Family of B.C. man who died ziplining in Thailand calls for change

By Simon Little and Catherine Urquhart Global News

 

Spencer Donaldson died moments after this photo was taken at the Flight of the Gibbon zipline course in Chiang Mai, Thailand.

 

The family of a B.C. man who died in a zipline accident in Thailand last month is hoping the tragedy will help spark safety changes in the industry.

 

Spencer Donaldson was clipped in for a five-kilometre ride at Flight of the Gibbon in Chaing Mai on April 13, when he stepped off the platform and fell 12 metres to his death as his fiancee watched in horror.

 

Donaldson was remembered by friends and family as an outgoing person who loved life at a memorial service in his hometown of Fruitvale over the weekend.

 

Flight of the Gibbon says before getting on the zipline, Donaldson completed a safety orientation and added that he was within the ride’s 125-kg weight limit.

 

The company has pinned the accident on “metallurgic failure.”

 

Full story: https://globalnews.ca/news/5276852/family-bc-man-thailand-ziplining/

 

-- GLOBAL NEWS 2019-05-15

Just now, webfact said:

“We are very happy to have the support of the Thai government and local authorities to implement change and accountability that will make safety in ziplining equal to other countries,” said Donaldson’s family in a statement.

RIP to their son, though they're obviously not aware that the Thai government will say anything to make them go away.  

Woah dude, I went to this exact place 3 years ago... Seems as safe as any zipline could be... It never occurred to me about metal fatigue though... I wonder how old the cables were?

Condolences to the Family ,but the Thailand complaint line is long and stretches around the block....

19 minutes ago, SanookTeufel said:

Woah dude, I went to this exact place 3 years ago... Seems as safe as any zipline could be... It never occurred to me about metal fatigue though... I wonder how old the cables were?

It'll be the clip that broke, he looks a bit heavy, and it was probably the cheapest clip available.

Chiang Mai ziplines have been killing tourists for years.

I'm guessing his insurance won't pay out either.

At least he was still in the happy honeymoon period of his life, and he died enjoying himself.

The company has pinned the accident on “metallurgic failure.” !?!?!?

Great excuse !!!!,... A Synonym for Brake failure in cars !!!,...

Of course metallurgic failure....case closed....just use some super glue!

 

safety is a bother to the Thai culture....just not engrained into policies or practices....seen as a cost not as an investment...

 

i am off on my wrong way scooter.....

It takes A LOT to snap most properly used, load rated and style carabiners unless it is worn or damaged.
Sadly, the inability to investigate this type of accident, the lack of transparency and the unwillingness to disclose any fault is common here.  
What is plausible is when he stepped off the platform if the carabiner turned and put all the load force on the gate at the time of shock or it was cracked or worn or not properly rated.

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

You might have better luck,  if it had been a Chinese that died because

 

of  “metallurgic failure.”, something would surely have been done.

 

regards worgeordie

 

 

 

 

 

7 hours ago, off road pat said:

The company has pinned the accident on “metallurgic failure.” !?!?!?

Great excuse !!!!,... A Synonym for Brake failure in cars !!!,...

Its the Thai wai!!!!  pun intended...

How about Mandatory accident  insurance for all COMPANIES  dealing with tourists?

jet skis mini vans taxies para sailing bike rental companies etc etc

That plastic helmet did not help him much.

22 hours ago, webfact said:

The family of a B.C. man who died in a zipline accident in Thailand last month is hoping the tragedy will help spark safety changes in the industry.

Don't bank on it !

I am not an expert on this matter but how about instead of waiting for tourists to crash down to the ground to then exchange the broken zip line  blaming it on metal fatigue instead of that method just always having an SECOND safety zip-line-to run along?

Its like falling down a hole in the pavement here its your fault should have seen it????RIP

He does not look anywhere near as heavy claimed before, any proper line should be able to hold him and an asian together.

Bets are on that jacks“*ç%6t will happen, nothing will change and this tragic loss is booked as collateral damage - welcome to Thailand! 

If there's ghost of a chance that I will die, I won't be caught doing it.

On 5/15/2019 at 4:56 AM, SanookTeufel said:

Woah dude, I went to this exact place 3 years ago... Seems as safe as any zipline could be... It never occurred to me about metal fatigue though... I wonder how old the cables were?

Recycled form the cutty sark.in thailand participating in anything that involves the sky or sea for fun is dangerous.i get my adrenaline rush crossing Thai roads.

Thats a sad story. The picture a bit haunting. Looking into the eyes of another of thailands safety victims.

Seconds before his death.

 

^ From what i can see in the picture the wire rope clamps appear to be correct?

Looking at his sterum attachment point you can clearly see it is the wrong shaped carabiner, they are using a D shaped when it should be a carabiner named an 'OMNI', also look at the secondary lanyard used as his safety, it is running parallel to the spine opposite the gate, this will cause 3 way loading, if his weight suddenly dropped onto it in this configuration, and if  the gate wasn't locked properly it is possible that the carabiner snapped.   The whole thing about the wire snapping is IMO  smoke and mirrors, this to me looks like pure incompetence, and professionalism...surprised it hasn't happened before,

 

I wont even get started on the fact his shoulder straps are not folded and tucked away to prevent accidental snagging....

 

 

22 years working in the industry with Rope access certifications, i know what I'm talking about

 

This place should be closed down period...as they even lied about being a member of the association of challenge course , that in itself is cause for a lawsuit...

On 5/15/2019 at 10:09 AM, webfact said:

Family of B.C. man who died ziplining in Thailand calls for change

it's a complete waste of time ;

it's like pissing in the wing 

 

The will never understand 

15 minutes ago, woozlewuzzle said:

This place should be closed down period...as they even lied about being a member of the association of challenge course , that in itself is cause for a lawsuit...

My understanding is that the owner of Flight of the Gibbon is a farang, an American.  Unless he's sold out since starting the place. 

2 minutes ago, Berkshire said:

My understanding is that the owner of Flight of the Gibbon is a farang, an American.  Unless he's sold out since starting the place. 

This is not  a Thai bash, incompetence happens in all places east and west Ive seen some shocking systems in place when working for UK companies in the middle east, just because it was owned by a westerner doesn't   mean he knows  what he is doing