HOLIDAY TRAGEDY Manchester grandad Shaun Walley electrocuted ‘by cheap Thailand hotel’s HANDRAIL’ as family fight to raise £10,000 to bring body home

[David Walden]

8 hours ago, observer90210 said:

I am and would be quite shocked to read posts that seem to suggest that it is the deceased who is at fault and consequently up to the family to assume the costs ?!!?

 

RIP to the poor chap and mainly to his family.

 

How would you react if it was a member of your family that encountered such a tragedy due to utter local Thai negligence ?

I have no figures on electrocutions in Thailand but from a good source in Manilla 6 people each day die from stealing power or from un-earthed power outlets or just in the home from legit power sources.  Manilla is about 20 million + people.  Thailand's population is about 3 times that number, so it figures that lots similar uneathed crappy electrical outlets exist even in posh hotels there.  I wonder how many Thais die each day from this silly use of electricity.  I would guess perhaps 10 a day.  Only tourist deaths seem to be reported.  There seems to be no point in earthing individual outlets as the devices are not made to be earthed.  In the condotel complex I live in 700 units nothing is earthed.  I suppose if not too many people get electrocuted in Thailand each day that should be OK??   TIT

Edited November 8, 2017 by David Walden

[rosst]

11 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

cremate and take the ashes back, why this obsession with flying bodies back at ludicrous prices?

Absolutely, waste of money 

[Kiwithai32]

HOLIDAY TRAGEDY Manchester grandad Shaun Walley electrocuted ‘by cheap Thailand hotel’s HANDRAIL’ as family fight to raise £10,000 to bring body home
By Mark Hodge
 

MERCURY PRESS
 
A GRANDAD died after being electrocuted by a handrail that allegedly became live in a budget hotel in Thailand.
 
Now the grief-stricken family of Shaun Walley, 67, from Greater Manchester, needs to raise £10,000 to bring his body home.
 
Shaun had been visiting a friend in South East Asia when he touched a steel balcony handrail that was allegedly live with electric current due to a faulty light box sign.
 
Despite the hotel allegedly admitting the accident on October 19 was their fault, they have informed dad-of-six Shaun's family they can't afford to help.
 
Now his stepdaughter Ramona Brooks, 36, who is five months pregnant, is trying to raise cash to cover the costs of bringing his body home so they can bury their dad in the UK.
 
Full Story: https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/4860489/thailand-hotel-handrail-electrocuted-shaun-walley-manchester/
 

A few things about this unfortunate incident are raising alarm bells

1. She was notified of the death by a hotel staff. Usually this is done by the embassy due to the sensitivity of the situation

2. Uncommon for an elderly man to be traveling without insurance

3. All 6 of his children cannot pull any money together and they're asking the public for 10k


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[Get Real]

7 hours ago, NanLaew said:

Someone 'down the pub' suggested the crowdfund I guess. Seems a popular way of getting cash reasonably quick without digging too deep personally. Don't see anything particularly wrong with that.

The wrong thing is only that all the possibilities makes people don´t have to think about standing on thier own legs anymore.

[David Walden]

29 minutes ago, tingtongtourist said:

Actually i have the money to cover anything that happen but i have saved probably millions of baht not to pay insurance while in Thailand. Each to their own tho.

Good if it work for you and if is a good company thats fine.

 

My own country i dont trust. I heard to many bad reports and im not gonna be bothered to fight them if i am already in a bad way.

 

One guy told me he pay premiums for nearly 2 years straight they took his money but then he did find out he was only ever being covered for only the first three months.

 

They blamed  "human error" from the subcontractor agent but said because they dont deal with that agent anymore could not give his money back

At 75 year old and having in the business of travel insurance in my younger days.  I always read all of the fine print of a travel policy as I understand it.  Nothing pre-existing is covered.  Most now will only cover you for motor bike accidents if your licence is issued in your home country ( not Thailand).  Any natural event "earthquake, volcano going off (read up about Bali in recent times), tidal wave not covered"  Travel company or airline going broke, not covered, any activity which indicates you have exposed yourself to danger, not covered.  If a claim is rejected and many are there is a complicated procedure to appeal which is so complicated you are better just to give up.

Edited November 8, 2017 by David Walden

[geriatrickid]

11 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

cremate and take the ashes back, why this obsession with flying bodies back at ludicrous prices?

Everyone has their own preferences. You lambaste those who wish to be buried  on their native soil or in a family plot, yet you overlook the fact that some object to the waste of energy and pollution that comes from burning a body.  Ideally, bodies would be juiced and disposed of as fertilizer, but there are many who would object to this, including you.

 

11 hours ago, imaderbyfan said:

Not insured I assume....

If not ...why not.....?

This is a certain accident, and would be covered by the most modest layout for cover..

Almost all travel insurance policies include a small amount for the repatriation of the body. 5,000 $ or Euro to  20,000 $ or Euro are common limits.  The man obviously didn't have  travel insurance. He could have purchased it as he was young enough. He chose not to.

 

7 hours ago, observer90210 said:

I am and would be quite shocked to read posts that seem to suggest that it is the deceased who is at fault and consequently up to the family to assume the costs ?!!?

RIP to the poor chap and mainly to his family.

How would you react if it was a member of your family that encountered such a tragedy due to utter local Thai negligence ?

No one is saying he is at fault. I expect that we all agree that the hotel was liable However, let's be honest and not look for a simplistic excuse:  The deceased selected a low cost budget  rental and chose to forgo  travel insurance. His  personal choice. He  left his family in a jam and was irresponsible. Thailand is a developing country with little enforcement of building codes. This is no secret and is known to  all.  Tourists of limited financial means who come to Thailand because it is a cheap destination must accept  the responsibility of doing so.

 

5 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

You just had to get the Not insured in did you not, so sad.

You forget the hotel is liable as they are at fault and the country for not making sure hotels and the likes of follow strict safety regulations, if they have any and anyone who is not a lazy B and gets off their read and does checks on hotels.

This is not an accident, its bloody murder by neglect.

Just another farang who cares?

The tourist industry will that is for sure in time.

If TAT and the country had any respect for tourists, they would pay the costs of their neglect.

This will have no impact on the tourist industry. NONE.  Every year, dozens of visitors are electrocuted. Some  incidents are publicized, while others are  hushed up. Remember the poor kid who was electrocuted on Bangla Rd., Patong  some years ago? That was a horrific tragedy. I considered it manslaughter it was so avoidable. Yet, there was no impact on the number of visitors to Patong  The  suckers keep on coming.

The number of tourists maimed and seriously injured  is a function of the tourist numbers and  for every prudent visitor from the west who may choose a different destination,  a new one from India or China or the  Middle East  arrives. Those are locations where safety standards are just as  deficient as in Thailand.

 

We all know  this incident is disgusting. The  sad reality is that the Thai  government isn't going to do anything, and it will be impossible for the family to take action against the hotel for the simple reason that injured foreigners are on their own and will not receive the support of the local authorities. 

[YetAnother]

6 hours ago, wakeupplease said:

You just had to get the Not insured in did you not, so sad.

 

You forget the hotel is liable as they are at fault and the country for not making sure hotels and the likes of follow strict safety regulations, if they have any and anyone who is not a lazy B and gets off their read and does checks on hotels.

 

This is not an accident, its bloody murder by neglect.

 

Just another farang who cares?

 

The tourist industry will that is for sure in time.

 

If TAT and the country had any respect for tourists, they would pay the costs of their neglect.

seems great opportunity for TAT to put something positive on their resume; not much money for a large organization to fly the body back; then pat themselves hugely in public for doing so

[GreytMan]

40 minutes ago, tingtongtourist said:

Actually i have the money to cover anything that happen but i have saved probably millions of baht not to pay insurance while in Thailand. Each to their own tho.

Good if it work for you and if is a good company thats fine.

 

My own country i dont trust. I heard to many bad reports and im not gonna be bothered to fight them if i am already in a bad way.

 

One guy told me he pay premiums for nearly 2 years straight they took his money but then he did find out he was only ever being covered for only the first three months.

 

They blamed  "human error" from the subcontractor agent but said because they dont deal with that agent anymore could not give his money back

 

 

I pay currently around 4000 baht per annum for my insurance. Would take a long time to equal millions of baht.

You appear to have a penchant for hyperbole.

Perhaps your 'friend' needed better advice than paying monies to a "subcontractor agent".

 

On the other hand, they have been there for me over the years, covering me, no matter how minor. 

It's good to know that you are covered. No need to run around looking for the cheapest facilities.

[JAG]

"Everyone has their own preferences. You lambaste those who wish to be buried  on their native soil or in a family plot, yet you overlook the fact that some object to the waste of energy and pollution that comes from burning a body.  Ideally, bodies would be juiced and disposed of as fertilizer, but there are many who would object to this, including you."

I don't think "juicing him" would work you know. There are strict limits to the amount of fluids you are allowed to carry on board an aircraft these days.


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[SamuiRae]

Here is his ashes 

get on with it no numbers of his family to see him of nice feeling people

[David Walden]

4 minutes ago, GreytMan said:

 

 

I pay currently around 4000 baht per annum for my insurance. Would take a long time to equal millions of baht.

You appear to have a penchant for hyperbole.

Perhaps your 'friend' needed better advice than paying monies to a "subcontractor agent".

 

On the other hand, they have been there for me over the years, covering me, no matter how minor. 

It's good to know that you are covered. No need to run around looking for the cheapest facilities.

Most subcontractor agents for travel insurance take about 50%  in commission (travel agents, brokers, agents etc.) so the insurance companies have to be tough to make a buck.  Anyhow my experience in dealing with travel insurance is that the claims rate against premiums collected is less then 20%.  Still a handsome profit.  95% of insured clients never ever claim.

[bridge2bridge]

12 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

cremate and take the ashes back, why this obsession with flying bodies back at ludicrous prices?

Maybe the family want to have a traditional funeral.

We all have our own thoughts on these decisions.

 

[Bangkok Barry]

5 hours ago, Gunnar Horpestad said:

The hotel is the responsible part her.
They MUST pay
 

And if they have no money then they should be made to sell the hotel to raise it.

[Peterw42]

 

 

The story is in "The Sun", they pay for stories and love "victim in a foreign land" stories, it sell newspapers. There are no references, fact checking, quotes to any Thai media, Thai police. The story comes from the people who benefit from the crowd-funding. They could say he was hit by a meteorite, we are none the wiser.

 

What sounds better for a crowdfunding exersise, old guy with no insurance dies in Thailand of natural causes "OR" Thai negligence kills poor old guy, please help.

 

Show me a Thai media story that backs up this claim, or a Thai Police report.

 

There may well be insurance and someone is getting a huge payout "and" setting up a crowd funding appeal. 

 

If the OP said something like "Thai police confirm", "the British consulate has reported", I may start to believe it.

 

The whole story comes from the hotel "called" and advised of the death and admitted fault and liability, but they have no money, give me a break.

 

Even if any of this story is true, fault and liability would come down to a police/coroner investigation and report. And there is such a thing as Force majeure, an act of god. 

 

 

 

 

[farcanell]

3 hours ago, steven100 said:

or spread the ashes over the klong ... 

Funnily enough, when old man farc died, I ended up carting his ashes back to Asia... not to dump in a klong, but to “distribute” across the seven seas (he was an old sailor)

 

on another note... I was “electrocuted” recently when leaning on a handrail at a local bar ( owned by a Brit.... well... his wife probably), because of faulty wiring on Party lighting which was wrapped around the handrail... ya can’t be too careful... s*** does happen

Edited November 8, 2017 by farcanell

[Tchooptip]

13 hours ago, imaderbyfan said:

Not insured I assume....

If not ...why not.....?

This is a certain accident, and would be covered by the most modest layout for cover..

Yes good question, the hotel has no insurance? 

 

OK... 

[David Walden]

13 minutes ago, JAG said:

"Everyone has their own preferences. You lambaste those who wish to be buried  on their native soil or in a family plot, yet you overlook the fact that some object to the waste of energy and pollution that comes from burning a body.  Ideally, bodies would be juiced and disposed of as fertilizer, but there are many who would object to this, including you."

I don't think "juicing him" would work you know. There are strict limits to the amount of fluids you are allowed to carry on board an aircraft these days.


Sent from my KENNY using Thailand Forum - Thaivisa mobile app
 

A bit silly...the  natural decomposition of a buried body would generate just about as much pollution with C02 if not more.  It would just be over a longer period.  Using solar dishes to burn bodies similar to the dishes used to light the Olympic torch each 4 years would/could be a blessing. ..RIP

[Peterw42]

Where does this notion of "liable for repatriation of a body to home country" even come from ?

People cause the deaths of other people everyday, on purpose, through accident, through negligence. This is the first I have heard of this leading to a liability, if found guilty, to repatriate the body.

Maybe people watch to many American court room movies.

[Gold Star]

5 hours ago, balo said:

If this story is true , then name the hotel , nothing mentioned in Thai media and that's not normal when it comes to farang deaths. 

 

 

Nothing reported so far...

https://www.farang-deaths.com/

[anon789561]

26 minutes ago, bridge2bridge said:

Maybe the family want to have a traditional funeral.

We all have our own thoughts on these decisions.

 

i agree. personally i want to be cremated and thrown in the sea without any big drama but others may wish for the traditional british funeral and that's their choice. the hotel should pay to get his body sent back. they are taking the piss by refusing to hand over the money. of course they have it

[Kiwithai32]

You just had to get the Not insured in did you not, so sad.
 
You forget the hotel is liable as they are at fault and the country for not making sure hotels and the likes of follow strict safety regulations, if they have any and anyone who is not a lazy B and gets off their read and does checks on hotels.
 
This is not an accident, its bloody murder by neglect.
 
Just another farang who cares?
 
The tourist industry will that is for sure in time.
 
If TAT and the country had any respect for tourists, they would pay the costs of their neglect.

We've only had one side of the story. With so many scams and frauds happening it's only human nature to be suspicious. The exposure of a scam yesterday shows you can't trust the stories being reported. They jury's still out on this one


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[masuk]

8 hours ago, Moonmoon said:

Oh dear...

 

be careful as safety standards here are not as good as some of ours' back home.

Some big major shopping centres which (I will not named) I had visited; I had been electrocuted before holding on to handrails or metal barricades of escalators though it is nothing serious here but still...

if accidents do happened, nothing much can be done as laws and regulations here are pretty lax.

 

Take care.

These so called 'accidents' are entirely preventable, if only the country would wake up and implement some 21st-century safety standards.

INSIST on all wiring to be properly earthed.  It is ludicrous to buy a nice new washing machine, with a two-pin plug and a warning to earth the machine.  To what?  Plastic pipes are no good. 

Start training electricians, appoint inspectors, bring in safety standards.  If they're not sure, go and talk to the Malays or Singaporeans.

[Nemises]

2 hours ago, GreytMan said:

Not even nearly impossible, but easy. This for one year.

 

 

 

 

Yes. Agree.  Very easy to get 12 months travel insurance for Thailand. 

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

Regardless of whether this "news report" is legit or a scam like the alleged mugging victim the other day, a simple point still remains true:

 

It's foolish and dangerous to travel abroad as a tourist without travel insurance that covers things like emergency medical care, medical evacuation, return of remains in the event of a death, and the various other things that typically are in such packages.

 

Travel insurance is NOT hard nor particularly expensive to get, especially if the cover period is a short one like would be the case for a typical tourist. And buy from a reputable insurer, not some fly-by-night scam operator.

 

Maybe it's just the kinds of cases we hear reported in the news here. But every time I read about a Brit getting in a serious accident/medical trouble in Thailand, they almost invariably seem to claim they have no insurance, and are relying on family/friends to bail them out. I don't understand that....

 

 

[Peterw42]

6 minutes ago, Happy enough said:

i agree. personally i want to be cremated and thrown in the sea without any big drama but others may wish for the traditional british funeral and that's their choice. the hotel should pay to get his body sent back. they are taking the piss by refusing to hand over the money. of course they have it

So any death by negligence/accident, the guilty party should pay for the body to be sent home ? Does that include car accidents, someone trips on my front step etc. 

Maybe see if the story is true and the hotel has even been charged with negligence before introducing a new law and legal liability.

[Grumpy Duck]

£10,000 2 persons can fly first class for half that amount. 

I am certain the hotel could be forced to pay, it was their fault. 

Hope the ol guy rests in peace. If 

 

[GreytMan]

1 hour ago, David Walden said:

At 75 year old and having in the business of travel insurance in my younger days.  I always read all of the fine print of a travel policy as I understand it.  Nothing pre-existing is covered.  Most now will only cover you for motor bike accidents if your licence is issued in your home country ( not Thailand).  Any natural event "earthquake, volcano going off (read up about Bali in recent times), tidal wave not covered"  Travel company or airline going broke, not covered, any activity which indicates you have exposed yourself to danger, not covered.  If a claim is rejected and many are there is a complicated procedure to appeal which is so complicated you are better just to give up.

 

Formerly in the business? Then you should know better than to post such nonsense.

 

You wouldn't be expected to take your illness abroad and be covered for it. Then we would just have medical tourism on the back of the insurers.

Yes, my insurance is for UK residents, so I would be expected to have a properly endorsed UK licence and IDP. All quite reasonable.

My policy has Natural Disaster cover, contrary to your assertion. It has Supplier Insolvency cover, contrary to your assertion and it has Hazardous Activity cover, contrary to your assertion.

 

So, if you were in the business, you should know better. I don't know with whom you dealt.  But clearly they were nowhere near the top of the tree.

Edited November 8, 2017 by GreytMan

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

4 minutes ago, Peterw42 said:

Maybe see if the story is true and the hotel has even been charged with negligence before introducing a new law and legal liability.

If the guy actually died in the manner described in the news report, then clearly the hotel would be legally responsible, and probably legally negligent, in his death.

 

What that translates into in terms of financial payment to the family, the way things work in Thailand, could be the subject of a "negotiation" with police, a settlement with the hotel's insurance presuming they have coverage, and/or the result of a civil lawsuit in Thai courts, which would be a long and difficult trek for a British family living abroad to mount...

 

All of that, assuming of course, that the guy did in fact die in the manner reported in the article -- no city, no hotel name, no mention of Thai police involvement, etc etc.

 

[Khonper]

Why not name that hotel so we all know what to avoid in the future

 

[thaibeachlovers]

13 hours ago, Orton Rd said:

cremate and take the ashes back, why this obsession with flying bodies back at ludicrous prices?

Exactly right, but perhaps crowd funders wouldn't support paying for someone to travel to Thailand to bring the urn back. It appears that for the moment people are willing to give money for the strangest situations, but if this sort of appeal becomes common, IMO the funds will start to dry up.