Woman, 27, sues cinema after being 'bitten by snake as she watched movie'

A furious moviegoer is suing a cinema where she was allegedly bitten by a snake while watching a film.

Kornphaphiporn Poka-imsin, 27, was transfixed on the big screen playing the tornado flick 'Twisters' when she felt a sharp pain in her foot at the Major Cineplex in Central Rama 2 in Bangkok, Thailand, on July 31.

She said she performed first aid on herself at the cinema but claimed she was later placed in the ICU of a hospital when the seemingly innocuous wound began to swell and become numb.

Photos show two puncture wounds on Kornphaphiporn's left foot from where the creature sank its fangs into her. A red patch of skin was blooming near the bite mark.

Once discharged, Kornphaphiporn filed a report with the Tha Kham Police Station. However, she claimed police told her to first negotiate with the cinema management over compensation.

She demanded a payment for the 25,000 THB (575 GBP) hospital fees she paid, but the cinema allegedly only offered to reimburse 6,990 THB (161 GBP) on September 23.

They claim they were not liable for wild snakes getting in the building, which is located in a city built on land that was the natural habitat of reptiles before humans arrived.

The indignant woman sought help from Ekapop Luengprasert, an adviser to the interior minister and operator of a local social media complaint page, demanding to be paid for her 'emotional damage'.

In a September 25 press conference, she said: ‘I was watching the movie Twisters at around 2pm. When the movie ended, I felt something slither past my feet, so I moved it. The animal was probably startled and bit my feet, causing a sharp pain that faded into numbness.

‘I did not know what to do so I performed first aid on myself by squeezing the blood out of the wound. I went to see the doctor by myself and was told that it was definitely not a rat, based on the bite marks. I stayed in the ICU for one night.

‘I came forward to complain to the press because the cinema should take responsibility. The representative from Major Cineplex that I spoke with before kept insisting that it could not have been a snake because their cinema was always cleaned. They said I might have stepped on a screw. I think they should also compensate for my emotional distress, not just the hospital bill.

‘I still do not know the species of the snake or whether it was poisonous or not.'

She added that the cinema called her again after the press conference for another round of talks mediated by Tha Kam Police Station officers.

Ekapop said he would co-ordinate with the superintendent of Tha Kham Police Station to investigate the case, which he described as a 'criminal matter'.

He said: 'The cinema should take greater responsibility. I believe it is likely insured and should maintain high security as a public place.'

(1 GBP = 43.5 THB)