A common problem of roofs on many buildings, especially shophouses here in Thailand, is that when the buildings age a few years, the roofs tend to leak and rainwater drips into the living quarters below.
One either employs a repairman to fix the problem, which could cost a considerable amount of money, or one can climb up onto the roof and fix the cracks in the concrete or tiles, whichever material makes up the roof.
The causes of rainwater building up are leaves blown onto the roof surface and an overgrowth of lichen which block off drainage, causing the water to stagnate and seep through the cracks in the roof surface.
Sanga Chimkrod, 38, a resident of a shophouse in Soi Photisan on the Pattaya-Naklua Road, had such a frustrating problem, so he decided to take the matter of his leaky roof into his own hands.
On the afternoon of July 29, he climbed up onto the roof of his shophouse to repair the cracks in the floor and clean out the leaves and lichen that were causing water to pond on his roof.
Whilst scrubbing away at the muck, he stepped on a patch of wet lichen which caused him to slip and lose his footing, sending him hurtling over the edge of the roof, plunging straight down to the hard concrete road four floors below.
As luck may have it on his short dive to the ground, he bounced off a tree that stood next to the building, breaking his fall and miraculously saving his life.
When rescue units arrived, they found him lying in a pool of blood with his wife sitting by his side, nursing him. She had lovingly placed an open umbrella over him to keep him shaded from the hot sun.
On initial examination, first aid medics determined that Sanga’s right leg was broken and he suffered a fractured jaw.
Sanga was given emergency first aid before being transported to a hospital for further treatment for his injuries.
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