Drama At Koh Phangan

[bagnet]

5 days ago my friend died in a car accident,he was hit from behind by a drunken driver while he was driving a motorbike.in hospital they did absolutly nothing to help him and he died after 40 min..the crew in the hospital didn't speak with as at all,only took the name of friend and after they went.for police we've been waiting more than 2 hours even though the police station is 5 min by car from the place where accident happened!after they came they also didn't speak with us only took same pictures,remove the car and went back home.the drunken driver has run away right after the accident and police is telling us they don't who he is,but they have his car with numbers so what is the problem?during this days after the accident the police didn't contact with us even one time,two days we've been asking them for report so they could send it to embassy but it ends that we had to send it our self,and after they translate it came so that it wasn't even our statements..we called every where for help and nobody want to do anything.please help us if anybody has any ideas

[garyh]

Sounds like you should contact the Farang police volunteers, at least they can help getting your concerns across.

[sbk]

You don't state what country your friend is from you but you really need to contact the embassy in this matter. You should also contact your friends family back home so they can also put pressure on the embassy for help as well.

[BillR]

and after they translate it came so that it wasn't even our statements

crazy. hope something is done.

[goldfinger]

OP says, he send the report to the embassy, no answer from there????

very strange indeed.

[angiud]

Reading his previous posts, my guess is that the OP is from Poland.

[sbk]

It doesn't matter where the OP is from, what matters is where the deceased is from and whether or not the family has been informed. The family can help put pressure on the Embassy if they do not move. OP does not say if he has also called the Embassy or if all he has done is send a report.

[F1fanatic]

As the drunk driver ran away 1) how do you know he was drunk and 2) its unlikely that the hospital staff didn't help the unfortunate man who died.

Even a cynic will assume that the hospital staff will do everything to help - as the hospital will charge for every treatment.

I'm not trying to 'down-play' what happened - but its not quite a case of 'drunk driver hits motorcyclist farang who is left to die by hospital' IMO.

Yes, the police will try to blame the farang in this sort of accident, but there's little that can be done about this. At least the fact that the car driver ran away will (hopefully) carry some weight if they catch him.

[borovik]

As the drunk driver ran away 1) how do you know he was drunk and 2) its unlikely that the hospital staff didn't help the unfortunate man who died.

Even a cynic will assume that the hospital staff will do everything to help - as the hospital will charge for every treatment.

I'm not trying to 'down-play' what happened - but its not quite a case of 'drunk driver hits motorcyclist farang who is left to die by hospital' IMO.

Yes, the police will try to blame the farang in this sort of accident, but there's little that can be done about this. At least the fact that the car driver ran away will (hopefully) carry some weight if they catch him.

What is your point Mr.F1?Have you been there?No - you are from Phuket;so,why you think that driver was not drunk and why you think,that OP is lying about situation in hospital?

You are cynic yourself,and your post is unhelpfull.Get yourself another beer - it will help.

[robblok]

As the drunk driver ran away 1) how do you know he was drunk and 2) its unlikely that the hospital staff didn't help the unfortunate man who died.

Even a cynic will assume that the hospital staff will do everything to help - as the hospital will charge for every treatment.

I'm not trying to 'down-play' what happened - but its not quite a case of 'drunk driver hits motorcyclist farang who is left to die by hospital' IMO.

Yes, the police will try to blame the farang in this sort of accident, but there's little that can be done about this. At least the fact that the car driver ran away will (hopefully) carry some weight if they catch him.

What is your point Mr.F1?Have you been there?No - you are from Phuket;so,why you think that driver was not drunk and why you think,that OP is lying about situation in hospital?

You are cynic yourself,and your post is unhelpfull.Get yourself another beer - it will help.

I must say she was pretty helpful and her post sounded good. I have to agree that its really unlikely that a hospital would not help as they love to bill foreigners.

Same applies that if the driver runs away you cant be sure he is drunk. She did not say anything strange and the tone of her post was not bad either. So lighten up a bit.

[needforspeed]

Reading his previous posts, my guess is that the OP is from Poland.

He isn't,

he is from Holland

[sbk]

Despite OP not logging in after posting, I am moving this to the Samui Phangan forum for a better response.

[BigC]

contact the embassy. gett them to give the police a push but if u go down this path i was you i would leave the island and let them ebassy officers take over. the embassy should be worried about its nationals and wan tot get to the bottom of this.

another question

please do not tell me u signed the statements that they wrote for u.

Edited April 20, 2010 by BigC

[borovik]

As the drunk driver ran away 1) how do you know he was drunk and 2) its unlikely that the hospital staff didn't help the unfortunate man who died.

Even a cynic will assume that the hospital staff will do everything to help - as the hospital will charge for every treatment.

I'm not trying to 'down-play' what happened - but its not quite a case of 'drunk driver hits motorcyclist farang who is left to die by hospital' IMO.

Yes, the police will try to blame the farang in this sort of accident, but there's little that can be done about this. At least the fact that the car driver ran away will (hopefully) carry some weight if they catch him.

What is your point Mr.F1?Have you been there?No - you are from Phuket;so,why you think that driver was not drunk and why you think,that OP is lying about situation in hospital?

You are cynic yourself,and your post is unhelpfull.Get yourself another beer - it will help.

I must say she was pretty helpful and her post sounded good. I have to agree that its really unlikely that a hospital would not help as they love to bill foreigners.

Same applies that if the driver runs away you cant be sure he is drunk. She did not say anything strange and the tone of her post was not bad either. So lighten up a bit.

Some terrified kids face tragedy here and F1fanatic is playing armchair detective accusing them of lying?

Another post above:OP declared himself as "Polish",it means,he is from Poland not Holland;however nobody said,who is the victim,may be he is Dutch?

People come here from across the world to have nice holiday time and now what? - coming back in coffin or urn after senseless death!Light-up?a cig?

[BigC]

Sounds like you should contact the Farang police volunteers, at least they can help getting your concerns across.

forang police volenteers are about as usefull as yur avator

[baco]

I thought that koh phanagn didn't have farang police voluneers

[mccw]

no tourist police and no falang wannabees for sure, they get in the way of collections.

if there is a group of u, i'd say u stay an hassle em, get embassys involved withall your details, plus if ou really want a result offer 100k up. the way u say is as if u av detail on the truck; if not dont expect anything, but if you do its all down to who can pull the most wieght.

end of the day it sounds like a terrible accident, but need to think seriously if its the best way to proceed is to make troubles.

about the hospital: -- i'lll say that i've been left waiting for 30-50 minutes when in serious state just because the hospital want to check out u got insurance an can pay before they lay out any treatment. once i'm collapse an lost all control arse, piisss an sick flatr on the floor next to feel like die but still waiting fuc_king clearance, and thats in suposedly civilised chiangmai,,,, no suprise they azy for treatment

[craigt3365]

I have heard of that happening here in Pattaya as well...won't do anything to help you until the hospital has ensured you can pay the bill!!!!! Several cases of people not being cared for and then passing away...really sick.

Unfortunately, the islands down there are really corrupt...

[baco]

They never asked me for insurance in the government hospital on koh phangan, even not when i came in very sick with dengue and had to stay there.

the only ask you to fill in a form with your details,nothing asked about insurance

did the guy go to the hospital or to one of the clinics of the commercial hospitals from samui because there it is an whole different story, heard awful things.

[t.s]

As the drunk driver ran away 1) how do you know he was drunk and 2) its unlikely that the hospital staff didn't help the unfortunate man who died.

Even a cynic will assume that the hospital staff will do everything to help - as the hospital will charge for every treatment.

I'm not trying to 'down-play' what happened - but its not quite a case of 'drunk driver hits motorcyclist farang who is left to die by hospital' IMO.

Yes, the police will try to blame the farang in this sort of accident, but there's little that can be done about this. At least the fact that the car driver ran away will (hopefully) carry some weight if they catch him.

What is your point Mr.F1?Have you been there?No - you are from Phuket;so,why you think that driver was not drunk and why you think,that OP is lying about situation in hospital?

You are cynic yourself,and your post is unhelpfull.Get yourself another beer - it will help.

I must say she was pretty helpful and her post sounded good. I have to agree that its really unlikely that a hospital would not help as they love to bill foreigners.

Same applies that if the driver runs away you cant be sure he is drunk. She did not say anything strange and the tone of her post was not bad either. So lighten up a bit.

pretty easy to make comments without any real experience of a place. have you seen the koh phan ngan hospital? sought treatment there? i thought not. next.

[Japhrodisiac]

Problems with different types of hospital :

1) Private (ie expensive by Thai standards) - make you wait until ability to pay or insurance is verified. You could die waiting

2) Small clinic - usually unable to do much for you outside of normal small injuries. have seen people wait for an hour, then get told they don't have the equipment when they could have been informed right away

3) Government Hospital - If they feel that they cannot save the person, they often do nothing, not even try. We had a staff member get hit by a car, head on, hard enough to detach both retanae. He was brought by the meat wagon, where they pronounced him untreatable - he would surely die. nothing was done for 30 minutes. He was moved to private hospital and was saved. He's back at work now after 1 yr rehab. Another case - our friends wife was involved in Car accident, she was breathing and talking for more than an hour afterwards, brought to Gov't hospital, they said nothing she could do (after 2 hrs just lying in a hospital bed) then she passed away. At the accident site, he wallet and mobile phone were stolen and people were taking pictures of the crash, instead of calling the ambulance.

If you do get picked up right away, chances are other drivers will not pull over and let the ambulance go on ahead.

Often, the drivers of the ambulance will take you to the place where they get the most commission, instead of where you ask to be taken to.

Dangerous place, huh?

[crusty]

I have heard of that happening here in Pattaya as well...won't do anything to help you until the hospital has ensured you can pay the bill!!!!! Several cases of people not being cared for and then passing away...really sick.

Unfortunately, the islands down there are really corrupt...

Yes you'd know wouldn't you ? Been here 5 years knows it all, blah, blah, blah....

[craigt3365]

I have heard of that happening here in Pattaya as well...won't do anything to help you until the hospital has ensured you can pay the bill!!!!! Several cases of people not being cared for and then passing away...really sick.

Unfortunately, the islands down there are really corrupt...

Yes you'd know wouldn't you ? Been here 5 years knows it all, blah, blah, blah....

What's your problem? Forget your prozac this morning???? Never said I know it all...nobody does...and actually been here more than 5 years...

Edited April 30, 2010 by craigt3365

[mjnaus]

Problems with different types of hospital :

1) Private (ie expensive by Thai standards) - make you wait until ability to pay or insurance is verified. You could die waiting

2) Small clinic - usually unable to do much for you outside of normal small injuries. have seen people wait for an hour, then get told they don't have the equipment when they could have been informed right away

3) Government Hospital - If they feel that they cannot save the person, they often do nothing, not even try. We had a staff member get hit by a car, head on, hard enough to detach both retanae. He was brought by the meat wagon, where they pronounced him untreatable - he would surely die. nothing was done for 30 minutes. He was moved to private hospital and was saved. He's back at work now after 1 yr rehab. Another case - our friends wife was involved in Car accident, she was breathing and talking for more than an hour afterwards, brought to Gov't hospital, they said nothing she could do (after 2 hrs just lying in a hospital bed) then she passed away. At the accident site, he wallet and mobile phone were stolen and people were taking pictures of the crash, instead of calling the ambulance.

If you do get picked up right away, chances are other drivers will not pull over and let the ambulance go on ahead.

Often, the drivers of the ambulance will take you to the place where they get the most commission, instead of where you ask to be taken to.

Dangerous place, huh?

Don't want to take this thread off topic; but your statements about hospitals in Thailand are awfully generalizing. I have been to many hospitals around Thailand and for sure the service and quality of care differs around Thailand; some places better then others.... When I arrived in a private hospital (Hatyai) with an acute appendix infection, I was right away hospitalized without any questions regarding insurance (didn't even have any at that time); when discussing the needed surgery the next morning; the hospital was well aware of the fact I didn't have any insurance however they did proceed with the surgery.

I am terribly sorry about what happened to the poor guy who died... Contact the embassy and have them deal with the mess...

[Japhrodisiac]

Problems with different types of hospital :

1) Private (ie expensive by Thai standards) - make you wait until ability to pay or insurance is verified. You could die waiting

2) Small clinic - usually unable to do much for you outside of normal small injuries. have seen people wait for an hour, then get told they don't have the equipment when they could have been informed right away

3) Government Hospital - If they feel that they cannot save the person, they often do nothing, not even try. We had a staff member get hit by a car, head on, hard enough to detach both retanae. He was brought by the meat wagon, where they pronounced him untreatable - he would surely die. nothing was done for 30 minutes. He was moved to private hospital and was saved. He's back at work now after 1 yr rehab. Another case - our friends wife was involved in Car accident, she was breathing and talking for more than an hour afterwards, brought to Gov't hospital, they said nothing she could do (after 2 hrs just lying in a hospital bed) then she passed away. At the accident site, he wallet and mobile phone were stolen and people were taking pictures of the crash, instead of calling the ambulance.

If you do get picked up right away, chances are other drivers will not pull over and let the ambulance go on ahead.

Often, the drivers of the ambulance will take you to the place where they get the most commission, instead of where you ask to be taken to.

Dangerous place, huh?

Don't want to take this thread off topic; but your statements about hospitals in Thailand are awfully generalizing. I have been to many hospitals around Thailand and for sure the service and quality of care differs around Thailand; some places better then others.... When I arrived in a private hospital (Hatyai) with an acute appendix infection, I was right away hospitalized without any questions regarding insurance (didn't even have any at that time); when discussing the needed surgery the next morning; the hospital was well aware of the fact I didn't have any insurance however they did proceed with the surgery.

I am terribly sorry about what happened to the poor guy who died... Contact the embassy and have them deal with the mess...

I'm sorry too. I hate to think that a person died due to lack of care (in the many senses of care).

My post begins with "Problems with..." and is not an overall review of all aspects of the medical system here. Just noting things that have happened to me, friends/loved ones and things I have seen whilst in hospital.

[somtampet]

Seems like some people complain about the hospital procedures inThailand,sounds very similar to USA

[sbk]

OK, how about Koh Phangan specific then.

Govt hospital, sucks. its terrible. understaffed, under equipped and only one fairly competent doctor.

private "hospitals" are nothing more than glorified clinics that charge an arm and a leg to send you on their speedboat at high cost to their Samui hospital at even higher cost.

Theres a reason that the local old people are super healthy, survival of the fittest, they are the ones strong enough to survive.

[barky]

Since living in Thailand for a fairly long time, I can be fogiven to be extremely cynical in almost every situation concerning the cops here, especially when it comes to the worthless aliens that infest the country.

I believe/hope that the hospital staff would have done what they could for the poor victim. My condolences.

But, I equally believe that the cops will do nothing or next to nothing to solve the crime. Yes, crime. Not only traffic violation but far worse, hit and run.

And, unfortunately, based on years and countless examples, his embasy will, in all likelihood, offer little support. Thailand authorities are always treated with kidd gloves by foreign governments who willingly accept the Thai lack of response and white-wash.

[Tracer Round]

Since the fellow died 40 minutes after being taken to the hospital, it stands to reason that the doctors who looked at him concluded there was nothing they could do. Not all accident victims are in a "savable" condition, you know.

As for the drunk driver part, I assume there is some circumstantial evidence (driving erratically or speeding) that led to this conclusion, but I have to agree that although it is likely true (given the propensity of everyone on the road to be intoxicated to some degree after dark here) no one can factually say he was drunk without some sort of test being applied. Since he allegedly ran off, this was never conducted; therefore, it is possible he was intoxicated, but may have just been speeding or simply not paying attention.