SINGAPORE : Thai teenager Nitcharee Peneakchanasak has returned to the scene of her double amputation, to seek justice with a case against two big Singapore opponents.
FLASHBACK: HRH Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn donated the prosthetic limbs for the crippled 15-year-old, and watched her progress admiringly. (Bangkok Post file photo)
The Straits Times newspaper reported that her lawsuit against the Singapore Mass Rapid Transit (SMRT) and the Land Transport Authority (LTA) will start Monday, and likely will last more than three weeks.
Nitcharee is known as Nong Than across the entire country. Now 16, she fell onto the SMRT tracks while waiting for a train in April of last year. The oncoming train severed one of her legs below the knee, and the second had to be amputated during her hospital treatment.
The incredible spirit and unfailing smile of the Trang teen have thrilled and touched the hearts of Thais - and many Singaporeans.
But the executives of the SMRT and LTA and their lawyers will claim once again on Monday that the accident was her own fault, and tell the judge she doesn't even deserve an apology or sympathy, let alone damages or compensation.
The Straits Times reported her lawsuit will ask the Singapore court to award her S$3.4 million (85.5 million baht, about US$2.79) in restitution and damages. Doctors in Singapore and in Bangkok have agreed that she will require about 20 changes of prosthetic legs and expensive medical care during her expected life time.
The newspaper said Nitcharee was accompanied to Singapore by her father, Mr Kittanesh, 57, an insurance agent, and her elder sister, Thunravee, 22.
Twelve witness will testify at a trial that the newspaper is expected to last 15 days and end on Nov 19. (Story continued below)
Daily stretches were part of the rehabilitation, always done with that smile. (Bangkok Post file photo)
There is no prediction on when a verdict will be handed down. The court must decide if the SMRT and/or the LTA were negligent and contributed to the accident, and if so how much they should pay in damages.
Nitcharee was in Singapore for a month-long school course in English when the accident occurred. She fell onto the MRT tracks at Ang Mo Kio station just as a train was pulling in.
The hearing on Monday will mark the start of a trial to determine whether SMRT and LTA were at fault. The Straits Times reported that Nitcharee will be the first witness on Monday, followed by the investigative officer in charge of the case, and several experts.
The SMRT lawyers from the Singapore law firm of KhattarWong have already claimed that Nitcharee fell on the tracks of her own accord.
Members of Nitcharee's family have told reporters that she had been standing safely behind the yellow lines and that CCTV footage showed that she appeared to have been pushed or shoved by the crowd at the station.