BANGKOK — Families of victims in a car crash that killed 9 in 2010 have donated 1 million baht to a university legal center that offered them legal aid during their almost decade-long battle for compensation.
On Saturday, families of the victims at the hands of Orachorn “Praewa” Thephasadin Na Ayudhya, who killed 9 when her car slammed into a Thammasat University van on Dec. 27, 2010, donated 1 million baht to the legal center that helped them with their case.
Praewa, of the illustrious Thephasadin Na Ayudhya clan, avoided jail time and served 138 hours of community service, completed in 2016. In May, the civil case against Praewa finally ended and she was ordered to pay compensation within a month, which her family only did three months later on Aug. 6 after public outcry. Her legal representatives paid 41.7 million baht in compensation to the victims, with 800,000 baht still outstanding.
“Getting a lot or a little, it’s not as important now that it’s over,” Thawin Chaotiang said. “We’re lucky…A lot of lawyers would have abandoned a civil case lasting this long.”
Thawin’s adoptive son, Sastra Chaotiang, died in the crash. The 71-year-old, who had hopes of retiring under his son’s care, now has to sell garlands to make ends meet.
Read: Families of 9 Dead Still Reeling from ‘Praewa’ Crash Nine Years Ago
The families say that they hope the donation will help others seeking legal aid from the law center.
Law professors at the event spoke about how there aren’t enough Thai laws to ensure that parties owed compensation actually get paid. In many cases, parties in the case have to go collect the debt themselves.
“Thanks for fighting with us over the past nine years,” tweeted Warunyoo Ketchoo, who was severely injured in the crash.
ขอบคุณทุกท่านสำหรับ 9 ปี ที่สู้ด้วยกันมา #นิติมธ #นิติธรรมศาสตร์ #thefirstandthebest pic.twitter.com/q71msF8pl2
— tintin (@tintinwarunyoo) August 17, 2019
บรรดาแม่ๆ มีแม่เพิ่ม pic.twitter.com/W2SvXD5h95
— tintin (@tintinwarunyoo) August 18, 2019
Mothers, widows, and relatives of the Praewa crash victims on Saturday.
Related stories:
9 Years Later, ‘Praewa’ Delivers Compensation to Car Crash Victims
Families of 9 Dead Still Reeling from ‘Praewa’ Crash Nine Years Ago
9 Years On, Crash Victims Say ‘Praewa’ Gave No Compensation
‘Praewa’ Ordered to Pay 30 Million Baht to Van Crash Victims
Praewa Completes Community Service, 4 Years After Court Orders It
Supreme Court Rejects Appeal from Underage Motorist Who Killed 9
