Disabled Person Electrocuted by Street Lamp: Thai Department of Highways Promises Compensation and Nationwide Inspections

Pathum Thani—

On November 7th, 2023, Mr. Sarawut Songsivilai, the Director-General of the Department of Highways, publicly stated about an incident in which a disabled person was electrocuted by a street lamp on a traffic island in Sam Khok, Pathum Thani.

Sarawut and the Department of Highways officials expressed their condolences to the victim’s family and ordered the Pathum Thani Highway to investigate the true cause of the incident.

The victim was later identified as Ms. Vilai Thepsarn, a 46-year-old disabled person.
At 5:30 AM, on November 7th, 2023, Pathum Thani electrical officers, Sam Khok police officers, and relevant agencies were dispatched to the incident scene to inspect the street lamp and facilitate traffic.

The victim was found to have been electrocuted after grabbing a street lamp on a traffic island. According to the report from electrical officers, wires that connected each other were found worn out and caused leakage of an electrical current. The electrical officers fixed the leakage with a new breaker.

Sarawut stated that the Department of Highways will take responsibility and compensate the victim’s family for the incident. The Department of Highways has always inspected and repaired electrical lighting on highways for the convenience and safety of the people.

However, the relevant agencies were ordered to thoroughly inspect every street lamp across the country and repair the malfunctioned ones immediately to prevent similar incidents from happening again, said Sarawut.

There have been two similar incidents in Pattaya in the past year, one that severely injured a young bar worker and one in which a young Russian Basketball prodigy died, as seen here.