Tourist Rescued from Tree Following Parasailing Accident on Phuket Beach

[webfact]

Pictures courtesy: 77kaoded

 

A thrilling parasailing adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for a tourist when a sudden wind change left him precariously perched atop a 5-metre pine tree on Kamala Beach in Phuket. Emergency services, including the local police, responded quickly, employing a crane truck to safely rescue the young man.

 

Surasit Wandee, a deputy investigator at Kamala Police Station, reported that the incident occurred at around 6 pm on July 1. Mohammed Ali Warrad Abdul Wahab, 26, found himself stranded after an abrupt shift in the wind caused his parasail to deviate off course, entangling him in the tree's upper branches.

 

First responders arrived promptly upon receiving the call and discovered Abdul Wahab swaying from the treetop.

 

Coordinating with the Kamala Subdistrict Administrative Organisation, they employed a crane truck to lower him safely to the ground. Fortunately, Abdul Wahab was uninjured, albeit shaken from the ordeal.

 

"The rapid change in wind direction likely caused the parasail to lift the tourist into the tree," Wandee explained. This mishap serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety and preparation when engaging in extreme sports.

 

Authorities have stressed the need for thorough safety briefings for all tourists participating in parasailing activities.

 

They also urged operators to keep a close eye on weather forecasts and ensure that their equipment is regularly inspected and maintained.

 

This isn't an isolated incident. In a similar occurrence, a Thai parasailing operator recently compensated a Chinese tourist with 400,000 baht after she sustained a leg injury on Karon Beach due to a parasailing accident. Like Abdul Wahab’s incident, the cause was attributed to a sudden wind shift despite claims of adhered safety protocols.

 

Tourists are advised to follow all safety measures and heed instructions to avoid potential dangers while enjoying such exhilarating activities.

 

-- 2024-07-02

 

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[webfact]

Jordanian Man Rescued After Parasailing Mishap at Kamala Beach
By Goongnang Suksawat

 

 

Kamala, Phuket – On Monday (July 1st), Kamala Police received a distress call regarding a foreign man who became stuck with a parasail on a high pine tree at Kamala Beach. The man, later identified only as Mr. Mohammed, a 26-year-old Jordanian national, was safely rescued by a cherry picker truck.

According to an unidentified parasail operator, Mr. Mohammed was one of four foreign customers who had used their parasail services. Strong winds caused him to become entangled in the tree during what is typically an eight-minute parasailing session.

In response to this incident, Kamala Police Chief Colonel Somsak Thongkleang has issued a warning to parasail operators. When red flags indicating strong winds are present in the area, operators should pause their services for safety reasons.

 

Full story: THE PHUKET EXPRESS 2024-07-03

 

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[hotchilli]

18 hours ago, webfact said:

"The rapid change in wind direction likely caused the parasail to lift the tourist into the tree," Wandee explained. This mishap serves as a stark reminder of the importance of safety and preparation when engaging in extreme sports.

Is that a message for tourists or for the parasailing outfit?

[Skeptic7]

Hang Loose 🤙❗

[expat_4_life]

19 hours ago, webfact said:

A thrilling parasailing adventure turned into a frightening ordeal for a tourist

 

I too had a parasailing adventure gone wrong in Pattaya decades ago.  Thought I was going to drown, close call.

After becoming initially airborne the speed boat driver slowed due to an obstacle in the water.  I was dropped and dragged through the water, encumbered by the attached parachute, unable to get a breath.  Time slowed, felt like forever.  I still remember it very vividly, terrifying.

Never did it again, always recommend against it. Be safe out there

Edited Wednesday at 12:05 AM by expat_4_life

[Classic Ray]

Wonder if they made him pay for damage to the gear, like they do for jet skis?

 

Risk assessment is not a developed skill in Thailand when money is involved.

[DPKANKAN]

'5-meter pine tree' I think they need to check their tape measure. A tad taller than that ffs!!!!5555

[steven100]

Mohammed Ali ...  I think stick to badminton,   parasailing is not for you  

[steven100]

28 minutes ago, Classic Ray said:

Wonder if they made him pay for damage to the gear, like they do for jet skis?

 

Risk assessment is not a developed skill in Thailand when money is involved.

and the cherry picker truck rental,  and damage to the tree .....

 

They're calculating the bill as we speak  ....

[Peterphuket]

37 minutes ago, expat_4_life said:

 

I too had a parasailing adventure gone wrong in Pattaya decades ago.  Thought I was going to drown, close call.

After becoming initially airborne the speed boat driver slowed due to an obstacle in the water.  I was dropped and dragged through the water, encumbered by the attached parachute, unable to get a breath.  Time slowed, felt like forever.  I still remember it very vividly, terrifying.

Never did it again, always recommend against it. Be safe out there

Did it myself once, 25 years ago also on Pattaya, must not think about it now.
Anyway, you were lucky.

[Frankie baby]

I watched them try and bring down a guy on the parasail in the wind a couple of days back (Karon Beach). Took about an hour to get him down. In the end a lull in the wind did the job.

[kidneyw]

I remember in 1980 I thought I would give this a go. The guy, who they were just bringing back, crash landed on top of two beach umbrellas. I turned around.

Still have never done it.

[cnx101]

He was obviously being pulled by a speedboat so how can this happen, I’ve done paragliding of a mountain and then land on the beach but for sure weather everything checked first but I do in Vietnam not Thailand for sure.

[Gsxrnz]

I thought there was an official list of things "not to do" in Thailand. I'm sure paragliding comes right after bungy jumping, riding in a mini-van, and arguing with ladyboys on Beach Road at 3am.

[Clarkey611]

Was the sudden change of wind due to him farting?

[bbbbooboo]

Just driving on the roads in Thailand is an extreme sport i suggest, without having these beach add ons which are also clearly dangerous as well( remember the Aust guy plunging to his death from a parasail harness a couple of years ago in Thailand)

 

[TDCNINJA]

4 hours ago, Frankie baby said:

I watched them try and bring down a guy on the parasail in the wind a couple of days back (Karon Beach). Took about an hour to get him down. In the end a lull in the wind did the job.

They probably charged him for the extra time aloft. 

[Tatman95]

That is brilliant 

What a plonker I would of love to seen that especially after a spliff

[VBF]

5 hours ago, Gsxrnz said:

I thought there was an official list of things "not to do" in Thailand. I'm sure paragliding comes right after bungy jumping, riding in a mini-van, and arguing with ladyboys on Beach Road at 3am.

You forgot "Hiring a jetski without a lawyer in attendance"  🤔

But seriously, the operators of this parasailing outfit SHOULD know not to go near trees such as this just in case the wind change - but TIT!

Quite frankly it terrifies me but i get dizzy if I stand on a beermat 😮

[Cabradelmar]

Thai safety standards again on full display.

[sambum]

Looks a lot taller than 5 metres to me!

[sambum]

8 hours ago, kidneyw said:

I remember in 1980 I thought I would give this a go. The guy, who they were just bringing back, crash landed on top of two beach umbrellas. I turned around.

Still have never done it.

 

I had a go once in Greece many years ago and loved it - but they seemed a bit more safety conscious there!

[josephbloggs]

18 minutes ago, sambum said:

 

I had a go once in Greece many years ago and loved it - but they seemed a bit more safety conscious there!

Really?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/28/two-british-teenagers-killed-parasailing-rhodes-greece-say-authorities

[sambum]

1 minute ago, josephbloggs said:

Really?

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/oct/28/two-british-teenagers-killed-parasailing-rhodes-greece-say-authorities

 

So maybe standards have slipped since I was in my 30's - 40 years ago? I did say "many years ago"!!!

(I haven't read the link, but it appears to be dated Oct 2020, 3 - 4 years ago)

[Mark Nothing]

On Jomtien beach about 10 years ago a parasailor customer got stuck hanging from a 10 meter tall circular lighting pole.  Parasail wrapped around lights completely entangled.

 

The fire truck arrived after about 20 minutes to extract the tourist but none of the firemen knew how to work the extending ladder boom mechanism.  When the group of onlookers started yelling for the man to be saved all the firemen ran away like children.

 

Finally a properly trained employee arrived who knew how to work the ladder and extracted the victim after 1 hour.  He appeared to have lost consciousness while hanging for so long.