Scottish woman’s cliff plunge in Thailand sparks insurance debacle

[Enoon]

29 minutes ago, petermik said:

All the Travel Insurance policies I had in the UK covered motorcycles/scooters up to and including 125cc....this was some time ago and possibly things could have changed since then

 

The various different UK insurance companies that I have used over the past 14 years have all stated that I would only be covered if I was riding a motorcycle of the type that I am licenced to ride in the UK.

 

My UK licence is a full and unlimited capacity licence.......I could ride whatever I like in Thailand.

 

I doubt this UK woman had any previous experience of MCs, or any any knowledge of MC licensing in the UK or what it was she was riding in Thailand.

 

Ignorance can be extremely injurious to health, wealth and happiness.

 

 

 

 

[flyingtlger]

1 hour ago, webfact said:

An insurance company left a Scottish woman hanging after she plunged almost 20 meters to her death off a cliff

PUN INTENDED....

[richard_smith237]

17 minutes ago, Enoon said:

Read your insurance policy and fully understand it.

 

Erm....  Have you ever read an insurance policy ??

 

(pointed out above) - I have a dedicated 'Travel Insurance' Policy for an upcoming trip... 

 

Its 117 pages long... impossible to read all of it (ok, not 'impossible' but you get my point), as far as 'understanding all of it' ??

 

No... You'd need to be a medical professional and a Lawyer with patience of a saint to go back on all the circular referencing.

 

All I know is that it covers: 

- Trip Cancellation (for specific reasons - listed)

- Loss of Baggage  (costs to replace necessary items).

- Theft coverage (only under certain circumstances).

- Medical costs (injuries incurred while skiing - this is why I needed the policy as my medical policy is vague on this).

- Car rental 'damage excess'.

 

I'm quite sure that if 'something happens' there will be a flight over some of the policy wording... I hope not of course, and have gone with a policy that has a decent international ranking ($220 for 3 of us for 10 days)...

 

But... you never know until something happens... and then on this forum we'll have people who state... You should have read and understood the policy !!!! 

 

 

 

[impulse]

Someone clue me in here...  Did she have a scooter license back home that would allow her (by treaty) to legally drive a scooter in Thailand?  I'm allowed to drive a small scooter back home without a license.  But that doesn't mean I'm allowed to drive one in Thailand without having that endorsement on my "back home" license. 

 

And I can't see an insurance company paying out for an illegal activity.

 

[Lemsta69]

1 hour ago, mikebell said:

I'll do it; I'm an ex-Head of English with 39 years of correcting hazy expression/grammatical/spelling errors + I am cheap.

 

https://thethaiger.com/contact-us

 

Let us know how you get on.

[daveAustin]

1 hour ago, retarius said:

Honda made the Click 160cc recently for no apparent reason. The bike is now too heavy for my wife to ride and it's too fast for my liking. I'm old so have no wish to tear about the place.  

It’s a decent bike and like all vehicles has various speeds included… you don’t need to go flatout everywhere you know.  

[John Drake]

1 hour ago, Will B Good said:

I had to read it a few times.....the almost is the key....555

 

She got the hospital bill and then almost died.

[edwinchester]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Does this not suggest that she died?

Thai deaths are different.

[retarius]

7 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

It’s a decent bike and like all vehicles has various speeds included… you don’t need to go flatout everywhere you know.  

Don't worry I creep along. 

[daveAustin]

People scoff and scorn that the young lady rented a bike. Wow, jeepers, how dare she, stop the effing press! Get a life, old people. It is the best way to see this fair land and, if it is not for you, then so be it, but please avoid denigrating those that want to have fun and enjoy their life as they see fit. 
 

Regards insurance: this is the very reason why I self insure here because you can bet your bottom dollar that those greasy b’stards will try to avoid paying out to the nth degree. I will insure a flight for cancellation and baggage but will not hand over money to these thieves for anything else. If I crash, empty my bank account and throw me in the river when it’s all gone, but I Will not give ‘money for nothing’ ! 🙂

[KannikaP]

13 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

this is the very reason why I self insure here

Can you 'self insure' for a motor vehicle?

[The Fugitive]

22 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

I will insure a flight for cancellation and baggage

Interesting. I've always opted to exclude such (especially luggage). I have, of course, experienced flight delays/cancellations usually with missed connections as a result. Airports have always rerouted me without any arguments. Hold luggage once failed to appear on the carousel belt but was delivered to me totally intact by van driver less than 24 hours later.

Edited February 5 by The Fugitive
Spelling mistake.

[dyertribe]

47 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

My point here - is did the girl really believe she was insured to ride a 'scooter' in Thailand without a license ?

Without jumping out to the full article on Thaiger, I didn't see any reference in the AN post to indicate she was unlicenced or didn't hold a motorcycle class licence ...

[richard_smith237]

19 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

People scoff and scorn that the young lady rented a bike. Wow, jeepers, how dare she, stop the effing press! Get a life, old people. It is the best way to see this fair land and, if it is not for you, then so be it, but please avoid denigrating those that want to have fun and enjoy their life as they see fit. 
 

Regards insurance: this is the very reason why I self insure here because you can bet your bottom dollar that those greasy b’stards will try to avoid paying out to the nth degree. I will insure a flight for cancellation and baggage but will not hand over money to these thieves for anything else. If I crash, empty my bank account and throw me in the river when it’s all gone, but I Will not give ‘money for nothing’ ! 🙂

 

I don't think its the scoffing and scorning at actually renting a bike...   As you mention, a bike is great way to get around...

Its the not knowing they are not insured when people do so that people are throwing scorn at.

 

I actually hate the idea that the most convenient means of transport and one widely used by so many travellers frequently ends up with such financially devastating consequences....

 

I believe insurers could be a lot more transparent about motorcycles rental..... and simply state - YOU ARE NOT COVERED TO RENT A MOTORCYCLE (on the first page etc)... 

They could even go as far as having a very 'clear' additional premium for those wishing to rent a bike... (at extra cost etc - which supersedes the licensing or rather lack of licensing issue).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[richard_smith237]

5 minutes ago, dyertribe said:

55 minutes ago, richard_smith237 said:

My point here - is did the girl really believe she was insured to ride a 'scooter' in Thailand without a license ?

Without jumping out to the full article on Thaiger, I didn't see any reference in the AN post to indicate she was unlicenced or didn't hold a motorcycle class licence ...

 

As her Insurance did not cover her - its a fair assumption to make that she was not licensed to ride a motorcycle. 

 

Unless specifically stated that 'coverage for any motorcycle riding is excluded' most insurance policies will exclude coverage for riding motorcycles for those without a home motorcycle license. 

 

The issue here 'could' be that her (car) driving license has an enforcement for low-powered motorcycles (A and AM endorsements) which basically covers only up to something similar to a 50cc moped type vehicle. 

 

 

 

 

[bunnydrops]

Why was she riding a MB near a cliff? Did she fall off the bike and down the cliff, or did she go over the cliff with the bike? If the former, she could argue that it wasn't a bike accident that caused her injuries, it was a falling accident.

Edited February 5 by bunnydrops
typo

[OneMoreFarang]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

she plunged almost 20 metres to her death off a cliff on Ko Lanta island in West Thailand.

 

Glasgow-born NHS nurse Kerry Hughes almost fell to her death after renting a scooter on the West Thailand island.

 

So she didn't know how to ride and now she blames the insurance.

Remember: If your riding skills are substandard, then it is not a good idea to ride near a cliff in a country far from home.

 

 

[damo1967]

8 hours ago, petermik said:

Renting scooters/motorbikes anywhere is a death wish to Insurance policies....will folk never learn?

which turns into a fund raiser asking for money...  cheeky <deleted> even bought a Business class seat... <deleted> that

Edited February 5 by metisdead
Profane language edited out.

[n00dle]

2 hours ago, retarius said:

It would be nice if they had a native English speaker review the copy before they post it. 

the story is credited to Bob Scott from Newcastle:
Bob Scott

Bob Scott is an experienced writer and editor with a passion for travel. Born and raised in Newcastle, England, he spent more than 10 years in Asia. He worked as a sports writer in the north of England and London before relocating to Asia. Now he resides in Bangkok, Thailand, where he is the Editor-in-Chief for The Thaiger English News. With a vast amount of experience from living and writing abroad, Bob Scott is an expert on all things related to Asian culture and lifestyle.

[ThaiFelix]

2 hours ago, retarius said:

It would be nice if they had a native English speaker review the copy before they post it. 

We had the same when I wass teaching here.  The powers to be would have all kinds of posters and banners made in really poor English but never ask any of the English staff to proof read.....that would mean losing face so nuch better the whole school looked bad instead lol!

\

[hansnl]

It is known insurance companies will do anything to not pay.

[gomangosteen]

2 hours ago, petermik said:

Nothing to do with what your Driving licence states.....in most cases anything above 125cc is not covered

The previous travel medical accident insurance I had (from NZ, 2023) clearly specified cover only for motorcycle up to 200cc whether I was rider or pillion. Rules out all the latest 300, 350cc models.

 

Different insurance company before that did not have cc limit but did have a higher fee to add motorcycle cover to the policy.

 

In both cases I had to hold a full (NZ has a three tier system - learner, restricted, full) motorcycle licence.

Edited February 5 by gomangosteen

[newbee2022]

2 hours ago, Elkski said:

Such a bad article.   I will not reread it but i thought it daid she was cliff diving and died.  But somehow it seems like she drove a motorcycle off and insurance wint cover it but would have if a scooter?   I think my US motorcycle license is good up to 600cc.    Glad she is alive. 

It's not about your licence or any cc but what is covered by an insurance!

[Bangkok Barry]

2 minutes ago, ThaiFelix said:

We had the same when I wass teaching here.  The powers to be would have all kinds of posters and banners made in really poor English but never ask any of the English staff to proof read.....that would mean losing face so nuch better the whole school looked bad instead lol!

\

 

My wife was studying at uni to teach English, and she showed me an A4 sheet with a list of questions. There were around 15 errors which I corrected. She showed it to the professor, who threw it in the bin. Another time, a friend of my wife asked me to write some promotional copy for a new business, I did, and she rejected it as poor English. I'm a professional writer of over 40 years. You can't help people who already know everything.

[rct99q]

44 minutes ago, daveAustin said:

People scoff and scorn that the young lady rented a bike. Wow, jeepers, how dare she, stop the effing press! Get a life, old people. It is the best way to see this fair land and, if it is not for you, then so be it, but please avoid denigrating those that want to have fun and enjoy their life as they see fit. 
 

Regards insurance: this is the very reason why I self insure here because you can bet your bottom dollar that those greasy b’stards will try to avoid paying out to the nth degree. I will insure a flight for cancellation and baggage but will not hand over money to these thieves for anything else. If I crash, empty my bank account and throw me in the river when it’s all gone, but I Will not give ‘money for nothing’ ! 🙂

Perhaps we old people are not so selfish. I think about the consequences of my actions and how they may affect my family. Your wishes may not align with your families. Perhaps you are on life support for 6 months and they finally pull the plug. There will still be s bill to pay. Your mother pays this? Who. All fine and dandy as you are dead, but ramifications of your actions can have serious consequences, even life altering, for you leave behind. Also you say empty the bank account. How? If you are unresponsive it may be difficult, or even illegal, for someone to access your accounts. But I guess only old people think about others.

[JohnAllan]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Does this not suggest that she died?

Beat me to IT!

[Wrwest]

2 hours ago, KannikaP said:

Does this not suggest that she died?

Someone should face “loss of face” for this headline. The English language used here says the plunge resulted in her death.

[rct99q]

Just now, Bangkok Barry said:

 

My wife was studying at uni to teach English, and she showed me an A4 sheet with a list of questions. There were around 15 errors which I corrected. She showed it to the professor, who threw it in the bin. Another time, a friend of my wife asked me to write some promotional copy for a new business, I did, and she rejected it as poor English. I'm a professional writer of over 40 years. You can't help people who already know everything.

Did you review your work before submitting it? Perhaps there were errors, but you overlooked them because of your extensive experience. 

[Bangel72]

FYI only.

my UK car driving licence includes category A which is pretty much any motorbike I think, I have never ridden one ever.

Depending on age the licence may have started at AM light scooters then A1 - 125cc restriction so above that could be the issue if insurance covers for a match against UK driving licence.

 

I can only assume I have A because years of having a driving licence regardless of whether you have driven a bike or not seems to up the classification from AM, to A1, A2  to A so on renewal after 10 years perhaps it went to A automatically.

 

I have never needed this nor asked for it so was a bit surprised, it also gives me a licence to drive a tractor automatically.

 

[LivingNThailand]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

An insurance company left a Scottish woman hanging after they refused to pay out after she plunged almost 20 metres to her death off a cliff on Ko Lanta island in West Thailand.

How did she manage to plunge off a cliff?  Nothing about that.  She just drive straight off a cliff?  Something is fishy here.  Or maybe it's the accurate Google Maps GPS, totally worthless.