Brits rally round to donate 3 million baht for compatriot who fell off Koh Phangan hotel balcony and was "left helpless for 40 minutes"

[keithkarmann]

3 hours ago, Pedrogaz said:

What's with the fish lips? Everybody seems to have them these days....must be like kissing a salmon.

They may have other uses.

 

[lungbing]

6 hours ago, swm59nj said:

I’m guessing the way she looks had nothing to do with all those contributions. 

But how does she really look under all the photoshopping.

[kwak250]

I have seen a report that her mother said the low balcony was outrageous  but how I look at it is if its that dangerous I would not rent the room .

If I am likely to have lots of drinks with it being new years eve then a low balcony on a high floor would not be what I would be renting.

 

[Lucky Bones]

6 hours ago, Jimbo 12345 said:

Same old story,  yet another farang with no insurance,   ive said it once I'll say it again,   get her family to get the money together,   begging off farangs yet again,  stupid farangs , getting pretty regular now,  rant over. 

That continually deferred 300 baht thingy could have solved this in a flash. Right? Oh, the 300 baht only covers the taxi fare back to the airport. <deleted>.????????

[Reigntax]

5 hours ago, Aussieroaming said:

Good for her..I wonder if a fat, bald 60 year old would have gotten the same sympathetic  response, I doubt it myself.

 

 

 

 

I’ll try it and see. 

[still kicking]

5 hours ago, Boyn said:

I think the airlines should refuse to fly unless insurance is adequate .

Yes, I agree I always have top level insurance unlimited medical. 

[ukrules]

5 hours ago, Boyn said:

I think the airlines should refuse to fly unless insurance is adequate .

What's adequate?

 

Had she picked a slightly different insurance option it may have had the repatriation flight covered but cost a bit more.

 

The real problem here is that 'the kids' have no clue what they need and just buy the cheapest / default offering. When they're buying insurance they're thinking of missed flights and lost luggage.

 

They've probably never heard of a medical repatriation flight either.

[JimTripper]

One thing I learned early on here is to stay away from any kind of balcony railing. Many of them are below my center of gravity and not made to protect, rather more decorative in nature.

[Enoon]

2 hours ago, ukrules said:

What's adequate?

 

Had she picked a slightly different insurance option it may have had the repatriation flight covered but cost a bit more.

 

The real problem here is that 'the kids' have no clue what they need and just buy the cheapest / default offering. When they're buying insurance they're thinking of missed flights and lost luggage.

 

They've probably never heard of a medical repatriation flight either.

All that is true.

 

When they used to fall off balconies in Scarborough or Bournemouth repatriation wasn't an "extra".

 

Definitely some serious 'fessing up is needed about what things are like in terms of general "domestic" safety in Thailand, and certainly about its desirability as a "fun/adventure" destination.

 

Couple that with some real education about the importance of in-depth insurance.

 

In the meantime, happily, there are plenty of good hearted people around....and GoFundMe to channel their altruism.

 

 

[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

They said it was par for the course for a 21 year old not to read the small print on her "dream holiday

Great parenting... 

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, Letseng said:

Reading the small print seems another British deficiency. May have to do something with low literacy skills in UK.

Not showing particularly great prowess yourself there!

[Iron Tongue]

19 hours ago, Henryford said:

Fell 60 feet? Other reports say the second floor, 20 feet more likely. Or if it's Thai second floor 10 feet.

I think many of you have never been inside a hotel before.  The bottom floor is called the LOBBY, and the numbered floors begin on the SECOND floor, which is called the 1st, and so on...

[Boomer6969]

Is this thread a "blame" the victim competition?

 

How many British are there here without any health coverage whatsoever? 

[sammieuk1]

Well done all those involved in getting this poor young woman home at the time of lifechanging crisis ????

[Bday Prang]

20 hours ago, hioctane said:

"left on the floor helpless for 40 minutes until an ambulance finally arrived".

 

You are not supposed to move someone if they might have a broken back.

They would have to be moved eventually 

[Bday Prang]

13 hours ago, Boyn said:

I think the airlines should refuse to fly unless insurance is adequate .

No way ,  its nothing to do with the airlines and its none of their business, people need to look after themselves and take responsibility .  There is too much molly coddling by governments and the like in the name of health and safety and this is what we end up with a generation of people who should not be allowed out unless accompanied by a responsible adult 

[Bday Prang]

14 hours ago, schvonsky1 said:

Spot on lad unfortunately the world is full to the brim of ass pieces they all need a good slapping let’s hope they don’t ever <deleted> up in life ????????

So how much did you donate ?       The world seems to be full to the brim of idiots who expect others to bale them out when they mess up , and of course the other idiots who sent money because they thought she was "fit"

[Bday Prang]

16 hours ago, Letseng said:

Reading the small print seems another British deficiency. May have to do something with low literacy skills in UK.

not only that, but most in the west have had their common sense gradually  removed by endless and pointless "heath and safety" regulations, The younger generations have lost the ability to take care of themselves As soon as they venture out into the real world they are an accident waiting to happen. With their natural instincts eroded they are akin to a Lab-rat that has been released into the wild.

[Bday Prang]

16 hours ago, BritScot said:

If its the second floor ie the top floor then I think it is definitely close to 60ft or 20m. Plus so many nasty comments on here and the bottom line is no one is forced to donate. Comments about her appearance OMG! She is a very bonny girl and not many posters on here could have been that lucky in their youth...

Do you have issues regarding spatial awareness and difficulties judging distances?  I'll help you out here, A normal door is around 6 ft high . please explain how that building coukd be anywhere near 60 ft high?  

I imagine You must have great difficulty parking    60ft 5555555555

[Bday Prang]

1 hour ago, Iron Tongue said:

I think many of you have never been inside a hotel before.  The bottom floor is called the LOBBY, and the numbered floors begin on the SECOND floor, which is called the 1st, and so on...

Have you actually been in a hotel ?  Have you actually been to Thailand ?   You seem to be misinformed

[Bday Prang]

8 hours ago, ukrules said:

What's adequate?

 

Had she picked a slightly different insurance option it may have had the repatriation flight covered but cost a bit more.

 

The real problem here is that 'the kids' have no clue what they need and just buy the cheapest / default offering. When they're buying insurance they're thinking of missed flights and lost luggage.

 

They've probably never heard of a medical repatriation flight either.

"Kids" ???  She is 21   a grown adult, they were fighting in Vietnam at 19 the younger generations these days are pathetic

[webfact]

Appeal to bring Thailand balcony fall woman home raises £73k

 

IMAGE SOURCE: FAMILY

The beauty therapist was on holiday on the island of Koh Phangan with her partner and friends.

The family of a woman who fell from a second-floor balcony while on holiday in Thailand have raised more than £73,000 to bring her back to the UK.

 

Maddi Neale-Shankster, 21, of Coventry, was paralysed from the waist down, after the accident on New Year's Eve.

 

A GoFundMe appeal was launched after her family discovered her travel insurance did not cover the cost of bringing her home safely.

 

The Foreign Office said it was providing assistance.

 

Full story: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-coventry-warwickshire-64235941

 

-- © Copyright BBC 2023-01-14

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Monthly car subscription with first-class insurance, 24x7 assistance and more in one price - click here to find out more!

[Orinoco]

4 hours ago, Boomer6969 said:

Is this thread a "blame" the victim competition?

 

How many British are there here without any health coverage whatsoever? 

That's not the same. Chalk and Cheese.

Good quality Travel / holiday insurance is cheap.

Heath care insurance for 12 months in Thailand for expats is expensive.

 

But I wish her well, sure this accident has  messed her life up big time.

 

 

 

[JemJem]

11 hours ago, JimTripper said:

One thing I learned early on here is to stay away from any kind of balcony railing. Many of them are below my center of gravity and not made to protect, rather more decorative in nature.

So true. Once, I stayed at an apartment building with such balconies. The small toilet and shower was outside, right by the balcony. Once, I slipped on my way to the room from the toilet/shower. It was a close call. My room was on the 8th floor. I would have had no chance of survival. 

 

 

[Spock]

19 hours ago, CanadaSam said:

Or add the travel insurance as part of the ticket price.

 

Airlines have much bigger clout in reducing rates for bulk buying of policies, it should be very affordable IMO.

Why should airlines care or be responsible for passengers having travel insurance? In what way are they impacted by a passenger without insurance?

[Spock]

2 hours ago, Orinoco said:

If her insurance didn't cover her for repatriation it would have covered her hospital and medical bills, so why didn't she stay in hospital in Thailand then return home when she was able to fly? Her family could have come out to stay her bedside for much cheaper than the 73000 pounds raised. 

 

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

16 minutes ago, Spock said:

Why should airlines care or be responsible for passengers having travel insurance? In what way are they impacted by a passenger without insurance?

If a passenger was rejected at immigration for not having insurance, would the airline be responsible to return him/her, and a possible fine?

[IvorBiggun2]

On top of the GoFundMe collection they are now doing another collection for her rehabilitation.

 

Quote

If you still wanted to help out directly there are several fundraisers taking place in Coventry which will go towards Maddi’s rehabilitation and help towards her living costs until she is hopefully able to walk and return to work.

https://www.coventrytelegraph.net/news/coventry-news/maddi-neale-shanksters-family-eternally-25969042

Talk about pushing your luck. Her employer is her mother who has a successful beauty clinic.

Maddi on the left

[soi3eddie]

31 minutes ago, Spock said:

  3 hours ago, Orinoco said:

If her insurance didn't cover her for repatriation it would have covered her hospital and medical bills, so why didn't she stay in hospital in Thailand then return home when she was able to fly? Her family could have come out to stay her bedside for much cheaper than the 73000 pounds raised. 

@OrinocoGood point. If the insurance did cover medical bills and not repatriation then I would rather be in a good Thai hospital such as Bangkok Hospital. In these situations, the first instinct of many foreigners is to panic and flee to the familiar surroundings of their home country. We saw this in huge numbers at the start of the Covid-19 pandemic and many later regretted doing so.

 

[BritScot]

7 hours ago, Bday Prang said:

Do you have issues regarding spatial awareness and difficulties judging distances?  I'll help you out here, A normal door is around 6 ft high . please explain how that building coukd be anywhere near 60 ft high?  

I imagine You must have great difficulty parking    60ft 5555555555

I have zero issues regarding anything and am well aware of distance. Having had a home improvement business an outside door on a house and not the entrance to a hotel which is normally far taller and wider making it well over 2m tall. Then you have the fact that in Thailand ceilings in Thailand are much higher this would account for the 3rd floor being over 12m and quite possibly 15m from the ground level road pavement. remember the 1m rail she would have had to fall over. Then there is always the fact of Thai inches and western inches then men inches and womens inches.... Regardless its a long way down!!!