11-Year-Old Drives Pickup into Monk Procession, Death Toll Rises to 10 in Mukdahan

MUKDAHAN, JULY 3 (TNA) - In a tragic accident in Mukdahan Province, an 11-year-old boy with special needs took his grandparents' pickup truck without permission and plowed into a procession of pilgrimaging monks on Highway 2034. 

The violent crash killed five monks instantly at the scene, while five others later succumbed to their injuries at the hospital, raising the total death toll to 10.

The pilgrimage group, which comprised 34 monks and 5 laypeople from Wat Pho Manorom, was en route to Ubon Ratchathani when the vehicle swept through their line. Before the crash, the boy had locked the truck from the inside as his grandmother desperately tried to stop him.

Mukdahan Hospital continues to treat the remaining survivors, several of whom remain in critical condition with severe bone fractures and brain trauma. 

The vehicle's compulsory insurance covers up to 20 million Baht in total, providing 500,000 Baht per deceased monk and 80,000 Baht plus actual medical expenses for each injured victim.

In response to the tragedy, His Holiness the Supreme Patriarch has graciously placed the funeral rites under his patronage and granted financial aid for the injured monks' medical care.

Legally, the Director-General of the Department of Rights Protection and Legal Aid stated that because the driver is under 12 years old, he is exempt from criminal punishment.

However, the law protects the victims' families, who are entitled to file civil lawsuits against the boy's parents for substantial financial compensation. Authorities have urged the families of the deceased to exercise their legal rights to claim these damages.-819 (TNA)