Truck driver’s boss will pay compensation to victims

Truck driver’s boss will pay compensation to victims

Ekkapot Yossiri's wild drive though downtown Bangkok on Wednesday left 42 damaged vehicles in his wake, including this one.(File photo by Patipat Janthong)
Ekkapot Yossiri's wild drive though downtown Bangkok on Wednesday left 42 damaged vehicles in his wake, including this one.(File photo by Patipat Janthong)

The company that employed the driver of the truck that careened along downtown streets in Bangkok on Wednesday, damaging 42 vehicles, has offered to pay the excess costs not covered by insurance.

The truck was covered by Syn Mun Kong Insurance for a maxim damages payment of 600,000 baht, which would be shared among the owners of all the damaged vehicles.

The total estimated damage was around 2.5 million baht, and police advised the vehicle owners to file civil suits to against the company to recoup the balance.

However, on Friday a representative of Chaipiwat Co, Suthee Butrprom, chief of the company’s transport department, said the trucking firm was willing to pay the extra amount and would also offer some compensation to all victims.

In total, 34 cars and eight motorcycles, and some shop property, were damaged during the rampage by the 27-year-old driver, Ekkapot Yossiri, on roads through the Thong Lo and Ekamai area.

Mr Ekkapot has been charged with seven counts - drug use and possession with intent to sell,  driving while on drugs, failing to stop and offer assistance after an accident, going through traffic lights,  ignoring hand signals to stop, and fleeing an officer of the law.

Following his arrest on Wednesday, Mr Ekkapot told police that he was on drugs and was brokenhearted before he ran amok. Police found 1.93 grammes of crystal meth in his possession.

Mr Suthee said Mr Ekkapot had worked with the company for four months, earning 10,000 baht a month with accommodation. He was a quiet man and kept to himself, and had never had any problems with other workers.

Mr Suthee said the company did random drug testing once or twice a month. From now on, it would be stricter in recruitment and would make background checks with police on another 31 drivers.

The company would not interfere with the police legal proceedings against Mr Ekkapot, he said.

Mr Ekkapot was taken to the South Bangkok Court on Friday, where police sought routine approval to detain him for further legal processing.

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