Racing on pier leaves boy, 13, dead

A 13-YEAR-OLD BOY DIED after his head struck a pylon while he and his friends were racing on Laem Sai Pier in Thepkrasattri, Thalang, on Monday morning (Mar 28).

Police and rescue workers were called to the pier, in Moo 6 Thepkrasattri, soon after 11:30am.

The first-responders arrived to find the boy, Chanachon Chaiwichian, a 13-yearold local resident of Moo 6 Thepkrasattri, dead from fatal head trauma.

Police explained that Chanachon was racing along the pier on motorbikes with friends when the accident happened.

The youngsters were on three motorbikes. They were fast approaching the covered seating area at the end of the pier when two of the motorbikes collided, spilling their drivers and passengers onto the pier.

Chanachon was riding as a passenger on one of the motorbikes. He fell and his head struck a pylon supporting the roof of the seating area. He was not wearing a helmet. The driver of the motorbike Chanachon was riding on was a 14-year-old friend from primary school. The boy, a Myanmar national living in Pa Khlok, was rushed to Thalang Hospital for treatment of serious injuries.

The other youngsters involved in the racing were a boy aged 11, a girl aged 12 and another girl, 13 years old. All three live nearby, in Moo 6 Thepkrasattri.

Jetty supervisor Sudjai Leenoi, 42, said that she was in her office with staff when they saw the children arrive on the motorbikes. Before staff could react, the children took off down the pier at speed, then the accident happened.

At the time of press, police had yet to reveal what action they will take over the deadly accident.