BANGKOK – The family of the man who tragically fell into an electrical cable manhole for underground electrical cables on the road’s median and lost his life is demanding 10 million baht in compensation from the responsible state agency.
This shocking accident, which took place on Friday, April 3, involved Mr. Kamthorn Jaruanan, 59, stepping on a wooden cover of an electrical cable manhole and falling into a pit about 15-17 meters deep, opposite Soi Ladprao 49. The autopsy results revealed that the victim died from drowning in the manhole, along with a broken neck, presumably from the impact.
This incident has prompted the public to criticize state agencies for neglecting the safety of people’s lives and property, as similar incidents have occurred before, with other unfortunate individuals being injured.
On Saturday, May 4, the family of the victim collected his body from the Police Hospital for religious ceremonies at the scene of the incident and at Wat That Thong temple.
Mr. Kamphon, the younger brother of the deceased, said that the family would sue the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) for 10 million baht in damages as the agency directly responsible for using the “deadly manhole cover” to cover the opening.
The MEA has earlier expressed their condolences and stated in preliminary investigations that the permanent steel cover of the underground electrical cable manhole in the area had been stolen prior to the incident, prompting MEA to install a temporary cover.
Mr. Kamphon demanded that state agencies must come and change the manhole covers completely, “don’t just do it half-heartedly,” because even wooden planks can cause children walking by to fall in as well. Moreover, the area around the manhole cover has trees and soil covering it, making it difficult for people crossing the road to notice.
He said that casting a new manhole cover should not take long, and if they were afraid of the cover being stolen, why didn’t they install cameras? If cameras were installed, the perpetrators could have been caught immediately. The budget for procuring manhole covers is state money, so why are the agencies still being slow?
The younger brother of the deceased said that the family is demanding 10 million baht in compensation because they believe there will be negotiations. They also sympathize with the eldest sister, who normally lived with this brother all along, just the two of them. But from now on, the sister, who suffers from diabetes, high blood pressure, and is elderly, will have to live alone.
“If my brother were still alive, money would not matter, because even though we were not wealthy, on Saturdays and Sundays, he would still take her out and have meals together all the time,” he said.
When asked by reporters if he would forgive the responsible agencies, Mr. Kamphon said no and asked to send a message to the agencies involved: “Try letting your own family members walk there.” And if the agencies claim that there are not enough manhole covers, why were they able to quickly install a concrete cover immediately after the incident? This shows that the concrete covers were already available, but the agencies were just careless and refused to do it.
Later on Saturday evening, Mr. Vilas Chaleysut, Governor of the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), Mr. Thitiwut Ngoenkhlai, Deputy Governor of MEA, and Mr. Chadchart Sittipunt, Governor of Bangkok, attended the funeral ceremony of Mr. Kamthorn. They all expressed their condolences to the family.
Mr. Chadchart also said that he would have officials from Wang Thonglang District take care of Mr. Kamthorn’s sister, who now lives alone, in addition to the compensation provided by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA).
“Problems of this magnitude are not limited to cable ducts. Every construction project in Bangkok must be inspected and anticipated in advance. I emphasize the need for thorough care and increased cooperation because theft, including cable cutting and manhole cover theft, has significantly increased. Collaboration among the BMA, MEA, MRTA, Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, and Expressway Authority of Thailand is necessary to reduce accidents,” he said.
Mr. Vilas, the Governor of MEA, gave 50,000 baht in cash to Mr. Kamphon and expressed his deepest condolences to Mr. Kamthorn’s family.
“I am truly sorry. The project was intended to improve the quality of life for city residents, but this tragic incident occurred. I assure you that MEA will not abandon you, contrary to the morning news reports. That’s why I came here in person today,” he said.
Mr. Thitiwut, Deputy Governor of MEA, added that all 150 stolen manhole covers were urgently replaced by purchasing concrete slabs from construction material stores to cover all the openings. MEA has now ordered precast concrete covers to replace all of them. Regarding the stolen covers, MEA has filed police reports at Phahonyothin, Chokchai, and Lat Phrao police stations, and will follow up on whether any suspects have been apprehended.
