Accident Statistics

[simon43]

Does anyone have a reasonable idea (not just a guess!) of accident and death stats for Phuket per annum, for both local Thais and visiting tourists? I'm thinking about motorcycle and car accidents, drownings, heart attacks etc.

Also, last year I recall reading an article in the Phuket Gazette about the existing ambulance services in Phuket. But I cannot locate this article in the newspaper online archive. does anyone have a copy because I want to read it again?

Thanks - Simon

[LivinginKata]

Hey Simon,

Well, there are government statistics that answer your question. As far as I know there are at least 15 people dead each month from mostly mobike accidents. Drownings I would guess one person every 2 months = 6 dead per year, maybe more. Heart attacks ?? Why do you ask ?? It's a lot of people, sadly ....

[ozymandious]

I did the math at one point about motorbike fatalities on the island and it came out to be about 1 fatality every 2.4 days. (not accidents but fatalities) and these were only the statistics reported from Gov't hospitals.

[Zpete]

2007

For a start.......

Aircraft Accident of the 16 SEP 2007 accident of a McDonnell Douglas ... Total:, Fatalities: 90

[simon43]

I'm interested because I'm a volunteer police officer at the airport, but also cover all of north Phuket, plus south Phangna province. I'm about to start some paramedic training and want to understand the typical sorts of accidents/illnesses that tourists encounter, so that my training can be suitably directed.

I know from reading the Gazette article last year that ambulance facilities are pretty inadequate in the north of Phuket. When the plane crash occured, it was about 40 minutes before I saw any ambulances, due to the distance that they had to drive from Phuket Town/Bypass.

Simon

[Zpete]

Simon, good onya matey.

want to understand the typical sorts of accidents/illnesses that tourists encounter

Think, Delhi Belly, Montezuma's revenge, Thai style.

Possibly already a Thai name version...........LOL...... Phukets Poooooz.

Think scooter prangs, simple falls from bikes, that is dumb farangs who wear shorts alla time.

Self inc.

Gravel rash from unmade roads would need anti-tetanus shots.

Most OZ and Kiwi ppl would most likely have had them.

Good luck on your endeavours, Simon

[Sir Burr]

I'm interested because I'm a volunteer police officer

It's because of the uniform and hand-cuffs, isn't it?

[simon43]

It's because of the uniform and hand-cuffs, isn't it?

[\quote]

I think so My wife liked them so much that she's decided to become a volunteer as well . . .

Simon

[Zpete]

It's because of the uniform and hand-cuffs, isn't it?

[\quote]

I think so My wife liked them so much that she's decided to become a volunteer as well . . .

Simon

[melbat]

I'm not one for complaining about what Thais do here.. afterall I am a guest in their country and I do consider it a privlidge to be able to live here and have a life style I could never have in the UK but one thing does get my blood boiling... When I see Thai's riding motorbikes with children no older than babes holding on the the rear view mirrors on the front of the bikes. Dont they know that all it takes is a 20kph accident to throw the child over the top? I have never seen the accident figures for child deaths on motorbikes.. I wonder if they are ever recorded? Can you imagine what they would do to me if I drove a motorbike down any UK high street with a child sat on the front holding the mirrors??? Throw away the key???????

[geriatrickid]

Not a definitive list, but an idea of the types of incidents that one is most likely to encounter;

Class I Trauma - Serious:

Common

i) Standard vehicular ranging from fractures, lacerations and contusions all the way up to head and spinal cord trauma.

ii) Swimming related usually involving near drowning

iii) Existing health condition manifestations e.g. stroke, heart attack

Uncommon

Physical injury due to intentional injury e.g. blunt force trauma, firearms

Class II- Mild to Serious:

Common

i) Slips, trips & falls

ii) Lacerations e.g. walking on glass, metal, rock

iii) Animal & Insect bites

iv) Dehydration, sunstroke

Uncommon - forces of nature, burns, mechanical injury

Class III - Mild

Common

i) Sunburn

ii) Presumed food poisoning

iii) Sports related e.g. sprains, bloody nose

By far the most likely injuries arise from slips, trips and falls. It's something we all do and the local environment is conducive to such events particularly due to the large number of elderly visitors and the uneven walking surfaces.

[huggybear]

Not a definitive list, but an idea of the types of incidents that one is most likely to encounter;

Class I Trauma - Serious:

Common

i) Standard vehicular ranging from fractures, lacerations and contusions all the way up to head and spinal cord trauma.

ii) Swimming related usually involving near drowning

iii) Existing health condition manifestations e.g. stroke, heart attack

Uncommon

Physical injury due to intentional injury e.g. blunt force trauma, firearms

Class II- Mild to Serious:

Common

i) Slips, trips & falls

ii) Lacerations e.g. walking on glass, metal, rock

iii) Animal & Insect bites

iv) Dehydration, sunstroke

Uncommon - forces of nature, burns, mechanical injury

Class III - Mild

Common

i) Sunburn

ii) Presumed food poisoning

iii) Sports related e.g. sprains, bloody nose

By far the most likely injuries arise from slips, trips and falls. It's something we all do and the local environment is conducive to such events particularly due to the large number of elderly visitors and the uneven walking surfaces.

So the viagra induced heart failure in a hotel room in Patong falls into which category?

[LivinginKata]

I'm not one for complaining about what Thais do here.. afterall I am a guest in their country and I do consider it a privlidge to be able to live here and have a life style I could never have in the UK but one thing does get my blood boiling... When I see Thai's riding motorbikes with children no older than babes holding on the the rear view mirrors on the front of the bikes. Dont they know that all it takes is a 20kph accident to throw the child over the top? I have never seen the accident figures for child deaths on motorbikes.. I wonder if they are ever recorded? Can you imagine what they would do to me if I drove a motorbike down any UK high street with a child sat on the front holding the mirrors??? Throw away the key???????

I remember a few years ago a tourist here on a short holiday allowed his young child to do the 'hold on to mirrors' thing. No crash hat. Dad had a road accident near Wat Karon. Child dead, dad only with scrapes. I wonder how he explained that to the mother..... Very sad.

[simon43]

Geriatrickid, thanks for that useful list. I might even trawl through the online back-issues of the Phuket Gazette and compile some stats.

By the way, from your list

Physical injury due to intentional injury e.g. blunt force trauma...

[\quote]

Does that include so-called suicides from high-rise buildings? Or are we lucky here in Phuket because there are only a few tall buildings?

Simon

[Cuban]

...adding to your hit list:

Any situation listed above complicated by drunkeness or drug taking.

(You are likely to encounter a lot of drunks - however beware that some head injuries can look very similar - if you are playing paramedic be sure you don't mislable a serious head injury.)

Heat Stroke / dehydration.

Shock. (along with any other issue)

People off their meds. Diabetics? Asthma Attacks? Withdrawn Druggies?

Dog bite.

Jelly fish sting.

Kidney stones.

In public situations a big problem is managing the friends/family of the injured person, even worst if they are drunk or busy wanting to fight the opposing driver / fighter etc etc.

If you are part of a team, as a newbie you can learn a lot by watching and keeping the rabble away while the established paramedics work. In time you will know when to jump in a hold the the saline bag up after a line has been established etc.

Having the presence of mind to take photographs of the accident scene, injuries close detail and general area is very useful during the write up if there is one. For serious stuff it helps the insurance claim.

If you are doing this work to aid the tourist as a translator, it would be worth spending some time talking to the other translators and putting together a simple book of emergency words to aid communication during the few really difficult situations. Needs to be easy indexed and large type face to be read in the dark.

You are right to consider what you will come across. Generally a bit of blood spillt is not a serious problem for many people. Big burns are bad news, due to the surface area and the risk of infection. The thin plastic sheeting on a roll used on food/kitchens, Gladwrap or Cling Film is a perfect in the field solution to protecting a burn from infection but allowing water to be (slowly) poured on the wound to cool it down. I'm unsure if this is taught in Thai medical training.

Don't forget, many people will be able to walk to the car for treatment, some will need to be carried others do not make it. Unless the head is a few feet away from the rest of the body, a dead body is not a corpse until a real life doctor says that they can not be "brought back".

Although drowning in icy cold water is unlikely in Thailand, a drowning victim is not considered dead untill they are warm and still not breathing after CPR, Epinephrine and a few shocks. When you encounter a lifeless body you should assume that the last breath occured just as you arrived. Get help then start CPR etc etc.

It would be interesting to compare Thai training with the training from other countries.

If there is one thing you might be best served to remember when helping in serious situations, ensure your safety first. It does no help to anyone if you add to the list of casualties.

As for your wife doing the same work, is this partly to keep an eye on you ?

Will you be working together ? (Is that her/your desire?)

I must say that in teams I manage (different field) I keep spouses apart, working too close is not good for team building.

Also if one of you has a difficult day - will the other be able to provide the safe haven for talking about the personal impact of spending time collecting body parts?

Sorry this post turned a bit "dark", it's not all band-aid and lolly pops.

[Bagsida]

........When I see Thai's riding motorbikes with children no older than babes holding on the the rear view mirrors on the front of the bikes. Dont they know that all it takes is a 20kph accident to throw the child over the top? .......

20kph

5 kph accident is more than enough !!!

Bagsida

[Bagsida]

..........Also, last year I recall reading an article in the Phuket Gazette about the existing ambulance services in Phuket. But I cannot locate this article in the newspaper online archive. does anyone have a copy because I want to read it again ?

What about ask the Phuket Gazette ?

Bagsida

[simon43]

Hi Cuban, thanks for your very useful post. Note that I am already a volunteer police officer in both Phuket and Bangkok (Lumpini), since I travel weekly between the 2 locations. So already exposed to some of the more typical (and occasionally ugly) scenarios, especially at Lumpini.

My wife is joining the Phuket police volunteers, (at my suggestion) but will not neccessarily work alongside me. I'm far better at getting out of bed than her, which is why doing 24/7 call-out is not a problem for me (At our hotel it's me who always gets up to greet customers who arrive in the middle of the night...)

Like most volunteers, I am just that - a volunteer, and have a busy day and family life. So working long volunteer hours is not really the issue. But being on call 24/7 to help wherever I can in my geographic region makes sense. Where I live (by the airport) is a long way from the hospitals in Phuket. There is no ambulance/ICU at the airport. I'm also very close to some of the Phangnga/Khao Lak resorts, which are also a good distance from Takuapa or Phangnga town hospitals.

BTW, I am not and will not be a paramedic per se. Like many (most) places in Thailand, there is no trained paramedic service at all. A First Responder is a more accurate definition and is something that anyone can do, with the correct training. My spoken/written/read Thai is generally fine for translation work and I'm pretty up-to-date on Thai medical terms

Actually right now I am in BKK because my wife is in Bangkok Christian Hospital with suspected apendicitus!! I did offer to take out her apendix to get some practice, but my offer was not welcome for some reason.....

Simon

Simon

[Royale]

Just read these statistics in this weeks Phuket Post:

STATISTICS FOR ACCIDENT CASES IN PHUKET

Year Accidents Injured Fatalities

2002 1.799 1.472 116

2003 2.171 1.970 136

2004 2.065 1.471 118

2005 2.931 1.323 108

2006 1.136 936 99

2007* 931 659 95

* ( Between January - September 2007)

VEHICULAR STATISTICS IN PHUKET

Year Motorbikes Cars

2000 155.578 40.602

2005 208.183 81.509

2007 213.075 89.920

Hope it helps.

[Royale]

Sorry about that, the columns don't seem to have printed as i typed them, hope you can make out the figures under the headings.

[Royale]

Just read these statistics in this weeks Phuket Post:

STATISTICS FOR ACCIDENT CASES IN PHUKET

Year / Accidents / Injured / Fatalities

2002 / 1.799 / 1.472 / 116

2003 / 2.171 / 1.970 / 136

2004 / 2.065 / 1.471 / 118

2005 / 2.931 / 1.323 / 108

2006 / 1.136 / 936 / 99

2007* / 931 / 659 / 95

* ( Between January - September 2007)

VEHICULAR STATISTICS IN PHUKET

Year / Motorbikes / Cars

2000 / 155.578 / 40.602

2005 / 208.183 / 81.509

2007 / 213.075 / 89.920

If this isn't right then i give up