BURIRAM — A 15-year-old girl from Buriram finally got to thank her foreign rescuer via video call for saving her life in a motorcycle accident last year.
The incident occurred on September 2, 2024, when Piyatida Hongpimthong collided with a pickup truck. A Swiss national, identified only as Tom, provided crucial first aid at the scene, clearing blood from her airways when she was unconscious and bleeding heavily from her face. He accompanied her in the ambulance to the hospital.
“I wouldn’t be alive today without Mr. Tom’s help,” said Piyatida, who lost sight in her left eye from the accident. “The ambulance took a long time to arrive, and experts said I could have died if the blood blocking my nose and mouth hadn’t been cleared.”
Her mother, Rattanaporn Laosuna, 46, spent weeks searching for Tom’s identity before discovering he was married to a Thai woman and lived in Pa Khiap subdistrict, Khu Muang district, Buriram. Mother and daughter finally thanked him through a video call on February 8.
Despite her injury, Piyatida has returned to school with renewed determination. “How can I not fight to live when someone worked so hard to save my life?” she said.
The case remains unresolved, with the pickup truck owner offering only 1,000 baht in compensation through two hospital visits of 500 baht each.
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