Chaiyaphum Girl: A four-year-old girl has died from fatal head, face and neck wounds sustained from being mauled by three dogs on Tuesday evening while riding a bicycle around her Chaiyaphum neighbourhood. The girl was quickly rushed to a nearby hospital, but died on the way.
Following a report of the incident at 5.20pm, Ban Khwao precinct’s inspector Pol Major Thongsuk Ratsiwor led officers to inspect the scene in Tambon Ban Khwao in Ban Khawao district.
Neighbour and eyewitness Noppol Kulthanawat, 57, told police that he was watching TV at home around 5pm when he heard a girl screaming and came out to see what was happening.
He saw Thanyalak Salitkul being attacked by three dogs age 2-3 years that were usually chained and kept within their master’s house property.
Noppol drove the dogs away with a knife and alerted others to help bring the seriously wounded girl to hospital. Thanyalak was in extreme pain and died on the way to hospital from excessive bleeding.
The girl’s grandmother, Daranee Phetchsorn, 50, who lives in the same house, said the family was in shock over what had happened. Daranee was in the kitchen cooking at the time of the incident, while the teacher mother had not yet returned from work.
The family had been planning to throw a party to celebrate Thanyalak’s fifth birthday on September 30, said Daranee.
The girl’s six-year-old brother was crying over his sister’s death, she said, and kept saying he would be ordained as a novice for the deceased girl’s merit.
Daranee said the dog’s owner had not yet contacted the family or attend the Thanyalak’s funeral prayer. She urged that the case serve as a cautionary tale for dog owners to more closely supervise their pets and make sure they cannot get loose and cause trouble to others.
Thongsuk said police would summon the dog’s owner, Piyanat Daengsoi, 27, to hear an initial charge of failing to control dangerous pets, resulting in them getting loose and harming another person. The offence is punishable by a maximum one-month jail term and/or a maximum Bt10,000 fine
If the police investigation found that the dog owner had in anyway been reckless, it could result in an additional charge.
After the girl’s funeral was completed, police would invite both sides to a talk to reach a conclusion and settlement, Thongsuk added.
