Referring to the official report compiled by the Phuket Provincial office of the Department of Disaster Prevention and Mitigation (DDPM-Phuket), Vice Governor Supoj explained that during the first day of the campaign – from midnight to midnight, Dec 27 – Phuket suffered just seven people injured in seven accidents: five in Muang District and two in Thalang District.
Of note, to be reported as “injured” during the Seven Days campaign, road-accident victims must be taken to hospital for treatment. People injured in accidents who are not transported to hospital from the accident scene are not included in the statistics for the period.
Of the seven people injured was 34 -year-old German woman Pinar Oezcan, whose motorbile collided with a pickup truck near the Somjit market in Karon at 11am. She was not drunk, and she was wearing a helmet, the DDPM reported. Ms Oezcan suffered an injury to her lower leg and was taken to Dibuk Hospital.
Jirayut Muangman, 54, was taken to Thalang Hospital and later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital after the motorbike he was riding collided with a pickup truck in Thepkrasattri subdistrict at 12:45pm. The extent of his injuries was not reported, but were recorded as “serious”.
Early yesterday morning, Husoon Saechua, 60, suffered minor head injuries in a motorbike accident in Phuket Town at 5:49am. He was drunk and riding without a helmet, and is now recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital, the DDPM noted in its report.
Jidapha Thannitnon, 21, suffered an injury to a toe after the motorbike she was riding collided with a pickup truck in Rawai at 8:49am. She was taken to Chalong Hospital and later transferred to Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Jakkrit Boonyet, 24, suffered scratches to his body after the motorbike he was riding collided with a taxi on the bypass road at 9:40am. He is now recovering at Vachira Phuket Hospital.
Kawinsak Boonpharirarot, 59, suffered minor head injuries when the motorbike he was riding collided with a car in a small street about 20 metres north of the Heroines Monument at about 9:20pm. He was drunk, and also vomiting, noted the DDPM report, and he was taken to Thalang Hospital for treatment of his injuries.
Chaiyapong Phetchin, 20, suffered minor injuries after he fell off his motorbike unassisted on Koh Maphrao (Coconut Island). He was taken to Vachira Phuket Hospital, the DDPM report added.
DEAD TOO EARLY
An official at the the national Thai Road Safety Committee (ThaiRSC), not willing to be named, today told The Phuket News that the one death that as of late this afternoon was still being reported by the ThaiRSC website as occurring on Dec 27 is marked as such as that was when the national road safety office was informed of the death.
The official said Somchai Henngam, 44, died after his motorbike hit a power pole in Rassada technically within the 24 hour-period of Dec 26.
Mr Somchai was reportedly dead at the scene.
“Mission Hospital Phuket informed the ThaiRSC on Dec 27,” the official said, though either would not or could confirm the time of the accident.
However, as the accident, and Mr Somchai’s death, has been been confirmed as occurring within the 24 hours of Dec 26, the death will not be included in the tally of those killed or injured in the Seven Days road-safety campaign.
Meanwhile, the DDPM-Phuket office reported this morning that police in Phuket issued 851 fines for moving violations during the previous 24-hour period, as follows:
• 22 fined for operating an unsafe/illegally modified motorcycle
• 57 fined for not wearing seatbelts
• 266 fined for driving without a licence
• 0 fined speeding
• 60 fined for ignoring traffic signals
• 43 fined for ghost driving (driving opposite traffic flow)
• 29 fined for dangerously cutting off other motorists in traffic
• 26 fined for using mobile phones while driving.
• 20 people were arrested for drunk driving during the period.
• 328 people fined for not wearing helmets
Phuket concluded the Seven Days of Danger road-safety campaign for New Year 2019 with six dead and 53 injured in 55 accidents reported during the holiday week from Dec 27 to Jan 2. (See story here.)
The “Seven Days” road-safety campaign for New Year 2018 saw two people killed and 46 injured in 46 accidents in Phuket (see story here), while the campaign for New Year 2017 also saw two people killed but 81 injured in 74 road accidents in Phuket during the campaign (see story here).
Meanwhile, ThaiRSC has so far reported 65 people injured in 65 accidents in Phuket for today (Dec 28), Day 2 of the campaign.
Nationwide, Thailand so far has suffered 74 deaths and 3,777 people injured in 3,851 road accidents on Day 1 of the campaign.
So far this year, 16,564 people been killed and a further 910,828 people injured ni road accidents on Thai roads, ThaiRSC reports.