Uninsured Brit seriously injured and stranded in hospital after motorbike accident in Hua Hin

[NCC1701A]

I live in Hua Hin and traffic on Phetkasem Road moves at 100-140 KPH in close proximity to scooters with many of the moronic u-turns that curse Thai highways.  

 

You must watch your back every second at the u-turns and be prepared to leap off your scooter if necessary to avoid being run down. 

 

I hope Mark recovers.

[davethailand]

6 minutes ago, Samui property finder said:

Maybe i am wrong but most health insurance and /or travel insurance will not cover motorbike accidents. so should it normally not be the car drivers insurance that need to pay for his medical expenses.....from what i read the car hit him from behind so....

My Bupa covered my broken wrist and 2 nights in BKK Pattaya hospital where I had 2 plates inserted, even 4 hours after the accident I was still well over the limit (I insisted on going to bed instead of gong to hospital), on that occasion I was actually on the back of a motorbike taxi when he crashed (or I fell off). They could of quite easily refused it as there was no proof that I wasn't actually riding.

Hands up I always drove myself home pissed but I am pleased that on that night that I didn't even though I ended up in hospital,  after living in Pattaya for 12 years before that night it made me actually stop and think.

:)

[user4654364]

3 hours ago, Thaiwrath said:

 

Another "I'm not insured, please pay for my stupidity for not taking it out" 

Yep, exactly what I was thinking. It's an unfortunate thing to happen but not having travel insurance is plain stupid especially if you will be riding a motorcycle. As the old saying goes " You can't fix stupid "

I have better things to spend my money on.

[scubascuba3]

No helmet, and she did not have entitlement to ride a motorbike. 

Incorrect. So she didn't read the small print and wasn't wearing a helmet, the insurance company shouldn't pay out. Understand?

[Tchooptip]

3 hours ago, YetAnother said:

what happens if he cannot pay ?

RIP ...no it's not an attempt to make humour!

[natway09]

Tiapan

You hit the nail right on the head.

Sorry as I feel for this guy if you have monies to pay for any international holiday & rent a bike

then for a small fraction of the holiday cost the insurance could have been added to the air ticket 

at source.

People have to start taking care of themselves ,,, this is NOT  a a nanny state

[scubascuba3]

Quick search in the internet shows the answer ( From UK perspective)
 
https://helpdesk.worldnomads.com/customer/en_gb/portal/articles/2405935-am-i-covered-by-travel-insurance-if-im-riding-a-motorbike-or-scooter-
 

Another uninformed post. Policies are different, you need to read the small print of the one you are going to purchase, understand?

[newnative]

17 minutes ago, bbz404 said:

No they shouldn't! There are fantastic roads in the North of Thailand. There are big bike rentals in Chiang Mai that work in a good manner. Why should an experienced tourist driver be excluded from discovering Thai roads?

If all documentation and insurance is in order, everybody is free to do what they please.

     Totally disagree.  I doubt many tourists have a valid motorcycle license.  I know where I lived in America it was harder to get a motorcycle license than an auto license.  So, you have tourists coming here who have never driven a motorcycle and out they go on to roads that they don't know with no driving experience on a cycle.  A few weeks ago I watched a couple try to learn how to drive a motorcycle they had rented--they were practicing in the condo parking lot and they were extremely wobbly and fell down a couple of times.   But, after a few minutes they decided they knew enough and off they went---hopefully not to run over me with their inexperience.

    Recently, a friend of mine was run over by an American woman driving a cycle. I'm sure she had no motorcycle license and likely had never driven a motorcycle in America.  And, of course, she had not taken out insurance.  Plus, apparently no money, according to her, to pay for the hospital expenses even though she was at fault.  If you're an expat living here and have a proper license and insurance, yes, no problem with using motorcycles.  Here today, gone tomorrow tourists?  No.

[Grumpy Duck]

I have 2 insurance policies on my bike both with good medical zero deductible 

[cat handler]

I wouldn’t give him 1 Baht, he took the risk and lost. I got my bike license in Australia so I wouldn’t be covered by insurance in Thailand, I will be hiring bigger bikes next trip and I will make sure my insurance covers bikes over 250cc. He can rot in a BKK hospital for all I care.

[holy cow cm]

and the motorcycle insurance? Part of this has to be blamed on the Thai system. 

[snowgard]

4 hours ago, colinneil said:

In most countries the car drivers insure would have to pay.

This is Thailand, and things do not always go the way you would expect.

Did the car driver have insurance?

Mark Haley stupidly came here without insurance, now his family want others to pay for his stupidity.

But only if it is the car drivers fault!!! The photo looks like the Brit want to do a U-Turn and not look for the traffic.

Then it was his fault!!!

[Miss Pickle]

I can never understand the stupidity of people travelling without travel insurance to mean to fork out for it but now expect the family and friends to pay. I feel sorry for this guy but the fact he has hired a big powerful bike with the amount of people killed in this country on them it is just crazy and no insurance to Boot absolutely ridiculous. I hope he gets the medical attention he needs.

[bbz404]

9 minutes ago, newnative said:

     Totally disagree.  I doubt many tourists have a valid motorcycle license.  I know where I lived in America it was harder to get a motorcycle license than an auto license.  So, you have tourists coming here who have never driven a motorcycle and out they go on to roads that they don't know with no driving experience on a cycle.  A few weeks ago I watched a couple try to learn how to drive a motorcycle they had rented--they were practicing in the condo parking lot and they were extremely wobbly and fell down a couple of times.   But, after a few minutes they decided they knew enough and off they went---hopefully not to run over me with their inexperience.

    Recently, a friend of mine was run over by an American woman driving a cycle. I'm sure she had no motorcycle license and likely had never driven a motorcycle in America.  And, of course, she had not taken out insurance.  Plus, apparently no money, according to her, to pay for the hospital expenses even though she was at fault.  If you're an expat living here and have a proper license and insurance, yes, no problem with using motorcycles.  Here today, gone tomorrow tourists?  No.

What do you think I meant by "experienced tourist driver" and "if all documentation and insurance is in order"?

 

Inexperienced drivers should not be riding a motorcycle in any country in this world just because motorcycle rentals are on offer and nobody checks the qualification.

Have a proper driving education, experience and enough intelligence and I see no issues why anyone (falling into this category) shouldn't be enjoying Thai roads on 2 wheels.

[UPDEHSOI]

4 hours ago, retell said:

and the car that hit him?? surely the driver would be responsible , 

You DO realize this happened in Thailand...right??

[bbbbooboo]

hmmm...... what can you say?....we are all guilty of not doing things .This highlights (again)what an extremely dangerous place Thai roads are.

[Miss Pickle]

Cat Handler is everything I love about ignorant Australians. You sound like a complete Ars- who cares what you have or how big a bike you get. Stay in Oz Thailand does not need your type on its shores. What a complete Balloon you are .

[Forkinhades]

Inflammatory post removed.

 

Keep it civil please

[WHYWHY]

If car hit him from behind is car's fault 

If Driver of car not insured should still be made to pay for other persons injuries 

If shoe on the other foot I bet brit would be made to cover cost

[NCC1701A]

anyway 13 pages of comments based on a story that does not contain enough information to draw a correct conclusion one way or the other. 

 

The most dangerous part of this for Mark was being lifted onto the backboard for transport with spine injuries. I have been at the scene of many accidents in Thailand and the "paramedics" really need more training and have to learn to transport the patients without causing addition injury.

[mark01]

It's easy to jump on the guy for not having insurance but the system here is just WRONG! when the person causing the accident isn't responsible for the costs and the person injured (insured or not) is responsible.

 

Hope the poor guy gets the help he needs.

[davethailand]

3 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

anyway 13 pages of comments based on a story that does not contain enough information to draw a correct conclusion one way or the other. 

 

The most dangerous part of this for Mark was being lifted onto the backboard for transport with spine injuries. I have been at the scene of many accidents in Thailand and the "paramedics" really need more training and have to learn to transport the patients without causing addition injury.

Agreed, His well being is more important than the gossip.

 

[fabphil]

why oh why do people insist on goin on holidays without travel insurance beats me.....

 

[Tchooptip]

3 hours ago, IamNoone88 said:

Not only did he not have insurance, by the way his head is all bandaged up .... he didn't have a helmet either..........

At least in Samui, less than 50% of tourist on motorbikes wear a helmet, whereas in their own country they could hardly drive 5 minutes without being stopped by the police, so why so many ?Like I said already not only the youth, every ages, how many old couples have I seen without a helmet... when renting a motorbike everywhere a helmet is "included".

[tryasimight]

2 hours ago, DavoTheGun said:

Chances are he would not have Insurance anyway, Riding a Motor Cycle most Insurance companies do not allow them!

Mine does with provision that a valid license for the country must be held along with wearing a helmet even if local laws do not mandate this.  Insurance taken out in Oz.  No pissed or drugged driving allowed of course. 

[carbide]

Not hit from behind, taillight still intact.
The lines on the ground are not chalk,
they are the marks that the footrest left on the ground.
It looks like it was hit from the side in the southbound overtaking lane,
and sent to the position seen in the photo.
The view north, of the traffic going south, is good.
Maybe tried to get to the hard shoulder of the southbound road,
in one go, from Palm Hills.
The impact must have been huge,
to send the bike that far.
Lucky to be alive.

[Tchooptip]

10 minutes ago, Forkinhades said:

Inflammatory post removed.

 

Keep it civil please

Not easy for some... I prefer not to imagine TV without moderators 

[digger70]

Something very badly Wrong here,,,He got hit from Behind by a car yes ?  If he didn't do anything Wrong the car driver is at Fault,,The Law Must Make him pay no matter what,, O Kay  It's Very Stupid to have no insurance riding a bike. 

No need for an Other Begging cry ...Go after the Car driver,,

[tryasimight]

1 hour ago, SupermarineS6B said:

Hit from behind at a U-turn !   Typical Somchai not watching what he was doing i bet, i expect he also "Fled the scene of the accident as well".........  This is the pratt that should be paying ........

Typical poster not reading the thread before commenting.   An earlier poster described the accident with dashcam evidence.  The bike rider appears to be at fault not the FARANG driver of the other vehicle. 

[jenny2017]

2 hours ago, Peterw42 said:

There is a level of compulsory Por La Bor insurance attached to all vehicles in Thailand (so long as tax is up to date). It covers driver or passenger or victim for 30,000 baht per accident, not a fortune but enough to pay for emergency surgery/trauma and a couple of days in hospital.

It was 12 K when I had my accident a couple of years ago, the "rest" of 100 K was paid by my Thai SS.

 

    Why are so many people here bashing Thais? There's absolutely no information about the driver, if he/she's even at fault. It doesn't seem that the guy wore a helmet, looking at this head injuries.

 

   No insurance and not wearing a helmet doesn't look good for a guy from a more developed country.

 

  I hope that he'll have a speedy recovery.