A tourist boat driver sustained a fatal neck injury in yet another Pattaya speedboat accident.
Just more than a month after 18 South Korean tourists and two guides were hurt in a speedboat collision off Koh Larn, Pithak Aedon, 36, was struck in the head and neck by the propeller of a boat towing a banana-boat raft in front of the Natural Park Hotel in Najomtien Beach.
A driver for a Japanese tourist boat, Pithak was rushed to Bangkok Hospital Pattaya May 25, where he succumbed to his injuries early that evening.
Unlike in the April 21 Koh Larn accident, the driver of the Suwanchokchai 36 remained at the scene of the accident. He was arrested while parked 20 meters from the scene and charged with reckless driving resulting in injury.
The driver of the Suwanchokchai 36 was arrested and charged with reckless driving resulting in injury.
Witnesses said Pithak was waiting for customers to finish their day at Pattaya Beach and decided to go for a swim. About 20 meters offshore he was struck by the banana boat, turning the sea a deep red. Tourists rushed into to help the drowning victim, providing CPR after pulling his unconscious body ashore.
Following April’s accident, both Thailand’s transport and tourism ministers had pledged to make marine safety a top priority, promising swift action to bring safety standards up to internationally acceptable levels.
