2-year-old Thai girl in coma after being hit by an electric shock at an ATM

[wattaman]

 

Unbelievable. How many have to die ? 9 dead by last count on a failed condo construction and now this. Totally inexcusable. My heart goes out the little girl and her family.

This sad "accident" relived memories of the Thai "electrician" who came to my home to install new water heaters. Before he was done with the installation I decided to check what he had done so far. I caught him in time before he was ready to snip the green wire for grounding. I insisted he grounded the water heater or I would not pay him. He angrily cursed in Thai and said: you Farang know nothing: no need green wire to make it work!

It is appalling that an ATM of a major bank had an electric leak most likely because it was not grounded.

The bank will give financial support to the family of the little girl. Not because of the goodness of their heart but because per Thai custom if the family of the victim is financially compensated, the family, abiding by tradition, will not press charges and the culprit is not prosecuted. As in the  case of sinsod, it's all about the money.

Thainess kills!

May God help this little girl fully recover!

 

 

Maybe it is just my bad luck, but ALL houses that I have rented and lived in were not grounded. And ALL skilled guys (not only electricians) that I've seen working and/or asked to do some repairs did nothing but a joke (except for my car's mechanic, kudos Mr. Nong).

I reached the sad and scary conclusion that there's no safe human built place in Thailand.

 

As for this sad incident, probably the authorities and the police will decide that the only one to blame is the... ATM itself. And life will continue as usual, except for the little one and her family  Let's hope that she will recover.

[Benmart]

Just a question. Why does a two year old child play with an ATM? Or did she just touched the outer case of the ATM?

IMO, It doesn't really matter who played with what, how old they are, when, how or where. Any electrical device that's accessible to the public should not cause death or injury by merely touching, being in the vicinity or properly operating it.

[Benmart]

Just another indication of how much life is respected here.  Don't expect anything to change in your lifetime.

I've been coming to Thailand for the last 20 years and now live ever full time. Life has little respect in many parts of the world I've been to and it is sad indeed.

Thing have changed here, as well as others places in the world I've been to. Maybe not as fast as I would like it to, but then I'm not in charge.

[Lee4Life]

"Mrs Sukalaya said electricity was leaked to the machine for several days"

 

Ahum? Mother becomes electrical expert.

 

Edit: and b4 you jump on the band wagon.. poor reporting..... and yes... poor, unlucky child.

 

 

 

  Interesting that you defend your post even while posting it, since when does it take an electrical expert to know of people who have been shocked? 

[Crossy]

A post in poor taste and the (sensible) reply have been removed.

[shrimpythailand]

would be nice to know when exactly the bank knew that the ATM machine was giving a shock along with people taking out money... hard to say how the mom knew it had shocked other people first...would think if dad or mum was touching the keys to take out money and they were shocked or not if anyway said anything or maybe the little girl did just touch the outside of the machine and the electricity was running into it down low and not not up on the keypad? ...but hope the 2 yr old girl recovers.... man...and of course SCB better pay for the full medical bills as it would seem to be their fault 100%...and if she does die then they better pay a lot more.... yes you have to be careful here as nothing is grounded unless you ground it yourself or get it done.... if I touch my usb jack or computer without sandals on I get a small shock... I did ground my hot water shower tho... some kid a year ago was electrocuted here in the shower in Phuket I think.. and the 2 falung kids at the pool a few months ago in the apartment building...a lot of them killed by no grounds and faulty wiring around hotel pools etc....

 

 

[bushwacker]

I'm thinking the banks idea of taking the ATM out of service is to place a NOTE on the screen.

 

I am really surprised more people do not get killed.  I often see wires permanently strung 4-6 feet of the ground.  Kids easily could grab them and swing for fun.  Drunk farangs could stumble into them.   Hmmm ... maybe that is their purpose!

 

[HappyinNE]

Unfortunately can be very common in Thailand.  They do not ground anything.  I had an experience and was almost electrucited in Nong Khai.  I had just finished at an ATM and was leaving when I grabed the edge of the housing around the ATM.  I got a very bad shock (Yes I have been shocked before with 110, 220 and 440 volts, this was worse).  I was lucky in that I steped off the raised platform that the ATM was on and then fell to the ground which caused me to let go of the source.  I was in bad shape and had ridden my bike to the ATM but realized that I could not ride home and called my wife to come and rescue me.  Warning IN THAILAND EXPECT EVERYTHIHG TO BE 220 VOLTS.  I was lucky but the poor girl in this story was not.  For your information, I was not barefoot and the area was dry.

 

[connda]

In the US that would get the family about 30 million baht after the lawyers took their cut.  Maybe more in punitive damages.  I wonder how the family is going to be taken care of by the bank?

[flyingdoc]

I send out every sympathy to this child. Just hope she manages to recover.

[Artisi]

Bank official offered baht 5,000 to help with the expense to the family. What a shame living in Los in such a cheap life when you got electrocuted and with 40 survival rate.

 

If the Baht 5000 is actually a true number / payment I can only say, "what big hearted ar_seholes they are".  I would think they should pay all expenses plus a great big extra amount until such times there is a full and complete investigation undertaken and proper compensation for the loss of a child is decided by a court of law - no wishy-washy out of court settlements to the parents who probably aren't in a position to raise any issue on this matter- of course this is what the big corporations like and bank-on (no pun intended).  

[attrayant]

Just out of curiosity I did a search in the forums for the word "electrocuted".
 

Your search for the term electrocuted returned 103 results

And to make matters worse, it looks like the search engine here only goes back one year.

[Artisi]

Unfortunately can be very common in Thailand.  They do not ground anything.  I had an experience and was almost electrucited in Nong Khai.  I had just finished at an ATM and was leaving when I grabed the edge of the housing around the ATM.  I got a very bad shock (Yes I have been shocked before with 110, 220 and 440 volts, this was worse).  I was lucky in that I steped off the raised platform that the ATM was on and then fell to the ground which caused me to let go of the source.  I was in bad shape and had ridden my bike to the ATM but realized that I could not ride home and called my wife to come and rescue me.  Warning IN THAILAND EXPECT EVERYTHIHG TO BE 220 VOLTS.  I was lucky but the poor girl in this story was not.  For your information, I was not barefoot and the area was dry.

 

 

 

In Thailand you must treat anything and everything that is metal as electrically active and life-threatening - I avoid touching anything metal I am unsure of and in the case where I must make contact always re-test with the back of my hand.

 

Trust this little girl pulls thru' but it would seem very unlikely she will come out unscathed.  

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

 

I hope to hell her parents sue the heck out of Siam Commercial. Electrical safety is absolutely pathetic in Thailand.

In Thailand, personal responsibility is not the norm. It is always something or somebody's fault.
If the parents do sue the bank (which I think unlikely because they are elite and uber connected to the powers that be) the bank may argue in its defense: "Was the little girl wearing her amulet?" Thainess in Thailand can be bizarre. I have been told the amulet bit many times even in an environment of professionals with university degrees in SCIENCE. 
 
 
 

 
It's sad how we can't even discuss the root of the problems in Thailand without going to jail. For a country that had never been colonized, it is very sad to see how the country has not progressed at all since 1932.

Don't worry China will own all of Thailand, in the future. The Thai/Chinese here already own everything of value.

[Whyamiandwhatamidoinghere]

Before 1964 in Canada, most household electrical service was not grounded properly (2 pronged plugs). People (including me) were regularily non-fataly electrocuted. I suspect our better luck was due to 120 volt power whereas here in Thailand service is at 220 volts. Connecting that green line is clearly a matter of life and death here. Very sad for the little girl and her family. An unnecessary tragedy, sames as the young boys at the swimming pool and so many others.
Why is it that electricians are not taken to task over this. A simple examination of the equipment would indicate improper installation. The installer and the installation company need to be held responsible if Thailand wants to fix this. If regulations do not require proper grounding they need to be corrected as soon as possible and installers need to be made aware of their liability. The bank is liable only if they were aware of the problem and were not diligent in taking it offline for repairs.
Good luck little girl, I hope you recover and have a happy life.

A life is worth nothing here 10,000 to 100,000 baht seems the norm depending on if it is an accidental death or murder. Remember the tsunami or any plane crash on Thai soil. With that said. To corporate Thailand connecting that green wire across Thailand would cost more then the lives it would save. Money first...

[Emster23]

Agree with all the posts about absolute lack of care regarding electricity. I guess fits in the "if you can't see it, it's not a problem" mind set? I know I will touch some unfamiliar metal possible death trap with back of my hand. Expect the unexpected. Those who deplore the "nanny states" where safety is looked after, perhaps you can be lucky here and wind up in "brain dead life support" state.

[Bender]

in thailand, how many time i got a small electric shock when i put my hand on a handrail, escalator, metal part,...

Back home, this never happend to me!

 

[Tywais]

Just out of curiosity I did a search in the forums for the word "electrocuted".
 

Your search for the term electrocuted returned 103 results

And to make matters worse, it looks like the search engine here only goes back one year.

 

 

Use Advanced Search and click on Archives.  1000 hits, 40 pages, which I believe is the maximum number of hits allowed so probably more than that.
 

[Johpa]

 

I hope to hell her parents sue the heck out of Siam Commercial. Electrical safety is absolutely pathetic in Thailand.

In Thailand, personal responsibility is not the norm. It is always something or somebody's fault.

 

Say hey, just like here in the US where teamwork is placed upon a pedestal and the person known as "the corporation" is usually the person at fault in many a tort case. And if by some fluke the corporation is held at fault and fined then the insurance company will pay the penalty and the rest of us will be charged slightly higher insurance premiums the following year to make up for any unanticipated imagined loss.

[Holiday Kojak]

My prayers are with that child and family, a senseless tragedy that could have been avoided.

[ALFREDO]

Just a question. Why does a two year old child play with an ATM? Or did she just touched the outer case of the ATM?

 

 

Do you think, she was "INSIDE" the ATM?

 

My boys also like to be near the ATM, like typing numbers in, take money and card out of ATM.

Will now tell them what can happen. 

[ALFREDO]

 

 

"Mrs Sukalaya said electricity was leaked to the machine for several days"
 
Ahum? Mother becomes electrical expert.
 
Edit: and b4 you jump on the band wagon.. poor reporting..... and yes... poor, unlucky child.
 
 

I would think any criticism of your post would be directed at the utter callousness you show towards a mother whose child is in a coma that she might not recover from.

 

Why would a responsible mother let her 2 year old child near to a machine that has been leaking electricity for several days, as she asserted?

 

It's not a callous question, it's pragmatic. Typical Western sensitivity. I noted poor wording and reporting, not insensitivity.

 

 

"Why would a responsible mother let her 2 year old child near to a machine that has been leaking electricity for several days, as she asserted?" 

 

I assume, the mother did not know beforehand from the ATM electric problems.

But, that, the mother heard later after the incident, that the ATM had some electric leaking already for days

and also, the father was at the ATM taking money. Tragic.  

 

 

 

[louse1953]

 

I hope to hell her parents sue the heck out of Siam Commercial. Electrical safety is absolutely pathetic in Thailand.

In Thailand, personal responsibility is not the norm. It is always something or somebody's fault.

If the parents do sue the bank (which I think unlikely because they are elite and uber connected to the powers that be) the bank may argue in its defense: "Was the little girl wearing her amulet?" Thainess in Thailand can be bizarre. I have been told the amulet bit many times even in an environment of professionals with university degrees in SCIENCE. 

 

 

 

Yeah maybe,voodoo science,but it wouldnt stand up in court.

[puuchaibaa]

 

 

"Mrs Sukalaya said electricity was leaked to the machine for several days"
 
Ahum? Mother becomes electrical expert.
 
Edit: and b4 you jump on the band wagon.. poor reporting..... and yes... poor, unlucky child.
 
 

I would think any criticism of your post would be directed at the utter callousness you show towards a mother whose child is in a coma that she might not recover from.

 

Why would a responsible mother let her 2 year old child near to a machine that has been leaking electricity for several days, as she asserted?

 

It's not a callous question, it's pragmatic. Typical Western sensitivity. I noted poor wording and reporting, not insensitivity.

 

 

Maybe the mother was informed about the state of the machine after the fact?  Do you ever wonder why you continue to get so much negative feedback on TV?  Honest opinions are welcome here but it might help if you gave your posts a bit more thought.

Edited August 14, 2014 by puuchaibaa

[wimkuijp]

The machine was also put out of service pending the investigation....
In that case the screen will be black. But I still see the SCB Logo etc.
So it's still switched on!

[Strangebrew]

Poor baby, You will be in my prayers. As for Siam commercial bank I will no longer be a customer I'm going in and transferring all my money to another bank.  What if other ATM's are defective at other location's? If when a customer reports getting a shock from ATM and manager doesn't at least walk outside and check it himself to see. If this is true Can I trust them to manage my money? makes you think. Think not.

[Strangebrew]

What about the Farang child that was killed by faulty wiring at swimming pool recently? Lack of grounding in house current is the problem.

[jacko45k]

What a poorly written report.

Why would a 2 year old be using an ATM and how is it she is tall enough to reach it?

 

Shoddy behaviour by the bank.

[webfact]

Girl struck by ATM electric leak dies today
 


BANGKOK: -- The two-year girl, Nong Baiyok, who was struck by an electric surge at an automatic teller machine of the Siam Commercial Bank in Trang province died Friday morning after doctor removed her life support machine on consent of her mother.

The girl’s mother, 39-year old Mrs Sukalaya Nupinit, allowed doctors to remove the life support after several attempts to stimulate her brainstem to return to functioning was a failure.

Besides, her heart has also stopped functioning and she could live only on breathing apparatus.

Earlier the mother has been told by doctors to be prepared for the worst as her daughter had only 40 percent chance of survival because her brainstem had stopped functioning.

The victim has been living with the help of life-supporting machine in the hospital since she was admitted to the hospital August 7 when she was struck by the electric surge from a Siam Commercial Bank’s ATM where her father took her to withdraw some cash.

Mrs Sukalaya earlier said electricity was leaked to the machine for several days and the problem was not fixed until several people were given electric shocks, including her two-year old daughter.

Siam Commercial Bank’s regional manager, Mr Prasarn Lohajarikul, said earlier e in a statement issued to the media that the bank felt very sorry for the incident and promised to provide full support to the victim’s family.

As for the ATM in question, bank officials and police had examined the machine to find out the problem and source of power leakage. The machine was also put out of service pending the investigation.

The girl’s body was brought back to her home district in Yarn Takao for cremation Friday morning.

(Photo : ThaiPBS file)

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/girl-struck-atm-electric-leak-dies-today/

[thaipbs]2014-08-15[/thaipbs]

[Mosha]

RIP little one