Bridge crash drama heats up, Noom keeps his head, Aerk arcs up

Cops cross the line

Seconds before the crash

Two families are anxiously awaiting the outcome of a police probe after their sons died in a motorcycle accident on the Memorial Bridge earlier this month.

Thitiwat “Chai” Theerapap, 19, a student, supporting actor, and big bike fan, and Thanawat “Tiw” Sukcharoen 18, also a student, died when their motorcycles collided on the bridge early on Sept 18.

Chai

While Chai’s family has said little since the young man’s funeral at Tha Phra temple, Tiw’s father has been more active in the media, visiting police last week to demand an explanation after officers suggested his son may have been to blame.

Chai was heading from the Phra Nakhon side to the Thon Buri side of the city when he encountered Tiw heading towards him. Chai was a fan of doing wheelies on his big bike, and had posted clips on social media of teens racing and larking about on the three-lane Memorial Bridge. 

Tiw, on the other hand, while not a teen bike racer according to his family and friends, was seen in CCTV footage riding astride both his lane and the one occupied by Chai at the time of the crash.

Public opinion has swung between sympathy for Tiw, who has no record as a teen racer to sully his name, and Chai, who appears to have had little time to react when he came across Tiw’s bike heading towards him at speed.

While his friends say Chai was not grandstanding on the night of the accident, CCTV footage from a teen on the bridge shows a young man identified as Chai doing wheelies as he sped up the middle lane, running alongside a bus on his left. 

Chai, his friends said, had been out with a group of three friends but had driven off alone. Tiw, meanwhile, had just dropped his girlfriend off at her place and was heading home when his bike came across Chai’s. He appeared to be astride both his lane and the middle one occupied by Chai. 

Tiw

While two lanes were open to traffic heading to the Thon Buri side, the footage also shows Chai was veering out of his lane and into Tiw’s lane at the time of the accident. The impact of the collision forced Tiw into the path of the bus, though both young men died at the scene. 

Tiw’s father, Thanapoom, a rescue worker, last week paid an angry visit to Klong San police after an officer suggested Tiw had caused the crash as he was astride both lanes.

“I asked them not to jump to conclusions until they have seen CCTV footage from before, during and after the incident and the probe is complete,” he said.

The officer in charge of the case said he would request the footage from the Rural Roads Department and invite both sides in for a viewing.

“I admit my son was riding on the dividing line, and if the probe finds Tiw in the wrong after all I will accept it. But was Tiw avoiding something ahead? A bike was also parked on his left and why was Chai seen astride both lanes just before the crash?” Mr Thanapoom said.

“I am standing up for my son, as I don’t want him to leave this life with any blemishes attached,” he added.

He said Chai’s family had not been in touch since he met them at the hospital when he picked up his son’s body. “I am not angry or vengeful. They should get in touch so we can discuss the best way forward as we have both lost someone.”

Amarin TV aired a clip provided by a teen at the scene who was filming young men doing wheelies and speed-racing that night on the bridge. The boy identified as Chai is seen doing a wheelie as he approaches the bus. Seconds later he and Tiw have collided head on as teen riders in the clip are seen occupying both sides of what is a narrow bridge.

Klong San police say they are still investigating if Chai was larking about and have yet to lay charges. The family of the teen deemed responsible may be liable for damages. 

It came to Noom in a dream

Tik, Noom

Heartthrob actor Sornram “Noom” Theappitak, who married his lover in a shotgun wedding earlier this month after discovering she was pregnant, insists the whole event was planned.

Noom opened up last week about his wedding to actress Kanissarin “Tik” Patcharapakdeechot, which he broadcast live on social media, followed hours later by confirmation of social media rumours that she was pregnant.

The simple wedding ceremony broadcast on Instagram comes after a racy website reported he had made her pregnant and planned a shotgun wedding.

Images show the pair, Noom wearing a suit and Tik in a Thai traditional silk dress, paying respect at the feet of respected guests, including his parents, film director Chatrichalerm “Mui” Yukol, and veteran actor Sorapong Chatree.

Noom, who like his new wife enjoys working out, said he met Tik while exercising and decided they could make marriage work.

“Tik has stuck by me through some recent hard times, so I decided to make plans to marry and have kids. We planned to make it public, as I had asked Tan Mui for a propitious date for the wedding. He offered Sept 21, and officiated at the event too,” Noom said.

He said he discovered Tik was pregnant after his late father, veteran actor Chumporn Theappitak, who died a year ago, appeared in a dream.

“He urged me to look after my wife and child. I woke up with a start, told my mother and Tik what had happened, and took Tik to hospital. Doctors gave her ultrasound and had her sign up for pregnancy care immediately. Dating from when she started missing her period to the time when she had the ultrasound, six weeks and two days had passed,” he said.

“The moment I heard my child’s heartbeat I thought of my Dad, and the day after our wedding went to make merit. I told my Dad that I now had a child on the way to pass on the family name.”

His wife and mother had decided they want two children in the family. Noom said he asked Tik’s parents, who live in Korat, for her hand. They passed on advice including that if one partner is hot-headed, the other must try to stay cool. Noom said he now plans to pay his respects to elders in the industry and celebrate their wedding.

“Meanwhile, I am reading about fatherhood and how to help my wife, while Tik is taking aquatic exercises to prepare for the big day,” he said.

Aerk goes to the police

Aerk

A close friend of former sexy model and socialite Kae Lederer has gone to police after social media sites starting slinging mud, suggesting he was partly to blame for her death.

Thai-German businessman Ongart “Aerk” Lederer visited Crime Suppression Division police to complain about Instagram pages which had started digging into his past and making malicious claims about his links to Kae’s death by suicide when she jumped from her Wang Thong Lang beauty clinic on Sept 7.

He earlier denied deny any part in her decision to take her own life, insisting they were still close and the blame may lie with her hi-so fiance’s family.

Kae, also known as Kae Laprim or Kanyakorn Supkankarcharoen, 30, was said to be engaged to a businessman identified as Soonyata “Paul” Mutitanant, who runs a high-end car care business and also replaced Aerk as major shareholder in her beauty care clinic’s Ram Intra branch.

Aerk, who has countered claims in the media about his Thai ID card and family name, said he didn’t mind if people dug into his past, as long as they did it impartially. 

“Most do, but these sites are IGs set up to attack me. They are digging up stuff which is personal and off the point anyway. Why don’t they put their sleuthing powers to better use such as by finding out what happened to Kae’s phone and notebook computer, and who was using her phone after she died?”

The two shared his surname because they were close, he said, though shortly before her death Kae changed her surname to that of her clinic, Laprim.

He suspects an over-zealous member of Kae’s fanclub is behind the IG attack, or perhaps someone close to her, a veiled reference to Paul’s family, whom Aerk says accused him and Kae of fraud after she transferred 14 million baht to him to do up both clinics. Paul and his family have yet to comment on the saga.

Aerk said police have not called him in to give evidence, though they have invited in Kae’s parents. As far as he was concerned, the probe was over. 

“I am paying off the loan, which Kae transferred as part of a business arrangement. Apart from that, I have not been in contact with Paul’s family.”