The four were hurt when three-metre-high shelves full of paint cans fell like dominoes at the Homeworks store on the upper floor of Central Festival Phuket East.
The four injured were Paiboon Saekin, 42, his wife Ms Patcharee Boontalay, 35, and their two daughters, Pitchya, 11, and Natnaree, 9.
Central Festival Phuket General Manager Wilaiporn Pitimana’aree said this morning, “We are glad to report that all are in [relatively] good health. All [hospital] expenses have been covered by Homeworks,” she added.
“The doctor X-rayed all of them and confirmed that they received only minor injuries. We have visited them many times and anything we can do for them, we will.
“Please understand that this was an accident,” she added.
Asked why the shelves collapsed, Ms Wilaiporn answered, “We are a big store, not a small shop [and] we have international standards for setting up our shelves. However I cannot comment any further on [the cause of] the incident at this stage.
“Following this most regrettable incident, the management of Homeworks is conducting a thorough investigation to establish the cause, and is taking all steps necessary to ensure customer safety in the future,” she explained. “More information will be provided in future updates.”
The cost of damage has yet to be estimated, Ms Wilaiporn said.
“As to plans to prevent accidents [of this kind] and to strengthen confidence among our customers, head office has reiterated that all branches must pay more careful attention [to safety].”
Ms Patcharee today told The Phuket News about the moment when the shelves started to fall.
“My husband was the first person to realise the situation after we heard a ‘boom’ sound. He pulled our nine-year-old daughter [Natnaree] out of the way. The accident happened very fast. It was like dominoes falling.
“My other daughter [Pitchya] was the last domino; a shelf landed on her chest.
“She was crying and calling for help. She said she couldn’t breathe. We had pulled her out by ourselves by the time the rescue team arrived.”
The rescuers took Pitchya to Vachira Phuket Hospital, she said, and the rest of the family followed.
The family then decided to have Pitchya moved to the Bangkok Hospital.
Asked whether she would go back to shop at Homeworks, she said, “No, I will not. My daughter was very frightened by the situation and I can’t go back to the place where we were injured.”
Homeworks remains closed today while paint is cleaned from the floor, but will reopen tomorrow, Ms Wilaiporn said.