A tragic event occurred when a 14-year-old boy accompanied his stepfather to work on pile driving and was pulled in and crushed to death by a winch machine. The stepfather saw it happen but could not intervene in time and collapsed, losing consciousness.
On 19 Jun 2016 GMT+7, it was reported that at 18:00 on 18 Jun, Police Lieutenant Thanathip Jitaree, Deputy Investigator, received a report of a person trapped in a pile-driving crane at a construction site in Moo 12, Nong Prue Subdistrict, Bang Lamung District, Chonburi Province. Upon notification, he rushed to the scene accompanied by rescue teams from the Sawang Boriboon Thammasathan Foundation, Pattaya City.
The scene was at a condominium construction project. Inspecting the pile-driving crane, the machine had stopped. They found the body of a 14-year-old boy from Ranong Province trapped in the winch cable (also called a cable puller) used to pull the steel pile-driving frame. His body was crushed from the legs to mid-torso, with bones shattered beyond recognition, resulting in death. Rescue teams used cutting tools to pry the winch machine for nearly an hour before successfully removing the body.
Nearby, Mr. Kantapon, 29, the victim's stepfather, was found crying uncontrollably and fainting several times until rescue workers urgently carried him away for first aid in an ambulance. He stated he was operating the pile-driving crane. Just before the accident, near the end of the workday, he told the boy to turn off the battery located at the rear of the machine. After that, he saw the boy climb onto the machinery but did not know why.
However, he heard his son shout, “I want to help you, Dad.” Then, within seconds, he was unsure what happened but turned to see his son’s body caught and pulled under the winch cable of the crane. The body was crushed entirely by the winch. He immediately stopped the machine and shouted for help. Seeing his son's condition caused him immense grief.
Later, Ms. Wipawadee, 44, the victim’s mother, arrived at the scene. Upon learning of her son’s death, she broke down and fainted as well and could not bear to see his body. She recounted that the last time she spoke to her son was that morning, when he said he was going to help his father at work. Those were the last words she heard from him. She remains unable to accept the tragic event.
Meanwhile, police are investigating the cause. Preliminary assumptions suggest the victim climbed onto the crane and accidentally got his pants caught in the winch cable, pulling him into the machine and crushing him to death. Authorities are conducting a detailed autopsy and interviewing witnesses to determine the exact cause.