Teacher Hit Student With Car; Prosecutor Drops Negligence Charge

A video shared on social media has sparked heated debate over an accident that occurred on June 11 at a school in Li District, Lamphun Province, where a male student was struck by a teacher's car. Security camera footage shows the student jumping over a drainage ditch, crossing a grass area, and suddenly running onto the road in front of the vehicle. Shrubs along the roadside blocked the teacher's view, preventing the driver from seeing the student in time. The student sustained a fractured and deformed ankle and was rushed to hospital by the teacher.

Following the incident, the school attempted to mediate. The teacher verbally agreed to pay approximately 100,000 baht in assistance and cover care until the child recovered. However, the teacher later changed the meeting location to Li Police Station and requested to reduce compensation to 50,000 baht. The family rejected this offer, citing high transportation and medical expenses. When mediation failed, police forwarded the case to prosecutors.

The Lamphun Province Prosecutor's Office has decided not to press negligence charges against the teacher, classifying the incident as an unavoidable accident caused by the student running into the road from behind vegetation where the driver could not see. Social media has split into two camps: supporters of the teacher view it as an unforeseeable accident with obstructed sightlines, while supporters of the family argue that drivers must exercise extra caution in school zones and maintain very low speeds. The student's father later posted on Facebook that his 160-centimeter-tall son was taller than the shrubs and should have been visible to an attentive driver. He argued that with proper care, the collision would have been minor rather than causing a broken leg.