Published on November 14, 2005

A teenage singer died of head injuries yesterday afternoon, a day after being hit by a 10-kilogram steel tank, which broke loose from a fairground ride at a radio station funfair on Saturday. Vigoon “Phai” Boonthanom, 22, of GMM Grammy’s the First Stage Project Album, had been in a coma at Bangkok Hospital since Saturday.

He was hit by the tank, which was part of the “Fear Factor” attraction, after it fell from a crane just seconds after he had been on the ride and was walking away.

The accident occurred at the EFM Funfair held by the radio station at the Bangkok International Trade and Exhibition Centre (Bitec) in Bang Na.

Vigoon was pronounced dead at Bangkok Hospital at 3.30pm yesterday.

Yesterday morning, the director of Bangkok Hospital Dr Pichit Kangvolkij, reported that Vigoon had been declared brain dead, though he remained connected to a respirator. He added that doctors would observe his condition for six hours before removing the respirator. Vigoon died just four hours later.

Fans of the singer flocked to the hospital’s intensive care unit yesterday.

Vigoon’s father Wallop, 49, and mother Primpreaw, 44, who travelled to the hospital from Nakhon Si Thammarat, plan to bring his body back to the province for cremation.

“I can’t believe the operator would bring such a machine to a fair without some kind of guarantee of its safety,” Primpreaw said.

Wallop, who is a major in the Army said that he hadn’t seen his son this year because he had been sent to work in the three southernmost provinces.

“When I come back, we won’t be able to be together as a family anymore,” the father said.

The head of Bang Na Police Station, Pol Major Sajjapong Voranantakul, said that police had questioned a number of witnesses, including the ride’s crane driver, and had also removed the 2.5-metre-tall tank and 10-wheel truck used for loading the crane.

The ride involves holding onto the tank, which is then lifted high into the air. The person on the ride is then brought down by safety sling.

Sajjapong said officers were investigating whether the organisers had sought legal permission to use the ride. He added that if police found that the ride did not meet safety standards, the fair’s organisers and any other responsible parties could be charged with causing death by negligence.

Pol Lt-Colonel Noppadol Samart of Bang Na Police Station said that the crane driver Wasan Pathumma had already been charged with negligence. Police said Wasan had allegedly untied the tank before Vigoon had removed all of the safety straps.

Saithip Montreekul, the managing director of GMM Media Co Plc, said the company would take full responsibility for the case. But she added that at the present she was more concerned with Vigoon’s tragic death.

Saithip added that this was the fourth year that EFM had held the funfair and she insisted that the organisers, Event Solution Company, had selected all of the rides with security in mind and that the accident was unforeseeable.

Post your comment to this story here