Since Wednesday, netizens have been posting their condolences online, sending their best wishes to the family of Narasiri "Nong Cartoon" Saksitthipan, who passed away peacefully on Wednesday after having been bedridden in a vegetative state for 11 years since she was hit by a truck in a street-racing accident as a young child.
Her passing has stirred up old memories -- amplified by the media -- of that tragic accident on Sept 19, 2014, when a runaway pickup truck driven by Nampueng Jaisa-ngiam crashed into her family's steakhouse in Bangkok's Bang Bon district.
The impact killed her father, Phanuthat, 42, while five-year-old Nong Cartoon suffered extensive brain damage despite being wrapped in his arms.
The case is another sad testament to how reckless driving can destroy the lives of victims and their relatives.
Beyond the loss of life, it resulted in Nong Cartoon's mother, Saranya Chamni, who is now 45, having to undergo the traumatic ordeal of trying and failing to win legal compensation. In this case, "the long arm of the law" has failed to provide justice for the victims.
Shortly after the accident occurred, the Supreme Court sentenced Nampueng to one year in prison for reckless driving and ordered her to pay 6.3 million baht in compensation to the victims' family. Since serving her term, however, Nampueng has defied the verdict and refused to pay compensation by allegedly changing her name and ensuring she holds no assets.
Until now, Ms Saranya has only received 40,000 baht from the perpetrator. The widow even had to seek donations to cover the 1.9-million-baht hospital bill. When she asked the court to force Nampueng to pay the compensation, Ms Saranya was told it was beyond the court's authority.
And she is not alone in facing such an ordeal. Many victims of car accidents in Thailand -- and their relatives -- have to endure lengthy court battles of over a decade in some cases to receive the damages they are owed from ruthless perpetrators and unscrupulous insurance companies.
One glaring example is the case of the family of Rossukol Kulnim, who suffered a fractured skull after the public bus she boarded was hit by a truck years ago.
Her family reportedly needed to ask the Foundation for Consumers, a non-civic group, to help with compensation because the bus operator refused to pay her medical bills. The family was told by the bus operator to use the Universal Healthcare card instead.
The question is how long the government can remain aloof, leaving bereaved victims to chase compensation for themselves.
Yesterday, Saranya informed the media that she would ask the Ministry of Justice to extend the statute of limitations for this case and help track down the perpetrator. It can only be hoped that Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong will uphold the promise he made to the widow last year that the ministry would not stand idly by.
But society doesn't want to see more individuals having to fight such battles. We need a solid mechanism, such as a Special Fund, to provide remedies and stronger law enforcement to trace down and penalise wrongdoers who defy court verdicts.
Being injured or losing a relative in a car accident is tragic enough. It's worse if there is a struggle to obtain the damages. The government must not let this type of predicament continue and become the norm.