BANGKOK — A Norwegian man’s family in Thailand filed a complaint after he was seriously injured by an automatic door of a transport company which initially denied responsibility. However, after the latest negotiation, the company agreed to pay.
On September 11, family members of Mr. Wiggo, a 71-year-old Norwegian man, with the assistance of Ekapop Luangprasert, advisor to the Minister of Interior and founder of the “Sai Mai Tong Rod” (Sai Mai Must Survive) page, filed a complaint at Prachachuen Police Station.
They reported that Mr. Wiggo was hit by an automatic door inside a transport company on Kamphaeng Phet 7 Road in Mo Chit on August 26, causing him to fall and fracture his hip, requiring urgent surgery in the ICU and over half a month of treatment in the ICU.
The hospital has estimated the medical costs to date at over 1.3 million baht, but there has been no progress in the company taking responsibility.
Mrs. Buathong, Mr. Wiggo’s wife, stated in an interview that the family had requested the transport company’s assistance with medical expenses. Initially, the company said they would take responsibility for the victim and even sent a gift basket and representatives to apologize. They asked for all medical expense details to be sent to them for management consideration.
However, on September 6, when the company learned of the high medical costs, they began to show reluctance to compensate for the damages. A company representative called the victim’s relatives to deny responsibility, stating that the victim had walked into the door himself. Alternatively, if they were to take responsibility, they asked the family to provide a day-by-day breakdown of medical expenses.
“Our family feels hurt and upset by this callous rejection, especially since the victim already has life insurance from a Norwegian insurance company. The transport company doesn’t need to cover all expenses; we just want them to help with the difference in medical costs and provide some compensation to show responsibility for what happened,” she said.
Feeling that they were not receiving fair treatment, they filed a complaint at Prachachuen Police Station and sought help from the “Sai Mai Tong Rod” page to investigate and find those responsible for the damages. Currently, her husband’s condition has improved somewhat, but he still needs to continue treatment, and the total medical expenses cannot yet be determined.
Mr. Ekapop said that he’s not pointing fingers at who’s right or wrong because the incident was an accident. He wants a thorough investigation of the facts to find those responsible. He cited a similar case where an elderly woman was injured in a similar accident at a famous department store in Rangsit, and the department store willingly covered medical expenses and compensated the victim, which he considers a good example. He hopes this case can also be resolved amicably.
Later that afternoon, the police invited legal representatives from the transport company and the victim’s relatives for negotiations to reach a resolution. The outcome was positive, with the transport company accepting the victim’s family’s conditions.
Due to the victim having insurance coverage, there had been a miscommunication, but now it’s understood that only the difference in medical expenses needs to be covered, along with showing humanitarian consideration for the victim’s family. The company will consider providing assistance and compensation in relevant areas, in accordance with legal conditions.
The relatives are satisfied and feel somewhat better that the transport company will take responsibility. No specific amount has been set yet, as the legal process and evidence verification need to be completed first. Initially, the family accepts the proposed conditions, as the victim already has insurance and only wants some assistance from the company.
The Norwegian man’s family is quite confident that the door has a 360-degree sensor, and the victim certainly didn’t catch his leg on it intentionally. They believe it’s impossible that there would be no compensation from the company.
Within the next 1-2 days, the investigating officers will invite forensic officers and experts to examine the automatic door’s sensor equipment at the transport company to determine if there was a malfunction, whether the door receives regular maintenance, and to check CCTV footage from the day of the incident. They will also investigate the company that installed the door for clarity.
“If the transport company is found to be at fault, they could face charges of negligence causing injury to others. If the company is not at fault, the victim would have to pursue civil litigation for damages on their own,” the police officer said.
______
