearly this was simply an accident waiting to happen as mixing electric connections and water is always going to prove a little problematic I should say an 'incident' waiting to happen, as accident also implies that nobody may be responsible. In this case someone could definitely be held responsible...if the police were so inclined. Who has most money to solve that dichotomy, the parents of the young boy or the officials who organized the event...let me guess???

[Basil B]

hardly a 'freak' accident if you mix water and electricity without adequate thought to safety. i'm making a wild guess here but i doubt all electrical components and cables were adequately sealed, no safety testing of the equipment has ever been carried out and that the organisers dont have third party liability insurance.

very sad but hardly surprising

I would imagine trying to insure any event would be a wast of time and even if thy did mange to find anyone to insure them they would find there was something in the small print that would invalidate accidents such as this.

[MrBrad]

Time and again I read where ThaiVisa Forum members are glad that we are not living in a "nanny state" like the one we came from.

Whether you're wanting to admit it or not, there are many things to like about so-called nanny states. Having electrical safety standards on the books and requiring compliance with them ranks up near the top.

[bbbbooboo]

Stupid IS what stupid DOES?

[Tokay]

In a swamp?

That's just creepy.

[Tokay]

Time and again I read where ThaiVisa Forum members are glad that we are not living in a "nanny state" like the one we came from.

Whether you're wanting to admit it or not, there are many things to like about so-called nanny states. Having electrical safety standards on the books and requiring compliance with them ranks up near the top.

Having electrical safety standards is not part of living in a nanny state. Wanting such a standard is just common sense.

[tomyummer]

Foam party in a swamp? That's a new one. To each his own.