By Ewen Boey | SingaporeScene
The family of the Thai girl who lost both her legs in an MRT accident is suing SMRT for S$3.4 million.
The transport company confirmed that it received the writ on Friday after it was filed in the High Court.
The amount which the family is seeking is equivalent to the price for the 20 pairs of prosthetic legs that Nitcharee Peneakchanasak, 15, will need in her lifetime said her lawyer, Cosmas Gomez.
Gomez's law firm, Cosmas and Company, specialises in personal injury claims, reported The Straits Times.
Medical experts said Nitcharee, who returned home to Thailand earlier this week after having both her legs amputated, would need a new pair of custom-made legs every three to five years, depending on how fast she grows and the rate of wear and tear.
The estimated price for each pair of legs is at least S$150,000, which would work out to be about S$3 million over the course of her life.
The cost of the legs is reportedly higher in Bangkok -- roughly S$200,000 per pair. The teenager is now at the Sirindhorn Centre receiving physiotherapy and being prepared to receive her first pair of prosthetic legs.
The girl's father, Kittanesh Peneakchanasak, 56, said the S$5,000 compensation sum initially offered by SMRT was "unacceptable".
He explained that the family was not trying to ask for more than what they needed, but "just enough" to cover his daughter's medical expenses. SMRT has also declined further comment, saying its discussions with the family were private.
Nitcharee, who was in Singapore for a holiday and to study English from Trang, Thailand, fell from the platform at Ang Mo Kio MRT station onto the tracks in April.
One of her legs was severed by a train pulling into the station at the time, while the other leg was so badly mangled that it had to be amputated in hospital later.
Over $400,000 in donations and gifts from donors have also poured in for Nitcharee, whose cheerful and positive attitude has won her an army of fans.
The lawsuit is expected to reveal the exact circumstances of how she fell onto the train tracks. Gomez will also request SMRT for a copy of the CCTV video footage of the incident to be used as evidence.
Her father, an insurance agent, also dimissed earlier media reports which said his daughter had "fainted" before falling onto the tracks.
"She was fully conscious when it happened. The platform was very crowded," he said.
"She didn't faint... so something must have happened."
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The transport company confirmed that it received the writ on Friday after it was filed in the High Court.
The amount which the family is seeking is equivalent to the price for the 20 pairs of prosthetic legs that Nitcharee Peneakchanasak, 15, will need in her lifetime said her lawyer, Cosmas Gomez.
Gomez's law firm, Cosmas and Company, specialises in personal injury claims, reported The Straits Times.
Medical experts said Nitcharee, who returned home to Thailand earlier this week after having both her legs amputated, would need a new pair of custom-made legs every three to five years, depending on how fast she grows and the rate of wear and tear.
The estimated price for each pair of legs is at least S$150,000, which would work out to be about S$3 million over the course of her life.
The cost of the legs is reportedly higher in Bangkok -- roughly S$200,000 per pair. The teenager is now at the Sirindhorn Centre receiving physiotherapy and being prepared to receive her first pair of prosthetic legs.
The girl's father, Kittanesh Peneakchanasak, 56, said the S$5,000 compensation sum initially offered by SMRT was "unacceptable".
He explained that the family was not trying to ask for more than what they needed, but "just enough" to cover his daughter's medical expenses. SMRT has also declined further comment, saying its discussions with the family were private.
Nitcharee, who was in Singapore for a holiday and to study English from Trang, Thailand, fell from the platform at Ang Mo Kio MRT station onto the tracks in April.
One of her legs was severed by a train pulling into the station at the time, while the other leg was so badly mangled that it had to be amputated in hospital later.
Over $400,000 in donations and gifts from donors have also poured in for Nitcharee, whose cheerful and positive attitude has won her an army of fans.
The lawsuit is expected to reveal the exact circumstances of how she fell onto the train tracks. Gomez will also request SMRT for a copy of the CCTV video footage of the incident to be used as evidence.
Her father, an insurance agent, also dimissed earlier media reports which said his daughter had "fainted" before falling onto the tracks.
"She was fully conscious when it happened. The platform was very crowded," he said.
"She didn't faint... so something must have happened."
