British martial arts champion fighting for his life after motorbike crash in Thailand

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, ezzra said:

Riding a motorcycle in Thailand is akin to Russian roulette, if you spin the drum enough times your luck eventually will run out, travel insurance could have helped a lot but with no licence and other factors and the length of say that would be helpful in his case...

It can be but.....it's the same thing world over. 

 

If you're incompetent you shouldn't be riding a motorcycle in any country. 

 

[Gottfrid]

57 minutes ago, KhaoYai said:

There is no problem with getting insurance for bikes per se. For someone living in Thailand, most (all?) 1st class policies have emergency medical cover. There is a problem with the level of that cover with most policies I've seen but I was informed by a member here that stand alone accident insurance that covers motorcyles is available - I think the company was AXA.

 

If you mean travel insurance - I was surprised to see that my annual travel insurance (£15 million emergency medical cover) from All Clear (UK) actually covers bikes as long as you have a licence to ride one. However, most travel insurance covers a limited amount of days per trip - mine's 45 max per trip so this guy would not be covered.  I'm not even sure that travel insurance is available that would cover someone who's been away 9 months and if it is, its going to be very expensive.

No, you are right. In this case he should have had a Thai insurance that covers it all. And of course there must be a drivers license and a helmet on the head. That, I just took as an unspoken rule. I know that is not the case in Thailand, but as foreigners we should know better.

[superal]

1 hour ago, CrunchWrapSupreme said:

Nearly 10 years in Thailand, and I've always let the wife do the driving. She's been happy to. First on a motorcycle, now in our car. As a female they drive more cautiously than us blokes would, and as a Thai they're a lot more familiar with how their countrymen move around on the road, their sudden lane changes or pulling out from being stopped, that I wouldn't have caught. I remember a thread on here once about how "unmanly" it was to be seen riding pillion with a chick at the helm, heh well, I'm more a fan of staying in one piece.

Only time I let my lady drive is when I have had a few too many drinks and then I become a terrible back seat driver as we crawl along at a snails pace or stay behind a truck with no intention of overtaking it . Also riding a motor bike in Thailand is just not worth the risk , no matter how much enjoyment you get from it but there are many die hard farangs who have had motor bikes all their lives and they believe they know better .

[SAFETY FIRST]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, you are right there. Can also be hard to find an insurance that actually covers motorcycle driving in Thailand at all.

Not just Thailand 

 

[spermwhale]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

Yeah, you are right there. Can also be hard to find an insurance that actually covers motorcycle driving in Thailand at all.

Health insurance covers all injuries and illness regardless of cause. So it's not hard at all to find insurance that covers medical expenses after a motorcycle accident. The first step is buying the insurance

 

[Orinoco]

1 minute ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

It can be but.....it's the same thing world over. 

 

If you're incompetent you shouldn't be riding a motorcycle in any country. 

 

Yes the Thais should stop immediately

[Orinoco]

2 minutes ago, spermwhale said:

Health insurance covers all injuries and illness regardless of cause. So it's not hard at all to find insurance that covers medical expenses after a motorcycle accident. The first step is buying the insurance

 

I find that hard to believe.

[PEE TEE]

Insured or not many insurance company's do not cover motorbike accidents. crushed by a pick up ? did he pull out without looking?    outside a 7/11 yesterday a young white girl had no idea how to start her bike and asked me what is wrong with it . telling her you have hold the brake on before it starts she had had no idea and pulling out very shaky in front of an oncoming car i thought jeeze hope she lasts the day. Yet these rental places don't care who rents the bikes as long as they get money. hope he make a good recovery    

[bluejets]

1 hour ago, jonclark said:

If he was hit by the pick up...doesn't the pick up have insurance?  If I hit and injure someone with my car, my  insurance pays I think 500k to cover resulting medical bills for any third injury. Third party injury is normally the most basic of all insurances for cars. 

As mentioned above, no insurance company is liable to cover the cost of the third party if any of the above mentioned factors come into play.

[david_dyer]

been here for 9 months at the height of all the travel restrictions where they were the most tightest, then to extend his visa past 90 days he would have had to prove insurance for the additional time, just done the extention and yes they asked to see coverage.

no, most insurance does not automatically cover motorcycle use, you in most cases have to do additional coverage

[thailand49]

2 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Thailand is not to blame. 

 

It's the unqualified and unskilled users. 

 

Accountability.

 

Why make this pointless comment? 

 

 

 

In many ways it is Thailand if we are talking about a country a society with leaders who are there to make and resolve problems for society people. 

 

The leaders of Thailand as we foreigners have said a trillion times and just now by you " 

Unqualify. unskilled, not accountable "  due to lack of proper education and enforcement all the responsibility of Thailand leaders is to protect society as a whole since safety of everyone is FIRST. 

 

But as you can see in Thailand incident like this everyone is desensitized even this headline story makes no mention of the truck driver who cause the accident does he or she walk away is there no accountability or is it Thailand cultural society leaders thinking and teaching hope the honor system works go to the temple pray and all is forgiven since foreigner are better off thus able to accept what comes although no fault of there own.  ????  

Edited May 3, 2022 by thailand49

[Elkski]

I thought hospital stays in Thailand were low cost.  500,000 x 2 days.  Wow.  Hope his recovery is good.   It will be into find out how the accident happened. 

[overherebc]

19 minutes ago, superal said:

Only time I let my lady drive is when I have had a few too many drinks and then I become a terrible back seat driver as we crawl along at a snails pace or stay behind a truck with no intention of overtaking it . Also riding a motor bike in Thailand is just not worth the risk , no matter how much enjoyment you get from it but there are many die hard farangs who have had motor bikes all their lives and they believe they know better .

Rode bikes for years in UK and the EU. Two weeks was enough in Thailand and decided it was not a good idea.

As for people who rent little bikes here, don't have insurance or a licence when you get hurt it's your fault, why should others pay for you.

[PomPolo]

Just knocked up a quick web-site and domain regarding situations like this, it happens far too often!

https://payformyholiday.com/

 

I am not making light of this situation but I plan to develop it with advice on leaving your own country, getting the correct insurance and advice in countries where medical care may not be what us westerners are used to.

 

The website was made in 5 minutes (hence no content as yet) but I will update it to reference stories like this (with the relevant tags to the stories origins) and attempt to make it a useful tool, I have been in dodgy situations myself so genuinely feel for people in this situation, Thai Visa (Asean Now) is the best referential source if you know how to navigate it for good advice, a dedicated website referencing bad situations may make people or families think twice about skipping on the correct travel insurance.

[IvorBiggun2]

Doesn't look too bad for someone that allegedly had his skull crushed a few day prior to the picture.

 

  

Edited May 3, 2022 by IvorBiggun2

[warrima]

Seen a young lady at our condo this weekend on a Fatboy rental bravely heading towards sukhumvit. Very clearly her first or at best second time ever on a motorcycle. The security guards were almost passed out laughing at her. I thought to intervene and tell her to catch herself on but in this new woke world i would likely be a accused of misogyny.

A GoFundMe campaign waiting to happen.

 

 

[murraynz]

4 hours ago, Gottfrid said:

Unfortunate accident, and I really hope he will pull through. However, it makes me think it´s just another one without an insurance.

Maybe... But how many insurance claims actually get paid... 

Very few, I suspect.. 

Much safer NOT riding motorcycles... Rent/buy a car.. 

[PomPolo]

14 minutes ago, IvorBiggun2 said:

Doesn't look too bad for someone that allegedly had his skull crushed a few day prior to the picture.

 

  

His right eye doesn't look too good - don't imagine a boxer could have done that! His right leg looks pretty messed up too.
Looks like a very strong cool guy I'm sure he will recover looking at this.

Why does everyone need 60 thousand pounds?

 

---- EDIT

He wasn't that handsome before the accident hehe
Get well soon tho fella, a s41t situation but you are a strong young lad, your are looking well even with a black eye and dodgy leg.
If you had 60k pounds you'd just buy a ticket back to Thailand and probably a Ducati on arrival!

Edited May 3, 2022 by PomPolo
To be nice

[Chongalulu]

50 minutes ago, Henryford said:

Another one with no insurance, and probably no helmet.

The facial injuries strongly suggest no helmet,which would invalidate any travel insurance anyway. Having a licence in the uk might have covered him if he had but as pointed out the maximum (with an extension) I was able to get (Nationwide) was 6 months. 
I wear my Arai full face helmet and gloves for 1 kilometer to the shop ! 

[david_dyer]

58 minutes ago, vandeventer said:

Yes, the first thing tourist do when they come here is let their hair down and do things that they never done before. It's sad he got into a accident but we have good doctors here as long as you don't need brain surgery.

he was not a tourist.......been here for 9 months

[Chongalulu]

44 minutes ago, spermwhale said:

Health insurance covers all injuries and illness regardless of cause. So it's not hard at all to find insurance that covers medical expenses after a motorcycle accident. The first step is buying the insurance

 

The ignorance in that comment is truly breathtaking! ???? 

[morrobay]

41 minutes ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

It can be but.....it's the same thing world over. 

 

If you're incompetent you shouldn't be riding a motorcycle in any country. 

 

You can be the most competent driver in the world. But in Thailand where  90% of Thais are  incompetent drivers it is not always going to save you .

And please spare us ::' it happens everywhere ' thai apology /ad nauseam.

[mushroomdave]

1 hour ago, MadMuhammad said:

I’m guessing even if the insurance company is paying something like 500K wouldn’t have gone too far, especially with an airlift 

Yes and if he came 9 months ago, did he not "have to" have insurance then to enter using the Thailand Pass??

[zyphodb]

21 minutes ago, Elkski said:

I thought hospital stays in Thailand were low cost.  500,000 x 2 days.  Wow.  Hope his recovery is good.   It will be into find out how the accident happened. 

The Thai ambulances automatically take you to the most expensive hospital if your a Farang, they pay most to the ambulance per patient. which on Sumai is the Bangkok hospital, who then hold your passport for ransom until you pay their extortionate bill. This is another, well known scam which has been going on for a very long time...

[david_dyer]

1 minute ago, mushroomdave said:

Yes and if he came 9 months ago, did he not "have to" have insurance then to enter using the Thailand Pass??

correct, and even if he extended his visa that would have been 6 months ago, still at the time when restrictions were tight. i was lucky on my extention, as i bought 12 months axa insurance, and bikes are not included

[Andre0720]

3 hours ago, SAFETY FIRST said:

Thailand is not to blame. 

 

It's the unqualified and unskilled users. 

 

Accountability.

 

Why make this pointless comment? 

 

 

 

Oh yes, Thailand is 100% to blame.

What I see everyday on the roads is very qualified drivers, very skilled drivers, driving in a country where anyone can drive at twice the speed limit, mobile phone in one hand, and a cigarette in the other, and so skilled that they make it home. Buddha is there for those people in Thailand making it home with such lack of discipline. Strangely, there are laws in Thailand, even if it does not appear to be the case. Lack of enforcement is allowed by Thailand, so Thailand is to blame for the result.

Not the people. Even tourists coming here on holidays generally leave their civility at home, and drive so dangerously. In their country, they would not think of doing that. So the difference is that at home, laws are enforced. Here in Thailand, they are not. So Thailand, yes Thailand and its culture is to blame.

Edited May 3, 2022 by Andre0720

[jonclark]

2 hours ago, MadMuhammad said:

I’m guessing even if the insurance company is paying something like 500K wouldn’t have gone too far, especially with an airlift 

I know it is just speculation as there are no details on the truck driver and his insurance status. It could well be that he had no insurance or had very good first class insurance. 

 

 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, jonclark said:

I know it is just speculation as there are no details on the truck driver and his insurance status. It could well be that he had no insurance or had very good first class insurance. 

 

 

If he had even the basic obligatory CTPL, it covers a rather small 3rd party liability. 

[vandeventer]

22 minutes ago, david_dyer said:

he was not a tourist.......been here for 9 months

I have been here for 22 years and I am still a tourist.

[Sydebolle]

Did it get omitted or did I oversee "the driver fled the scene", the "CCTV was not functioning" or anything else? 

No insurance in Thailand is deadly, with an insurance you might get died as well with the difference, that your in-laws will not go possibly bankrupt over the "flexible" interpretation of law and order in far-away lands ....... like Lalaland!