Thai father in law 70, bicycle accident broken neck

[faranggonzo]

Hi

my father in law Jim was hit by a car whilst cycling in Klaeng he broke his neck and has already had an operation at a Rayong government hospital. The only good news is that his spinal column appears ok ie he has movement in his hands.

Although Jim is 70 he has been cycling quite a lot recently and has lost some weight and was feeling the benefits of exercise.
Jim is a lovely man and his temperament is probably due to the fact he was brought up in a Buddhist temple, he is patient kind and never loses his temper. I have known him for 12 years, 5 of which I was living in the same household.

I am in England so actual details are few but as I understand the lady driver was driving someone else's car did not stay at the scene but drove straight to the police station where the police are saying he was cycling across the road, however a family member in the ambulance recounts that he said he was hit from behind. There are 4 cctv cameras but none of them were working.

The insurance company are saying nothing and paying nothing despite the fact I understood that all vehicles had to have compulsory insurance and victims can claim against this insurance immediately at the hospital. There is no need to prove who is deemed responsible for the accident.

Originally he was taken to the hospital in Klaeng and to get his transfer to Rayong we had to pay 10,000 baht obviously there will be many more bills to come, unfortunately we have limited funds. My wife is flying out today.

I am a lifelong cyclist, one of my highlights was cycling down the Champs Elysee with a police motorcycle escort.

I am making contact in the hope that someone may have any helpful ideas or advice with regard to this situation. Recomendations for a good Thai lawyer in Rayong especially welcome.

Best wishes

[mike787]

cycling/driving = death or severe injury in Thailand.  If he walks away from this, I do not advise going back on the road unless you more hard metal between you and others.  Sorry, cannot suggest anything else.  good luck to you both. 

[Rally123]

11 minutes ago, faranggonzo said:

The insurance company are saying nothing and paying nothing despite the fact I understood that all vehicles had to have compulsory insurance and victims can claim against this insurance immediately at the hospital.

The compulsory insurance you refer to is the Por Ror Bor insurance. It is compulsory for all road vehicles. It covers 3rd parties as government hospitals will not treat road accidents for free. Failure to have this insurance is a criminal offence. If the police are involved then they will decide who was/is at fault and will levy a compensation payment and fines as they see fit.

 

PS The Por Ror Bor insurance is limited as to the amount of treatment received. Hence why the police will decide the compensation claim figure.

[madmen]

go fund me 

[JaiLai]

2 hours ago, mike787 said:

cycling/driving = death or severe injury in Thailand.  If he walks away from this, I do not advise going back on the road unless you more hard metal between you and others.  Sorry, cannot suggest anything else.  good luck to you both. 

Behave yourself.....

 

I've been driving between 10-15Kms per year on big bikes and scooters here for 20 years, i've come off a scooter twice, both my fault with no other vehicles involved.

 

While you need to keep your wits about you i somewhat think you're being a bit of drama queen...

 

[anon7854]

Driving 10-15 km per YEAR? I walk more per day. No offence but no wonder you had no accidents ????

 

Personally I think mike787 is 1/2 right. You may respect all the rules in the book and be an expert in preventive driving but no one is going to save you from a truck with a driver that doesn't see you or he is busy texting. When I was in Thailand I don't think I ever passed a week without seeing at least one accident.

[Simhne]

Sorry to hear about your father in law’s troubles, he sounds like a really lovely man. Our condo near Klaeng has a good local lawyer who manages our committee etc and if he couldn’t take the work on himself I’m sure he would be able to recommend someone who could, he is well connected locally and really helpful. Having said that I don’t have his contact details but if you get a family member to go to Kap’s Creative condo on Ao Sayai, Suan Wang Kaew, Moo 2 Chakphong, Amphur Klaeng (just after Rayong Marriott coming from Ban Phe) and tell the staff Khun Panlop was recommended and could they give you his details you will be fine.
Sorry I don’t have better contact info and best of luck resolving things for your father in law. For what it’s worth, I have cycled on the roads round Chakphong, Phe and beyond and never had a problem apart from ones I caused myself! There are some great cycle routes around the mangroves near Klaeng and on the road to Chantaburi.


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