A construction crane dropped its load onto the roof of a school packed with students this morning, sending 10 to the hospital including one with serious head trauma.
Police say the crane operator and contractor overseeing renovation of the River Garden residences may be charged with negligence after materials came crashing down on the private, all-girls Assumption Convent School in the Bang Rak district.
“Only one student remains at the hospital at the moment because the load fell on their head, cracking it. The other nine only had minor injuries and were sent home,” Bang Rak police chief Duangchote Suwannajarat told Coconuts Bangkok today.
“Doctors are still examining the remaining casualty to determine the severity of her head trauma. They are still running some exams and closely monitoring the student’s condition,” he added.
Police said that at about 11pm, while the operator was trying to turn the crane, its load broke free and fell onto Assumption Convent’s basketball court, collapsing part of an indoor gymnasium onto students seated below. The 10 students were immediately rushed to Lerdsin and St. Louis hospitals.
After an initial inspection of the site, Col. Duangchote said the crane appeared to have malfunctioned but said a final determination won’t be made until it has been reviewed by the public works department and other officials.
Conveniently, Duangchote said he could not remember the names of the crane operator or the construction company. The severity of injuries sustained by the hospitalized student will likely be a factor in any additional prosecution, he added.
Accidents at Bangkok’s many poorly supervised construction sites often result in injury or death, with promises of accountability rarely met with more than scapegoating migrant laborers.
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