A total of 27 parties entitled to receive financial compensation from the 2010 Orachon "Praewa" Devahastin na Ayudhya deadly tollway crash will today start collecting their share of the combined compensation totalling over 42 million baht after a nine-year fight.
Opas Anantasomboon, chief judge at the Civil Court, said those who own a Krungthai Bank account will start receiving their compensation on Friday, while those with accounts with other banks might have to wait until next Tuesday for an inter-bank cheque clearing process. Once they receive the payment, the case will be finished.
Isariya Yuetyaokhong, a lawyer with Thammasat University's law centre who represented the relatives of the nine dead victims and the four victims who survived the crash, was present in court on Friday along with a well-known TV-host as a cheque totalling 42.5 million baht ordered by the court was submitted.
The Supreme Court on May 8 this year ordered Praewa, aka Rawinbhirom Arunvongse, her parents and the car owner to pay the families of the victims 27 million baht plus 7.5% interest from the day of the accident.
The total amount of compensation involved in the case has swelled to 42.5 million baht.
On Dec 27, 2010, Praewa crashed her car into a public van when she was 16-years-old and not yet eligible to have a driving licence.
Thawil Chaothiang, the 71-year-old mother of PhD graduate and scientist with the National Science and Technology Development Agency (NSTDA), Sastra Chaothiang, who was among the nine killed in the crash, said she was relieved to hear the fight for justice was drawing to an end.
The woman, who now earns a living selling garlands at a market in Ratchaburi's Muang district after losing her son in the 2010 crash, described the court battle for justice over the last nine years as "gruelling".
She is entitled to receive 2.5 million baht in compensation.
The tollway crash saga was recently reignited after the affected parties spoke to media about their ordeal.