Praewa, family told to pay B27m in damages

The Civil Court yesterday ordered the family of a young driver who killed nine people and injured four others in a crash on Bangkok’s Don Muang tollway five years ago to pay the victims about 27 million baht in compensation.

The ruling was made against Orachorn “Praewa” Thephasadin na Ayudhya and her parents.

Orachorn’s car slammed into the rear of a passenger van carrying students and staff from Thammasat University on the Din Daeng-Don Muang tollway on Dec 27, 2010. She was 16 years old at the time, too young to hold a driving licence.

In 2011, she was charged with driving without a licence, reckless driving causing death and injuries, property damage, and using a mobile phone while driving.

The Civil Court also ordered Orachorn’s parents to pay compensation because they failed to prove they had supervised their daughter properly.

The case involved 28 plaintiffs — relatives of the dead and the injured. The compensation ranges from 4,000 baht to 1.8 million baht per case, and the combined sum came to just under 27 million baht, plus 7.5% interest.

The victims’ families had earlier demanded 120 million baht and said yesterday they would decide later whether to appeal.

Pol Col Saran Nilwan, father of Sudawadee Nilwan, one of the dead students, said the relatives will meet their lawyer on Dec 22 to discuss an appeal.

“We respect the court’s ruling but we think it is not enough money,” he said.

Orachorn’s Honda Civic crashed into the back of the passenger van, which was heading to Victory Monument from Thammasat University’s Rangsit campus.

The van hit the safety barrier along the side of the elevated tollway near the Bang Khen exit. The force of the impact catapulted some of the passengers from the vehicle onto Vibhavadi Rangsit Road below.

On Aug 31, 2012, the Central Juvenile and Family Court found Orachorn guilty on most of the charges, sentencing her to three years in prison and banning her from driving until she is 25. The prison term was later commuted to two years, and suspended for four years.