Foreigner slips and breaks his neck on mossy seawall steps at Thailand beach

[berrec]

C'mon man!

 

You know the Thing!

 

It's Thailand, as a foreigner everything out there has the potential to kill you or will try to kill you.

 

Live here, enjoy life and the culture and country, but 24 x 7 x 365 keep your wits about you, wherever you go and whatever you do!

[VocalNeal]

7 minutes ago, berrec said:

but 24 x 7 x 365 keep your wits about you,

Surely that is everywhere???? Relaxing and/or complacency is what get's one into trouble.

Edited April 12, 2023 by VocalNeal

[robblok]

20 hours ago, richard_smith237 said:

100% agree.... It does seem that many posters have gone ‘native’ in their attitudes siding with the ‘more powerful authorities’ from the point of view that ’nothing will improve anyway’...   so its just easier and takes less effort to victim blame and just ‘brush off’ these issues under the TiT banner...

 

It is a shame as improvement would be of benefit to *all of us (*all of us in Thailand, not just us foreigners, but Thai’s too)... Just walk down any pavement (sidewalk) in any town or city in Thailand and he utter disregard for public safety is wholly apparent. 

 

 

 

This is usually where we see the response... ‘if you don't like it go back to the nanny-state’  or... ‘don’t push your western standards’ etc etc...   These sorts of comments are moronic attempts to point-score from people of low intelligence...   There is nothing wrong is recognising where improvements can be made in the country we live in, for those of us with Thai friends and who have made this country our home we have a vested interest in seeing these improvements and there is nothing wrong with expressing such opinions on forums such as this. 

(that last paragraph has been placed there to offset the predicable and expected flawed responses and avoid debate with the cerebrally challenged).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

I think you gone USA. In my country if someone slips on one of the many dams and sea wals then they will call that man unfortunate but a fool too. Because dams are submerged part of the day (especially those that are influenced by tides). Its impossible to keep that non slippery. Anyone thinking it can be done without pouring huge amounts of money in it is a fool. Its possible but really expensive, 

 

I am from a nanny state but like i said even there they understand that some things cost too much to keep safe. Things that submerge often is one of those.

[FritsSikkink]

On 4/10/2023 at 6:37 PM, richard_smith237 said:

The smart people make sanctimonious comments on this forum don’t they !!!... 

 

 

Those steps look like they’d be perilous when wet....    With the amount of poor lighting are you so sure you’ve never stepped where you aren’t 100% sure you’d have perfect footing ???

 

Never stepped on a drain cover only to read later in the day that someone went through a drain cover (or similar) and scraped up their legs ???

 

I was in a very poorly designed pool the other day... dangerous with tiles 1” under the waterline and sloping down slightly, then underwater steps which couldn’t clearly be seen and underwater seating which couldn’t be clear.... I wonder how many people have slipped and hurt themselves, jumped in and hurt themselves etc...       Still, I very nearly slipped over... lethal...   (and this was at what may be considered a higher end resort). 

 

This is Thailand and we have to ‘expect’ that its dangerous...   But, I think ‘victim blaming’ is unfair in this case... the old fella was only walking down the steps.

 

Don't go walking on the beach with bad light.

[NanLaew]

On 4/10/2023 at 8:57 PM, OneMoreFarang said:

It looks very much like an area where people only go if they want to go there.

What on earth does that mean? Don't most people only go where they want to go? Unless they've been taken I mean? Like Brian Mills's daughter/wife/shih-tzu, etc..

[OneMoreFarang]

37 minutes ago, NanLaew said:

What on earth does that mean? Don't most people only go where they want to go? Unless they've been taken I mean? Like Brian Mills's daughter/wife/shih-tzu, etc..

When I walk from Soi 3 to Soi 7, then I must walk past Soi 5.

But I don't have to walk to the end of Soi 5 just to look what is there. That is optional.

[NanLaew]

2 hours ago, OneMoreFarang said:

When I walk from Soi 3 to Soi 7, then I must walk past Soi 5.

But I don't have to walk to the end of Soi 5 just to look what is there. That is optional.

What's in Soi 5 that you're missing then?

[OneMoreFarang]

1 hour ago, NanLaew said:

What's in Soi 5 that you're missing then?

The green moss... 

[2009]

On 4/10/2023 at 6:26 PM, Myran said:

"She said there are no lights in the area and no warning signs to say the steps could be slippery"

 

Neither are there signs proclaiming that the ocean can make you wet. Sometimes you'll just have to use some common sense.

In all fairness, these steps were man-made, right?

 

Some lights would make them safer. Kinda like driving on a poorly lit road. Maybe we should drive around in the dark using our common sense.

 

Even without the wetness you could fall down them in the dark and break your neck.

 

Just an accident waiting to happen.

 

But if you don't know the sea is wet, you can only complain to God.

 

Not really a good comparison, but nice try. ????

 

 

Edited April 13, 2023 by 2009

[2009]

On 4/12/2023 at 5:20 AM, Muzzique said:

Now beaches need to have lights, and warnings that seaweed is slippery.

He did not slip on a naturally occurring thing.

 

On 4/12/2023 at 5:20 AM, Muzzique said:

It's a beach, it has steps that get covered with water where seaweed grows and that makes them slippery. 

Beaches don't have steps, lol. They're man-made.

 

On 4/12/2023 at 5:20 AM, Muzzique said:

No one in their right mind is going to pay for lights down km's of beaches and sweep the enormously concrete steps of seaweed just in case a lone someone who is less commonsensical decides to walk there.

Why build the steps then?

 

Just a half-assed dangerous job.

 

Those steps were made to invite people.

 

How do you get onto the steps without walking on them?

 

On 4/12/2023 at 5:20 AM, Muzzique said:

Doesn't call for a lawsuit. And if it was the case it should be Poseidon or Neptune they should be sueing.

Did the Gods build the steps??

 

Didn't think so. ????

 

 

By your logic we shouldn't expect any safe infrastructure and just blame ourselves when we have an accident as a result of dumb human design.

 

Maybe they should put seating on a cliff side to invite people, but no lights or barrier to stop them walking off the cliff in the dark.

Edited April 13, 2023 by 2009

[Myran]

1 hour ago, 2009 said:

In all fairness, these steps were man-made, right?

 

Some lights would make them safer. Kinda like driving on a poorly lit road. Maybe we should drive around in the dark using our common sense.

 

Even without the wetness you could fall down them in the dark and break your neck.

 

Just an accident waiting to happen.

 

But if you don't know the sea is wet, you can only complain to God.

 

Not really a good comparison, but nice try. ????

 

 

It's an excellent comparison in regard to what I wanted to convey. I'm not against lighting the place or putting up warning signs. Precautions are always good.

 

But I am against trying to blame someone else for what happened. They should be able to draw the conclusion that climbing around on a concrete seawall in the dark is a bad idea with an absolutely immense risk of falling.

 

There are many instances in the world where dubious or non-existent safety precautions can result in danger, but that doesn't mean you can run headlong into those situations and then put the blame on someone else. The world is imperfect, and adults need to adapt to that.

 

I should be able to walk around with 20 baht of gold around my neck at 3am in the most dangerous part of the city, but if I do and get robbed, I sort of have myself to blame.

[2009]

12 minutes ago, Myran said:

It's an excellent comparison in regard to what I wanted to convey.

Yeah, but you were comparing a man-made structure with the sea. ???? 

 

It's like comparing slipping on swimming pool tiles to getting struck by lightning.

Edited April 13, 2023 by 2009

[VocalNeal]

2 hours ago, 2009 said:

By your logic we shouldn't expect any safe infrastructure and just blame ourselves when we have an accident as a result of dumb human design.

Exactly???? In some places even workplace safety is the responsibility of the worker. If not safe you don't have to do it.

[Myran]

4 hours ago, 2009 said:

Yeah, but you were comparing a man-made structure with the sea. ???? 

 

It's like comparing slipping on swimming pool tiles to getting struck by lightning.

 

The purpose of my initial message was to convey that slabs of concrete right next to the ocean are obviously going to get slick. Them being slick is about as surprising as the ocean being wet. It's less of a comparison and more of an analogy, like when you say that a piece of candy is rock hard. It's not really as hard as a rock, you're just conveying the message that it's really tough.

 

Glad I could clear that up for you. Don't give up, reading comprehension is an ongoing and amazing journey, and we're all rooting for you!

Edited April 13, 2023 by Pink Mist
a portion of the post has been removed. Please do not post antagonizing content as it violates forum rules.

[richard_smith237]

4 hours ago, Myran said:

It's an excellent comparison in regard to what I wanted to convey. I'm not against lighting the place or putting up warning signs. Precautions are always good.

I believe the Authorities ‘could’ have been more proactive in their attempts to better protect the safety of the public - actually, they (the authorities) could have started with any attempt at all - Will they put up any precautions now ?... lighting, signs???  even clean the sea wall / steps a couple of times per year ? 

 

4 hours ago, Myran said:

But I am against trying to blame someone else for what happened.

Me too...  For spilling hot coffee over yourself in a McDonalds, or driving into a lake because you were following Sat-Nav !!!..  These situations are very rarely ‘black and white’, in this example I believe there is scope for the authorities to have been better able to protect the public, this is why I would argue that ’some’ of the blame lies at the feet of the authorities for doing nothing about the safety of this area. 

Yes... this is Thailand, but we should still want better and ‘being better’ starts with accountability. 

 

4 hours ago, Myran said:

They should be able to draw the conclusion that climbing around on a concrete seawall in the dark is a bad idea with an absolutely immense risk of falling.

But he wasn’t ‘climbing around’... he was simply walking along....  the structure he was walking along looks very much like something designed to be ‘walked along’... 

 

4 hours ago, Myran said:

There are many instances in the world where dubious or non-existent safety precautions can result in danger, but that doesn't mean you can run headlong into those situations and then put the blame on someone else. The world is imperfect, and adults need to adapt to that.

The injured fellow was not ‘running headlong into a situation’ he was simply out for a walk. 

 

4 hours ago, Myran said:

I should be able to walk around with 20 baht of gold around my neck at 3am in the most dangerous part of the city, but if I do and get robbed, I sort of have myself to blame.

Apples vs oranges...  And if you do get robbed - the thieves are to blame. 

People may ‘blame the victim’ and some levy 100% of the blame on the victim who ’should know better’ or apply a greater degree of self protection and common sense, but really, authorities are also to blame for not ensuring better safety - that is why some countries have better public safety than others. 

 

 

The injured party in this incident ‘should’ have been more cautious and he is responsible for that part of the incident, but he was also walking along a structure in which there was no caution in its design or protection of the public in mind (people will and do walk along anything that looks similar to these ‘wide steps' close to the beach).

 

 

[Pink Mist]

6 hours ago, 2009 said:

In all fairness, these steps were man-made, right?

 

Some lights would make them safer. Kinda like driving on a poorly lit road. Maybe we should drive around in the dark using our common sense.

 

Even without the wetness you could fall down them in the dark and break your neck.

 

Just an accident waiting to happen.

 

But if you don't know the sea is wet, you can only complain to God.

 

Not really a good comparison, but nice try. ????

 

 

It is a sea wall and the water covers them up completely for high tide, they are not steps per se, they are designed as steps to help break up the wave action which would undercut a regular wall by pulling the sand out from underneath it.

[Myran]

10 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

I believe the Authorities ‘could’ have been more proactive in their attempts to better protect the safety of the public - actually, they (the authorities) could have started with any attempt at all - Will they put up any precautions now ?... lighting, signs???  even clean the sea wall / steps a couple of times per year ? 

 

Me too...  For spilling hot coffee over yourself in a McDonalds, or driving into a lake because you were following Sat-Nav !!!..  These situations are very rarely ‘black and white’, in this example I believe there is scope for the authorities to have been better able to protect the public, this is why I would argue that ’some’ of the blame lies at the feet of the authorities for doing nothing about the safety of this area. 

Yes... this is Thailand, but we should still want better and ‘being better’ starts with accountability. 

 

But he wasn’t ‘climbing around’... he was simply walking along....  the structure he was walking along looks very much like something designed to be ‘walked along’... 

 

The injured fellow was not ‘running headlong into a situation’ he was simply out for a walk. 

 

Apples vs oranges...  And if you do get robbed - the thieves are to blame. 

People may ‘blame the victim’ and some levy 100% of the blame on the victim who ’should know better’ or apply a greater degree of self protection and common sense, but really, authorities are also to blame for not ensuring better safety - that is why some countries have better public safety than others. 

 

 

The injured party in this incident ‘should’ have been more cautious and he is responsible for that part of the incident, but he was also walking along a structure in which there was no caution in its design or protection of the public in mind (people will and do walk along anything that looks similar to these ‘wide steps' close to the beach).

 

 

We'll have to agree to disagree, for the most part. We simply draw the line for personal responsibility at different places, which is fine. Hopefully the guy in the article recovers.

[Deserted]

He must have known he was taking a gamble by doing that.

[richard_smith237]

20 hours ago, Deserted said:

He must have known he was taking a gamble by doing that.

Do you consider you are taking a gamble every time you take a walk along a beach and walk along some steps (or something that looks like steps) ???

 

There is a lot of 20/20 hindsight on this forum - I can honestly say I may well have walked along that structure (sea wall / steps) without giving thought to how slippery they may be until I’m actually on it.... 

 

Obviously this thread serves as a tool for learning about such risks I may otherwise not have considered. 

 

 

[Deserted]

If it's by the sea then yes of course.