A disabled food delivery rider was killed in a road accident on Monday after his motorbike collided with an SUV in Bangkok metropolitan area, Nonthaburi province.
Grab Food rider Danai Chainarao, 25, whose right leg had been amputated, was found dead on Monday morning on Tiwanon Road after his motorbike was run into by an SUV, according to Capt. Suwat Saneha of Nonthaburi City Police yesterday, adding that Danai’s prosthetic leg was found at the scene. His pillion, who was seriously injured, was taken to hospital.
The car’s driver, identified as Woratanut Chinnanon, 38, told police that he was driving back to his home and did not see Danai’s motorbike when he was crossing a bridge overlooking the Tiwanon Intersection.
According to CCTV footage, police found that the SUV was speeding before it crashed into the motorbike Danai was riding. Police said they would conduct an alcohol test on Woratanut before questioning him further.
Danai’s mother, Chantima Boonrat, told police that her son suffered from bone cancer and that his right leg had to be amputated in 2019. After he recovered, he put on a prosthetic leg and was able to deliver meals for the Grab delivery service. Before the accident happened, Chantima said her son had called her to say that he and his friend were about to deliver a meal to the Tiwanon area.
While Thailand suffers greatly from economic collapse, food delivery companies are among a few who see their businesses thrive. However, the industry boom comes with a cost: Delivery workers struggle with heavy workload, low wages and a lack of legal rights and protections under outdated Thai employment laws. With fierce competition in the market, the couriers are incentivized to work harder, longer and faster. They face daily risks of road hazards and growing scam orders, while customer complaints and cancelled orders could result in the drivers getting suspended from the platforms. Many are also missing out on basic workers’ rights.
Thailand has some of the world’s highest road fatality rates, and although government and media attention tends to be seasonal, such as New Year’s or Songkran holidays, the rest of the year is also deadly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), about 20,000 people die in road accidents each year, or about 56 deaths a day.
Grab, one of the fastest-growing delivery services in Southeast Asia, has yet to reveal whether it was compensating Danai as of publication time.
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