Dangers of driving: Bangkok motorist survives as T-shaped metal drops from up above
A Bangkok motorist is fighting for compensation from the construction giant Sino Thai after a shard of metal dropped on his Toyota Alphard van, shattering the windscreen and denting the hood.
Chanin Prathis was driving along Rattanathibet Road towards Ngam Wong Wan expressway on Thursday evening when a T-shaped metallic object fell from the elevated track of the MRT Pink Line above.
He said the object punched a hole in the van’s windscreen, scattering glass shards all over the console. Chanin said he stepped on the brakes immediately and luckily the vehicles behind him were able to stop in time, so no subsequent accident took place.
The plaintiff reported the incident at Rattanathibet Police Station and was met by representatives of Sino Thai Engineering and Construction Ltd, the firm responsible for the Pink Line’s construction. The company has reportedly agreed to foot the repair bills, though compensation for mental trauma is still under negotiation.
Driving under construction sites of elevated structures in Thailand can be a health hazard. In July this year, two people were killed and five injured when a 5-tonne, 10-metre-long concrete beam fell on them from a U-turn bridge. The bridge, which was under maintenance, is located opposite Vibharam Hospital in Samut Sakhon’s Muang district.
