4 students killed, 11 injured when hit by former director's car: Thailand

[mrfill]

Current medical guidelines issued by the UK government concerning epilepsy and driving. - https://www.gov.uk/current-medical-guidelines-dvla-guidance-for-professionals-neurological-chapter-appendix

That is the UK as in second lowest road deaths per 100000 in the world and where road safety is paramount. And they permit sufferers from epilepsy to drive in some cases.

My sister has suffered for over 30 years. She has had her licence suspended a couple of times many years ago after fits, but has not had any more incidents for many years and regularly drives.

And she has never had a crash.

Epilepsy is controllable nowadays and need not present any more danger to the rest of the road users than bus drivers falling asleep.

[PMZ]

What a tragedy. Such a sad loss of life on a day that should have been a happy celebratory one.

Lots of unnecessary speculation above, we have no details so lets spend our energy on thinking of the sad loss of life for those kids and their families.

[Torrens54]

....and the "body count" continues to climb. Terrible tragedy and while the poor kids who have died may Rest In Peace.

I doubt there will be much "Rest" for their families or the kids who survived and their families.

As for the driver, if he was aware of his condition, he deserves to be locked up for life.

[MMarlow]

As an aged person, surely he had some idea of his epilepsy. If he knew, then as someone has suggested.......Throw the book at him !

So he's now an "aged person" also, where did you get that from?

[Basil B]

Perhaps about time to have a proper health and eye check before handing people in Thailand a driving license...

Computer says that a proper epilepsy test requires a spinal tap, what would be a bit drastic to enforce on every person who wants to drive, but wouldn't it be possible to sort out some severe cases by exposing them to flashing disco lights/stroboscopes and loud trash metal music or something?

In the end - this is Thailand and nothing's gonna change anyway... Most likely accidents caused by epilepsy are common all over the world...

RIP to victims and families! Quick and thorough recovery to the injured kids.

Yes, you could insist on a full medical for a driving licence...

But given the number of drivers who do not have a driving licence what's the point?

[Nomad97]

RIP to the young victims and my very sincere condolences to their families. I have two young daughters of school age myself. I can't imagine the grief the families are going through with their very tragic loss. It must be terrible.

[englishoak]

This idiot apparently usually has a driver according to another story, but didnt that day and drove himself, so hes got a known condition and hes aware of the risk... he took it anyway and killed 4 and injured another 11.

Thats manslaughter at the very least and very possibly as it would be pre meditated by his decision knowing what could happen, murder... AND hes a teacher and knew the risk would be to children,should lock him up and throw away the key.

Edited June 11, 2014 by englishoak

[Display]

Very sad, I hope there in a better place..

[getthaid]

One would soon know when looking at the driver at the time of the incident. I remember my dad having them...............He wasn't allowed to drive..

correct, in the west he would not have been allowed to drive unless his condition was under strict control over a very long time, and even then it would still be difficult to get permission to drive - the reason is obvious

RIP

Agreed. A driver in Ireland recently was handed a 5 year sentence for the manslaughter of two infants that were killed when he caused an accident due to a seizure. He was deemed not fit to drive 2 months earlier due to his epilepsy

It seems a harsh sentence when compared with drink drivers and speed demons who get less .....

But any individual who is unfit to drive for whatever the reason should know better than to endanger others.

And frankly why argue semantics when people have been killed.

Sent from my iPhone using Thaivisa Connect Thailand

Edited June 11, 2014 by getthaid

[metisdead]

A post quoting Bangkok Post content has been removed:

26) Bangkok Post do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post publications will be deleted from the forum. Please note that this is a decision by the Bangkok Post, not by Thaivisa.com and any complaints or other issues concerning this rule should be directed to them. Quotes from and links to Phuketwan are also not allowed and will also be removed. In special cases forum Administrators or the news team may use these sources.

[Briggsy]

I see we are all talking about epilepsy again. You lot are a credulous bunch.

[LloydD]

Most of this is speculation at the moment but the general consensus floating around Facebook and the area involved seems to be that this guy has had a lot of accidents before. He does not usually drive and has a driver, but did not at the time of this accident. He had a row with staff and sped off, unknown yet if drunk but some reports suggest he may have been. Using the epilepsy as a cover story, allegedly. The row doesn't seem to be in dispute.

If this ever went to court, I struggle to see how it could be proven that he did not have a fit, if indeed he does have epilepsy.

[GentlemanJim]

My partner is from Nong Bua Lamphu.

She knows people at the school. The epileptic fit is a just a cover story.

The director had a big row with one of the teachers at the school and drove off at high speed and lost control of his car. Everyone in the area knows what happened.

Anyone who is familiar with upcountry Thailand, knows a school director, ex- or not, is a big cheese and is not going to be prosecuted for anything. The deaths of 4 children is so terrible that a cover story has to be concocted for the press. The story cannot be hushed up.

Money will change hands and that will be that.

You can talk about epilepsy all you want but it has nothing to do with what happened here. He was driving too fast and lost control of his car.

I am inclined to be with Briggsy on this. In a news source from another media outlet it says quite clearly that eye witnesses said that after the car crash the 'ex director got out the car and waited for police to arrive. If he had a seizure what is he doing getting out of his car waiting for the police? He would have been out of sorts for some time, needing to sit down and rest if he had had a seizure. I wonder if the police checked him for drink driving etc, or simply 'believed his story'?

The only hope is that with the Military now in Government there will be a no-BS investigation and punishment.

RIP little ones.

Edited June 11, 2014 by GentlemanJim

[Briggsy]

There will be no prosecution. A school director in an upcountry area carries a huge amount of prestige and power, not to say rent-seeking opportunity. They are immune from prosecution except if they do something to someone higher up in the chain. Surprising as it may seem, causing death due to careless (or drunken) driving will not be serious enough to result in a prosecution for someone in such a high-up public position.

"Punishment" will be through other forms. He will need to pay off the families of the dead children, the police and some other entities like temples for funerals, etc, his career progression if he is not retired will be frozen for several years, social shunning and that will probably be the extent of it.

[Stradavarius37]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

There will be no prosecution. A school director in an upcountry area carries a huge amount of prestige and power, not to say rent-seeking opportunity. They are immune from prosecution except if they do something to someone higher up in the chain. Surprising as it may seem, causing death due to careless (or drunken) driving will not be serious enough to result in a prosecution for someone in such a high-up public position.

"Punishment" will be through other forms. He will need to pay off the families of the dead children, the police and some other entities like temples for funerals, etc, his career progression if he is not retired will be frozen for several years, social shunning and that will probably be the extent of it.

If the Junta could effect reform in this area - then they could stay in charge forever. I hope karma visits this guy in jail, in the form of a 500 lb tattooed man named "Tiny".

[H1w4yR1da]

Remember Moo Ham. Ran over someone at a bus stop in Sukhumvit in a fit of anger and got off after it was revealed he was 'special'. How did he get a license in the first place?

Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3 182 hp in-line 4 Superbike

[Briggsy]

Remember Moo Ham. Ran over someone at a bus stop in Sukhumvit in a fit of anger and got off after it was revealed he was 'special'. How did he get a license in the first place?

Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3 182 hp in-line 4 Superbike

The official reasoning from the court in that case was that he had had a seizure and thus was not responsible for his actions.

This may have been where the people who concocted the story to cover up this one got their ideas from.

People here are missing the point. Once you obtain high position in the public sector here, you are pretty much immune from prosecution. That is the system. The military enjoys the benefits of this too and is not about to change it. That is the system. This is not Kansas, etc........

[culicine]

If it was his first seizure, and he didnt realize he had epilepsy then it was a tragic accident. If he knew he was driving with a real risk of seizure then it was manslaughter or worse, and they should throw the book at him.

I thought I read he has already been involved in a number of accidents due to seizures. That's totally irresponsible. He should lose his licence for life and suffer further consequences. RIP to the kids who were out on an adventure.

[Paulzed]

If it was his first seizure, and he didnt realize he had epilepsy then it was a tragic accident. If he knew he was driving with a real risk of seizure then it was manslaughter or worse, and they should throw the book at him.

By "throwing the book at him", I hope you mean a life sentence of hard labour with no chance of parole or appeal. And here, life MEANS life.

I had in mind a more medieval punishment involving 4 horses, a disembowling blade, and a length of hemp rope. And the dead kiddies mums and dads to giddy-up the nags.

You have watched Brave heart to many times.

Tie him to an ants nest would be a better punishment, seeing as the report states that he suffers from fits, thus this accident wasn't the first, and these deaths could have been avoided, as he should not be operating and type of machinery let alone driving a car.

[Payboy]

Sad for ALL involved. Imagine the guilt the director will have to live with.

Yeah, he can cry on the shoulders of Red Bull Jr, Moo Ham, Nong Praewa and the "I Dropped My Hat Guy" at the living with guilt club.

[taony]

How does someone so irresponsible get into a position such as his in the first place? God I hate this place sometimes. Its every last Thai person's fault. They have the same mentality that does not question or get upset and it allows all these bad things to continue. As if it is just the natural order. ITS NOT!!! This guy should burn in hell. How do you let yourself get behind the wheel of a car when you know this could happen at any time!!!??? And he is the leader of a school??????????????? My God

[jaidam]

Remember Moo Ham. Ran over someone at a bus stop in Sukhumvit in a fit of anger and got off after it was revealed he was 'special'. How did he get a license in the first place?

Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3 182 hp in-line 4 Superbike

The official reasoning from the court in that case was that he had had a seizure and thus was not responsible for his actions.

This may have been where the people who concocted the story to cover up this one got their ideas from.

People here are missing the point. Once you obtain high position in the public sector here, you are pretty much immune from prosecution. That is the system. The military enjoys the benefits of this too and is not about to change it. That is the system. This is not Kansas, etc........

Moo Ham was a bit of a special case. After he killed a few people running his mercedes into a crowd at the bus stop and was out on bail, he attacked another bus by throwing a rock through the window in another fit of petulance. Lucky his family were aligned with a political party or he would have been in a spot of bother.

[SanukJoeII]

This is a tragedy, but what's the point in speculating? WE all know that in our respective countries what the laws are regarding being in a fit condition to drive, but Thailand is so different, I've heard it so many times "This is Thailand"

I'm also sure that Epilepsy can strike you at any age and can be triggered by many different things, a stroke being one of them, some people have mild strokes and are unaware of what's happened to them.

I wouldn't be too quick to judge this guy, nobody knows if he had a medical condition prior to this or not but it will soon be disclosed if he was taking any medication for it. It's all too easy to speculate, from the comfort of our own homes, he didn't set out from his house in the morning with an intention to mow down the kids, and he has to live with this for the rest of his life.

RIP to the deceased Children.

Moot point to speculate.

Thai people are reactive. Thais do not believe in prevention if they are wearing their amulets.

From direct experience with Thais I have seen people ignoring progressively degenerating medical conditions (Diabetes type 2 and cataracts, etc.) until they had loss of vision and fainting spells before they sought medical attention. Only then, after I pounded on the subject repeatedly, they decided first to consult their fortune tellers. As you well put it: TIT

Why do some people generalise so much??? My wife is Thai and has no faith in amulets. As soon as anybody in our family has any symptoms she brings them straight to a doctor. She also doesn't believe in fortune tellers. She also ensures our son always wears a seat belt etc...Generalisations about any race or culture smack of ignorance and intolerance.....

1 exception (your wife) does not represent a rule. We get the point: you married a singular exceptional woman but...

Is the population of 63 million in Thailand like your wife?

Those of a PC persuasion cannot accept data, facts or statistics from real life.

They are prompt to strike back with derogatory phrases and epithets if an opinion does not mold to their vision and how they perceive the world..

Fact: Thai culture is pervaded by superstition and feudal customs.

Fact: Thais are not pro-active.

Fact: statistics show that Thailand is the number 1 country in traffic fatalities in the world. Do your own research and learn.

I can continue but, I do not want to bore TV members with facts they know only too well..

You seem to be the know-it-all, right? Have you ever heard of the word "Most"? This word added to your so called facts would save the generalization that flows out of your pen.. Most Thais are not pro-active... well said, no generalization and nobody would argue. Try it, it works.

BTW Thailand is NOT number one in traffic deaths, check your info before brawling about the "facts" you (don't) know!

As for superstition, what about these examples of Western superstition?

- don't walk under a ladder

- black cat coming from the left means bad luck

- Friday the 13th is bad luck (proven to be bs)

Is therefor Western culture "pervaded" with superstition? No, some people are superstitious, some don't.

[ginjag]

My partner is from Nong Bua Lamphu.

She knows people at the school. The epileptic fit is a just a cover story.

The director had a big row with one of the teachers at the school and drove off at high speed and lost control of his car. Everyone in the area knows what happened.

Anyone who is familiar with upcountry Thailand, knows a school director, ex- or not, is a big cheese and is not going to be prosecuted for anything. The deaths of 4 children is so terrible that a cover story has to be concocted for the press. The story cannot be hushed up.

Money will change hands and that will be that.

You can talk about epilepsy all you want but it has nothing to do with what happened here. He was driving too fast and lost control of his car.

If this is true it near confirmed my post earlier, I think on the first page. It just sounded odd when I first read the story, I could have been wrong but smelt a rat.

[Hawk]

Should never have been allowed to drive, but Thailand bends the rules to suit the rich as always. Today news but tomorrow history and then forgotten. Life is cheap in this part of the world and always will be, its all become far too materialistic hasn't it?

[mojorison]

Remember Moo Ham. Ran over someone at a bus stop in Sukhumvit in a fit of anger and got off after it was revealed he was 'special'. How did he get a license in the first place?

Suzuki GSX-R1000 L3 182 hp in-line 4 Superbike

The official reasoning from the court in that case was that he had had a seizure and thus was not responsible for his actions.

This may have been where the people who concocted the story to cover up this one got their ideas from.

People here are missing the point. Once you obtain high position in the public sector here, you are pretty much immune from prosecution. That is the system. The military enjoys the benefits of this too and is not about to change it. That is the system. This is not Kansas, etc........

Lowly paid school teachers being the exception to the rule. They don't have the same avenues to remuneration as other "public servants"... that's why they all do "rian piset". A school teacher, of any level, will certainly have to do some fast talking to get out of this mess, (at least down my way). IMHO.

[Lobber]

if as reported , he should have been on meds, and wasn't, and he usually had a driver, - & didn't then HE is seriously irresponsible and should have the book thrown at him. ( Oh don't forget he's a an "ex director" makes a lot of difference)

This shows how irresponsible Thai drivers are,---- like the guy near my office drove straight through the protective railings in front of a shop, mounted the curb . got out p*%#d as a b'stard. No remorse, laughing, (I nearly T***ted him) in fact I should have done the C*** may have learned something , rather than a 500 Baht back hander to BIB

Oh BTW -- this was the SECOND time he had done this!!!!

[taony]

Whatever is the truth, the cover story or the rumors , its sick, depraved lunacy . The entire country is supposed to ignore the truth ? The press prints false info just to save this --'s face ? The concept of face is completely perverted at this point

-*I typed this myself*-

[slipperylobster]

Not an accident.....

driver has had previous problems....

Shame..shame..shame on him...for driving at all, especially near large groups of small children...knowing the threat he poses. He will forever be disgraced.

Hope we get a followup showing some punitive action....heavy reparations, and permanent loss of his license.

Get this scarey guy off the road, and into some kind of facility.

Edited June 12, 2014 by slipperylobster

[balo]

<script type='text/javascript'>window.mod_pagespeed_start = Number(new Date());</script>

My partner is from Nong Bua Lamphu.

She knows people at the school. The epileptic fit is a just a cover story.

The director had a big row with one of the teachers at the school and drove off at high speed and lost control of his car. Everyone in the area knows what happened.

Anyone who is familiar with upcountry Thailand, knows a school director, ex- or not, is a big cheese and is not going to be prosecuted for anything. The deaths of 4 children is so terrible that a cover story has to be concocted for the press. The story cannot be hushed up.

Money will change hands and that will be that.

You can talk about epilepsy all you want but it has nothing to do with what happened here. He was driving too fast and lost control of his car.

If this is true it near confirmed my post earlier, I think on the first page. It just sounded odd when I first read the story, I could have been wrong but smelt a rat.

Well I believe more in the reports from the police that he'd been driving several times in the past with epilepsy and crashed his car . He normally use a driver to take him to school every day so I am pretty sure he's sick.