A teenage driver responsible for the death of nine people in a tollway crash in 2010 has been handed a two-year prison sentence, suspended for three years.
Thongphun Panthong, the mother of one of nine people killed in a road crash caused by an underage driver in 2010, cries after hearing the court’s verdict yesterday. The court handed a suspended two-year jail sentence to the car driver, Orachorn Thephasadin Na Ayudhya. KOSOL NAKACHOL
The Central Juvenile and Family Court yesterday gave the sentence to Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin Na Ayudhya, 18, whose sedan collided with a passenger van on the Don Muang tollway in December 2010, killing nine of the passengers. She was just 16 at the time, making her an underage driver.
On the night of Dec 27, 2010, a Honda Civic driven by Orachorn collided with the passenger van on the elevated Don Muang Tollway.
The van then crashed into a barrier near the Bang Khen exit. Passengers were thrown from the vehicle and fell several metres to the road below.
Orachorn sustained minor injuries.
The victims' families have filed lawsuits seeking tens of millions of baht in compensation from the driver.
She was charged with unlicensed and reckless driving, causing death.
The court initially imposed a three-year term but reduced it to two years because she had been helpful in the investigation proceedings, reports said.
Orachorn's prison sentence was suspended for three years and she was put on probation.
The court also banned her from driving until she is 25 years old.
Orachorn, wearing sunglasses, appeared calm as she and her family emerged from the courtroom.
Before the court made the ruling, Pol Col Saran Nilawan, the father of Thammasat University first-year student Chutiporn Nilawan, who died in the crash, said the defendant had never apologised for what happened, possibly because she might have been afraid it would affect the case.
After the sentencing, Krit Rodaree, the 64-year-old father of another victim, Kiattiman Rodaree, said the law should be changed to make parents criminally liable for any crimes committed by their underage children.
"The parents' responsibility must be taken into account in this respect," Dr Krit said.
"Parents should not only take care of their children when incidents happen."
Society should take this case as an example as it was caused by carelessness, he added.
Dr Krit said he will consider exercising his right as a damaged party in appealing against the verdict.
Thawil Chaothieng, mother of Satra Chaothieng, the Thammasat University lecturer who also died in the crash, said she had nothing to say to Orachorn after the sentencing.
"Speak to her? I don't even want to lay my eyes on her, let alone speak. It was three years and now it's a suspended jail term," she said.
"Everyone has nothing but regrets. I despair the loss of my son's life. He came back after four long years of study overseas. He didn't even have a chance to be happy. It was taken away from him in a car crash," Ms Thawil said.