A distraught father was saved from jumping to his death while carrying his 7-year-old daughter.
Banglamung police were called to a pedestrian bridge in front of Pattaya School No. 3 Aug. 10 to find local motorbike taxi drivers restraining a drunk man intent on committing suicide and murder by jumping into traffic with his little girl.
Wirath Popanom, 40 of Ayutthaya, and his frightened daughter Canida were taken to a hospital for a checkup.
Wirath told police he and his daughter had come to Pattaya to find his wife, who had left after an argument and was working in a hotel here.
After a week, he confronted his wife at her apartment in Jomtien Beach, but she refused to reconcile and left on a motorbike.
Already having lost his job, the man drowned himself in liquor and then decided life was no longer worth living.
Wirath Popanom (inset) was restrained whilst attempting to jump to his death with his 7-year-old daughter.
Motorbike driver Lek Muanwilai, 46, said he saw the father and daughter get off a baht bus under the bridge before Wirath started hitting his daughter. He later dragged her up on the bridge and attempted to jump, but his daughter started screaming and held on to the rails. Lek said he and fellow drivers then went to help.
Police said Wirath previously had contacted authorities to ask for help in sending his daughter back to Bangkok because he had no money. Police gave him cash and put the two in a minibus back to the capital. But other passengers in the van tossed the drunk father out when he started beating on his girl.
