17-year-old Injured After Stray Dogs Chase Her Motorcycle In Korat
NAKHON RATCHASIMA, Thailand – A 17-year-old girl in Nakhon Ratchasima has been left injured and facing nearly 50,000 baht in medical costs after a large pack of stray dogs chased her motorcycle, causing her to lose control and crash. The incident occurred at approximately 11pm on 5 September along a road behind the Ban Eua Athon low-cost housing development, heading towards Methaphat School in Nong Bua Sala Subdistrict, Mueang District.
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The teenager, identified only as Ms A, had been riding home after taking a mobile phone to a friend at the housing complex. While travelling along the road, she encountered a large number of dogs that began chasing her motorcycle. She tried to accelerate and escape the animals, but the dogs continued pursuing her until she lost control and crashed. The fall left her with injuries to her face, right eyebrow, shoulder and leg, along with bruising and pain across her body. She was taken to hospital, where she stayed overnight before being discharged on the evening of 6 September.
Her injuries required approximately 40 stitches. Her father, 53-year-old Wuttiporn, stated that the hospital bill had reached approximately 48,000 baht, with another 1,300 baht spent on wound care, bringing the total close to 50,000 baht. His daughter continues to experience pain around her eyebrow, face, shoulder and leg, and he is now calling on authorities to address the stray dog problem in the area before another person is injured.
According to local residents, packs of dogs are regularly seen in the Nong Bua Sala and Hua Thale areas, and some have developed a habit of chasing passing motorcycles. Residents say the growing number of dogs is becoming a serious safety concern, particularly for people travelling through the area at night. One resident, 59-year-old Thamkorn, stated that the stray dog issue has existed for years but appears to have worsened as the population has continued to increase, warning that aggressive dogs chasing motorcycles can easily cause crashes, potentially putting lives at risk.
Residents are calling for the problem to be handled carefully so it does not turn into conflict between people and the dogs, or create disputes with residents who feed and care for them. Instead, they are asking government agencies, local authorities and livestock officials to take a coordinated approach, including sending teams into the community to capture dogs that residents cannot safely handle, followed by health checks, sterilisation, rabies vaccinations and treatment for ticks, fleas and other health issues. After sterilisation, residents say the dogs should be monitored during recovery before either being returned to suitable areas or placed with new owners and adopters.
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They also want greater attention given to puppies and breeding control, particularly by sterilising female dogs once they reach an appropriate age. The message from residents is straightforward: do not wait for another crash before taking action. People need to be able to use local roads without fearing that a pack of dogs will chase their motorcycle. With the number of stray dogs reportedly continuing to grow, residents fear that accidents like this could become more common unless authorities take preventative action now.
-Thailand News (TN)
