"Please help me get my brother home": A family's desperate plea after 44-year-old dies suddenly days after arriving in Thailand for winter holiday

[Jonathan Fairfield]

By Catherine Musgrove

 

A family has launched a desperate bid to bring their brother's body home from Thailand after he died suddenly on holiday aged 44.

 

Free-spirited Daniel Skipper, who grew up in Walton-le-Dale and Bamber Bridge, often worked 60 hour weeks as a chef throughout the summer in order to enjoy a winter abroad, but died on Sunday only days after arriving in Thailand with friends.

 

Now his heartbroken family need to raise £5,000 to pay for his hospital bills, fly his body home, and transport him from the airport to Bamber Bridge.

 

Full story: https://www.lep.co.uk/news/people/please-help-me-get-my-brother-home-a-familys-desperate-plea-after-44-year-old-dies-suddenly-days-after-arriving-in-thailand-for-winter-holiday-3490222

 

— Lancashire Post

[4MyEgo]

Tragic.

 

My take on this is that governments should stop pussy footing around and make it mandatory for those travelling to their countries to have some kind of travel insurance.

 

There is nothing negative about it and it lessons the burden on their families and others financially when things go terribly wrong.

 

Besides, it's cheap and I have to say that I am seriously sick to the core of hearing people getting injured and or unfortunately dying without some kind of travel insurance cover at the least.

 

They make people get PCR tests + + + for Covid which adds up excluding hotel stays, why not travel insurance with repatriation included as part of the policy, simple really if you ask me.

 

RIP, taken too early, but goes to show, we never know when our numbers are up and we all should cover ourselves so that our loved ones don't have to suffer financially.

 

I might sound harsh for a Sunday morning, but it is what it is and now his family can't even afford to pay his bills and get him home without others contributing, that said if he had travel insurance for a little amount of money, financial burden sorted.

 

Edited December 12, 2021 by 4MyEgo

[VocalNeal]

If he was free spirited why does his corpse have to be sent anywhere. Cremate him here and send his ashes home by DHL? he won't mind.

[Jenkins9039]

Donated.

[Henryford]

Very sad and i don't want to sound harsh but if he was here for a winter holiday didn't he have 5k with him?

[robblok]

Bit strange wasn't a mandatory health insurance needed (not just covid). So the hospital bills part I don't get. But the repatriation costs i do get. But what is the problem with cremating someone in Thailand and sending ashes over.

 

also why do so many people skip on insurance and then go begging to the public.

[bdenner]

Where is his compulsory insurance to cover at least the hospital bills?

[1FinickyOne]

RIP - 

 

And also not to be harsh - the man worked 60 hour weeks and surely he deserved a nice vacation, but where did his $$ go? If he worked 60 hour weeks he must have been well compensated in which case he must have been living pretty high... IF that is the case, it's not really the job of others to pay for something he didn't care to worry about... 

[robblok]

1 minute ago, bdenner said:

Where is his compulsory insurance to cover at least the hospital bills?

Maybe he faked it, i mean some people do such things. Or the story is misleading that the hospital bills are covered but the 5000 is for repatriation. 

[Orinoco]

16 minutes ago, Jenkins9039 said:

Donated.

Wont donate.

 

[Hummin]

4 minutes ago, robblok said:

Bit strange wasn't a mandatory health insurance needed (not just covid). So the hospital bills part I don't get. But the repatriation costs i do get. But what is the problem with cremating someone in Thailand and sending ashes over.

 

also why do so many people skip on insurance and then go begging to the public.

Could have been preexisting condition that make insurance not paying up! ?

[itsari]

1 minute ago, robblok said:

Bit strange wasn't a mandatory health insurance needed (not just covid). So the hospital bills part I don't get. But the repatriation costs i do get. But what is the problem with cremating someone in Thailand and sending ashes over.

 

also why do so many people skip on insurance and then go begging to the public.

The deceased has skipped on insurance it is now the family  begging .

Cremation in Thailand is the most sensible alternative . 

May he rest in peace .

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Could have been preexisting condition that make insurance not paying up! ?

Good point. 

[robblok]

4 minutes ago, itsari said:

The deceased has skipped on insurance it is now the family  begging .

Cremation in Thailand is the most sensible alternative . 

May he rest in peace .

That is assuming the deceased has no assets at all. 

[ThailandRyan]

What did he die from is a bigger question. 

[sandyf]

4 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Could have been preexisting condition that make insurance not paying up! ?

If he had a heart attack, at 44 that may well be the case.

[sandyf]

1 minute ago, ThailandRyan said:

What did he die from is a bigger question. 

From the OP

 

Katie received a call from Daniel on Sunday to say he'd suffered a heart attack and was in hospital. Hours later, the police arrived to tell her he'd passed away.

[BritManToo]

39 minutes ago, Jonathan Fairfield said:

Now his heartbroken family need to raise £5,000 to pay for his hospital bills, fly his body home, and transport him from the airport to Bamber Bridge.

What about the $50K insurance he had to buy in order to enter Thailand?

[Rimmer]

A troll post has been removed

[clivebaxter]

6 minutes ago, BritManToo said:

What about the $50K insurance he had to buy in order to enter Thailand?

Only for medical care, which he now does not qualify for 

[Lemonltr]

The Lancashire Post said that he died of a heart attack and the family already had donations of £2,600. I sometimes wonder though if families have the funds but just prefer others to pay.

For those who say that the man dodged insurance I am sure that is impossible in order to get a Thailand pass. 

Cremation/funeral here is not expensive.  B10. 000 was the going rate around 2 years ago as I recall. 

[DrJack54]

44 and doesn't have £5k in assets? However can afford trip to Thailand. How do these stories even become news worthy. 

Next.

[robblok]

1 minute ago, DrJack54 said:

44 and doesn't have £5k in assets? However can afford trip to Thailand. How do these stories even become news worthy. 

Next.

Yea that is a bit strange, the guy must have some savings and such. One would assume as much especially how hard he works and then travels to Thailand.

 

But skipping out on a travel insurance that covers repatriation of body and so on is just stupid.

 

But so many on this forum have a hatred of insurance. I see this most from people in the US/UK. Maybe they consider it more as a waste of money. 

[DrJack54]

12 minutes ago, Lemonltr said:

Cremation/funeral here is not expensive.  B10. 000 was the going rate around 2 years ago as I recall. 

Think you make a good point and perhaps expats could think about.

Of course very personal thing and opinions will vary.

I have made it VERY clear to my family (in Oz) that I don't want anyone coming to Thailand if/when fall off the perch and under no circumstances my remains repatriated to Oz. 

[robblok]

Just now, DrJack54 said:

Think you make a good point and perhaps expats could think about.

Of course very personal thing and opinions will vary.

I have made it VERY clear to my family (in Oz) that I don't want anyone coming to Thailand if/when fall off the perch and under no circumstances my remains repatriated to Oz. 

Same here, what is a grave anyway, dead is dead. My grandfather is buried but most of my family is cremated. But nobody ever visits graves. We do remember them in our heart. We dont keep ashes we spread them out somewhere the person would have liked.

[Hummin]

6 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

44 and doesn't have £5k in assets? However can afford trip to Thailand. How do these stories even become news worthy. 

Next.

Who can access his founds after he is dead, and the will have not been released yet? 

 

The family of him can be poor, and Im all up for people to ask for money, and those who have, those whant, can give if they want. Simple as that 

[TooMuchTime]

Sudden heart attack?

 

People who are aware know exactly why this happened.

[Wuvu2]

If he died 2 days into his holiday he must have had a bunch of unspent holiday money...surely enough to cover local cremation, and think of all the living expenses he won't have to spend when he gets back from holiday ????

 

Asking the public to pay for the family's desire for a different burial doesn't seem reasonable - especially when there are still so many hungry people who's lives were hammered by covid. 

[robblok]

5 minutes ago, Hummin said:

Who can access his founds after he is dead, and the will have not been released yet? 

 

The family of him can be poor, and Im all up for people to ask for money, and those who have, those whant, can give if they want. Simple as that 

Temporary loan perhaps. But then again that might be to simple.

[1FinickyOne]

22 minutes ago, DrJack54 said:

44 and doesn't have £5k in assets?

And that includes his friends and family back home... ?