By Jon Fernquest
Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin na Ayudhya, who crashed into van killing 9 people, has two-year suspended jail sentence upheld by appeals court.
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2010 crash girl driver sentence upheld
22/04/2014
The Appeals Court on Tuesday upheld a two-year suspended jail term handed down by the Juvenile and Family Court on a woman, who was then 16 years old, who drove a sedan that crashed into a passenger van on the Don Muang elevated tollway, killing nine people, in 2010.
The court of first instance sentenced Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin Na Ayudhya to two years in prison, suspended for three years. Her name was suppressed because she was then only 17, despite being an unlicensed and underage driver.
Orachorn "Praewa" Thephasadin na Ayudhya is seen using her mobile phone after the fatal accident.
Praewa's family is very well-known in Thai high society. She is now 21 years old.
The Appeals Court upheld the prison sentence, but extended the probation period from three to four years, during which time she is to perform public services for 48 hours per year. The court also upheld the driving ban until she reaches 25 years of age.
The accident occurred on the night of Dec 27, 2010 when Praewa, who was then 17 and unlicensed, was driving her Honda Civic and it ran into the rear of a passenger van on the elevated Don Muang tollway above Kasetsart University in Bangkok.
The van then crashed into a safety barrier near the Bang Khen exit. Passengers were thrown from the vehicle, over the safety barrier and fell many metres to the road below. Nine people were killed. Praewa sustained only minor injuries. She was photographed calmly chatting on her mobile phone beside her car after the crash.
The victims' families have filed lawsuits seeking tens of millions of baht in compensation.
The court initially imposed a three-year jail sentence but reduced the term to two years because she had been helpful.
Vocabulary
appeal: a request to a court to change a decision by a lower court - อุทธรณ์
ban: officially not allowed to do something - การห้ามอย่างเป็นทางการ
barrier: a bar or gate that stops people, animals or vehicles from entering a place - สิ่งกีดขวางทางผ่าน
calmly: in a relaxed way without anxiety - อย่างใจเย็น, อย่างไม่ตื่นเต้น, อย่างสงบ
compensation: money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them - เงินชดเชย
court: the place where legal trials take place and where crimes, etc. are judged - ศาล
court of first instance: the court where the first trial was held, for a legal case that in being appealed in a higher court -
crash: collision, accident - การชน
despite: used to show that something happened or is true although something else might have happened to prevent it; used to show that somebody did not intend to do the thing mentioned - ถึงอย่างไรก็ตาม, ทั้ง ๆ ที่
elevated: raised above the ground, or higher than the surrounding area - ซึ่งอยู่ในระดับที่สูงกว่าสิ่งอื่น
hand down: to say officially (what a court decision is); to say officially that someone should receive a particular punishment - ประกาศเป็นทางการ
impose: to introduce something and force people to accept it - กำหนด,บังคับใช้
initially: at first - ในเบื้องต้น
injury: physical damage done to a person or a part of their body - อาการบาดเจ็บ
jail: a prison - เรือนจำ, ห้องขัง, คุก
juvenile: a young person who is not yet an adult - เยาวชน
lawsuit: a case that a court is asked to decide involving a disagreement between two people or groups - คดีที่ยื่นฟ้องต่อศาล
minor: not important; small; having little influence or effect - เล็กน้อย
passenger: someone who travels in a motor vehicle, aircraft, train, or ship but is not the driver or one of the people who works on it - ผู้โดยสาร
prison: a place where criminals are put to stay for a period of time as punishment for a crime - คุก, ,เรือนจำ
probation: a system by which someone who has committed a crime is not sent to prison, but has to agree not to break the law again - การภาคทัณฑ์
public service: something that is done to help people rather than to make a profit - การบริหารประชาชน,กิจการของข้าราชกา
sedan: a closed car with a front and back seat for passengers - รถยนต์ส่วนบุคคลสี่ประตู
sentence: (of a court of law) to officially state what someone's punishment will be - พิพากษา, ตัดสินลงโทษ
suppress: to prevent something from growing, developing or continuing - อดกลั้น, ยับยั้ง, ระงับ
suspend: to stop for a period of time - ยกเลิกชั่วคราว, ระงับชั่วคราว
suspended jail term: a situation when the court decides that the person who has been proven guilty of a crime does not have to undergo the punishment given, usually under certain conditions - รอลงอาญา
sustain: to experience, injury, damage, loss, etc. - ประสบกับ (ความสูญเสีย การเจ็บป่วย)
term: a period of time for which something lasts; a fixed or limited time - ระยะเวลาที่กำหนด
tollway: a long wide road that you have to pay to drive on - โทลล์เวย์, ทางด่วน
unlicensed: not having a license or the correct papers to do something - ไม่ได้ตีทะเบียน, นอกกฎหมาย
upheld: when a higher court says a lower court decision is ok and denies an appeal to reverse the court's decision -
vehicle: a machine that you travel in or on, especially one with an engine that travels on roads, e.g., a car, bus, van, truck, etc. - ยานพาหนะ
victim: someone who has been harmed, injured or killed as the result of a crime - เหยื่อผู้เคราะห์ร้าย
well-known: famous, everyone knows about it - ซึ่งมีชื่อเสียง, ซึ่งเป็นที่รู้จักกันดี, เป็นที่รู้จัก, เลื่องลือ
