39-Year-Old Australian Survives 18-Storey Hotel Plunge In Phuket

[timewilltell]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

That depends on how he felt about killing himself after he was airborne. A lot of times people change their mind mid-air.

Hmm well that's interesting - I assume from data collected from those who made it which makes the sampling rather biased. But anyway, I know for a fact, most of the people who jumped and died were dreaming when they fell and never intended to jump! Does that skew the data?

[timewilltell]

I wasn't going to post anything here .. but can't help myself. To those of you who have already decided it was a suicide attempt THEN chose to post comments ridiculing him... you make me want to puke ! ... and I will tell you why.

A dear mate of mine, a truly nice guy once went through some terrible personal drama and gave up all desire to live. ... I was able to talk him around. But to see him in such depths of despair was truly sad. This guy in Phuket was a person, some one's son, clearly in a bad way, how dare you trivialise something like this. I've said my piece.

Believe me I have been where your friend was - there are few people who understand, even less who give a hoot, and even less who help. So often we hear 'If only he said - we'd have helped" - Yeah right! Help is not what you get - you get treated with contempt and THAT is the sadness of it all. Still now I have a little armour I can resist the crap around me and continue to fulfill my responsibilities to my family - still without the help of any other SOB! You are truly on your own here!

Edited November 14, 2012 by timewilltell

[ThaiKiwi]

Any sensible suggestions why so many people do jump to their deaths here?

I imagine excessive alcohol combined with mixed emotions over girls, who give them enormous feelings of pleasure but also equal amounts of frustration, confusion, anxiety and ultimately depression

Got to think with the 'big head' here and not the 'little head'

This is from Travel.aol.co.uk

There have been 13 incidents of young people falling from balconies so far this year. (15 - Aug. 2012)

Three of these cases resulted in death while others have been seriously injured. The Foreign & Commonwealth Office and ABTA The Travel Association, have joined forces on a campaign to help prevent balcony incidents among young people in popular holiday resorts.

In Majorca and Ibiza, two of the UK's top tourist destinations, there have been 9 cases – already matching figures for 2011, despite only being half way through the season.

Most incidents involve young people between the ages of 18 and 35 and whilst not always the case, alcohol often plays a part.

Nothing saying that Thailand is a bigger concern than other countries.

[Sayonarax]

These selfish people have no regard for the safety of people they might land on.

Saddist. Sometimes people hit a low point of being rotational. Really annoys me people make sick jokes about people who try to kill them selves.

Grow up and eat your likes.

Edited November 14, 2012 by Sayonarax

[Thai at Heart]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

Why would you think if he tried to commit suicide and he fail he was unlucky. You make me sick on the attitude on this, If a person is having emotional or Psychiatric problems and He /She kills them self

there is no chance of help

. Successful SUICIDE is final. Your humor is very sad .

should we be sad or happy he survived?

[unclesiberia]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

That depends on how he felt about killing himself after he was airborne. A lot of times people change their mind mid-air.

speaking from experience of course.

[tropo]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

Why would you think if he tried to commit suicide and he fail he was unlucky. You make me sick on the attitude on this, If a person is having emotional or Psychiatric problems and He /She kills them self

there is no chance of help

. Successful SUICIDE is final. Your humor is very sad .

should we be sad or happy he survived?

Very happy IF he manages to overcome his serious injuries AND manage to pay the bill. There really are too many variable. Will he walk again? - for one.

[steveG]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

That depends on how he felt about killing himself after he was airborne. A lot of times people change their mind mid-air.

Sounds like the voice of experience!

[steveG]

I am a great believer that only the man upstairs decides when one is going to die I myself have been that close when I was serving in the military I can only think that I had a guardian angel looking over me, hope the guy fully recovers from his injuries and does not end up in a wheelchair for the rest of his life

Agree with this comment. Many people have a guardian Angel. Mine also has served me well over the years and long may it continue. I hope my angel dosent jump from a tall building, but if my angel does I hope the wings come in useful.

[antpet]

According to the Pattaya bureau of statsictics the fourth floor is the most effective from which to fall. Strangely, that is followed by the fifth. The guy, obviously inexperienced as this sounds like his first time chose too great a height and consequently found adequate bounce upon impact. The injuries he sustained sound consistent with a body bounce upon landing. A not unusual phonemena where the fall is broken by implement or object prior to finally meeting the ground terra ferma.

I suggest this was compounded by the 'plexiglass' though shortly negated afterwards by the cement floor. In my experience it is the cement floors that are least flexible and therefore less prone to any impact flex.

He may have been wearing several layers of clothing which again would help to cushion his fall. Cotton in particular has remarkable absorption qualities and when I visited the Eiffel Tower I made sure to wear my cotton vest that day in order to maximise my bouncebackability just in case I became over emotive due to the vista.

I think the motive appears quite transparent in that he was about to return to Australia. Literally, he couldn't face the Nieghbours.

[jbrain]

The stool found on the balcony may be indicative of the accident, perhaps he stepped on to the stool in order to fix or do something above on the balcony.

You suggest he was doing some maintenance at the hotel ?

[kruangfaifar]

These selfish people have no regard for the safety of people they might land on.

If it was intentional then his family are the people that really get hurt.

[jackr]

His choice and his choice only...no sympathy on here when so many people (young kids included)haven't got that choice lying in hospital wards right now..there's my two bobs worth!!

A loose train of thought, this, but I'm sure you give all your unneeded salary and beer money to the disadvantaged?

If not an accident, is the people's' pain in 'hospital wards' more worthy than his? People are generally under immense pressure to do this and are likely experiencing pain at a level folks who find it hard to empathise will ever comprehend. He has my sympathy.

[hellodolly]

What- or whoever- made him jump doesn't change the fact that just too many foreigners "jump" down of tall buildings here.

Hope he'll fully recover and no problems with hospital bills etc...

The article I read said nothing about jumping it did say they could smell alcohol on him though. Who really knows if he indeed did jump he will in all likely hood try to find a way to do it permanently what ever caused him to jump will still be there and a lot of physical damage on top of it.

[chooka]

It has been said, by wiser heads than mine, "God protects drunks and fools"

How exactly does this apply to this guy? Was he drunk, a fool, jumped, pushed what is it.

[BwindiBoy]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

That depends on how he felt about killing himself after he was airborne. A lot of times people change their mind mid-air.

How do you know that, especially since most that jump end up dead? (And, yes, I am assuming the latter part of that sentence, but with far greater certainty than your speculative comment)

I hope that whatever the cause, that he recovers fully and, if he did jump, he sees it as a new start and takes a more positive route in life. Good luck to him.

[gaucho]

These selfish people have no regard for the safety of people they might land on.

agree with you ''''in japan they used to have nets to catch the suiciders .......in sydney years back ...a lady ...her last day of work before retiring ....she had worked 35 years at the hospital was struck by a suicidal druggie ......she broke his fall but suffered shocking injuries ...the druggie was amazingly almost unharmed ....her life ruined as well as her family's

[BookMan]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

Why would you think if he tried to commit suicide and he fail he was unlucky. You make me sick on the attitude on this, If a person is having emotional or Psychiatric problems and He /She kills them self

there is no chance of help

. Successful SUICIDE is final. Your humor is very sad .

should we be sad or happy he survived?

I'm neutral on the feelings front. I didn't know the guy and I don't know his intentions.

[BookMan]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

Why would you think if he tried to commit suicide and he fail he was unlucky. You make me sick on the attitude on this, If a person is having emotional or Psychiatric problems and He /She kills them self

there is no chance of help

. Successful SUICIDE is final. Your humor is very sad .

Do you know the guy Soidogs? Do you know his intention?

If indeed he was attempting suicide, then from that height, he was very unlucky not to succeed.

The matter of his state of mind, the events leading up to it, whether he has psychiatric issues, that is all another issue.

[personchester]

The stool found on the balcony may be indicative of the accident, perhaps he stepped on to the stool in order to fix or do something above on the balcony.

You suggest he was doing some maintenance at the hotel ?

brainy... to mention maintenance is jokingly silly, and joked silliness should not be used in this terrible accidental matter.

An appropriate response would have been ... Yes, he might have climbed on to the chair/stool on the balcony for whatever reason, then lost his balance and fell over the barrier downhill.

[DominAsia]

Maybe he was going for the "Who Can Jump Off The Highest Balcony and Survive" record

Seems like there's about three a week trying for it

They come from all over too - Thailand must be the Balcony Skydiving capital of the World

[Aussiescott]

Hmmmm, sad story. if he fell because he was pissed, thats bad luck....if he jumped because of life issues, still sad and i feel for him to wake with these horrible injuries. As one poster said, if the latter was true, i hope this changes his way of thinking and dealing with his problems, he is surely "lucky" to have survived and his time is not up yet.

[moskito]

I wasn't going to post anything here .. but can't help myself. To those of you who have already decided it was a suicide attempt THEN chose to post comments ridiculing him... you make me want to puke ! ... and I will tell you why.

A dear mate of mine, a truly nice guy once went through some terrible personal drama and gave up all desire to live. ... I was able to talk him around. But to see him in such depths of despair was truly sad. This guy in Phuket was a person, some one's son, clearly in a bad way, how dare you trivialise something like this. I've said my piece.

Dont worry mate, thats ThaiVisa Forum < Flame removed >... not all here are same, belive it or not, some members here really having a brain....

Friend of mine jumped from the 6th floor of a building when we was around 19-20 years old...he not died but sit in a wheelchair since....I remember days when he said he better died....specially when we drove to a disco and he wont go with us anymore....

Edited November 15, 2012 by metisdead

[ross163103]

If I was this guy first thing I'd do after leaving the hospital is buy a lottery ticket!

[portly]

Vachira , good luck needed there

[tropo]

If I was this guy first thing I'd do after leaving the hospital is buy a lottery ticket!

Hasn't he already won the lottery. With such low odds he can't do it again.

[soidogs]

Got to be the luckiest guy in the world . . . . if it was an accident.

Or the unluckiest guy in the world, if he was trying to kill himself

Why would you think if he tried to commit suicide and he fail he was unlucky. You make me sick on the attitude on this, If a person is having emotional or Psychiatric problems and He /She kills them self

there is no chance of help

. Successful SUICIDE is final. Your humor is very sad .

So many comment on here trying to be "funny" on behalf of this guy...and you pick THIS comment, to voice your outrage?

If someone wants to commit suicide and made that decission to jump...and wakes up 3 days later, alive but with severe injuries that will make a live he already found unbearable even worse...what is wrong with considering him "unlucky"?

I think, this is almost tragic!

Next time, try one simple thing before posting: thinking!

Speaking of thinking, If you look at the posts prior to mine those were the only ones that showed Non compassion and no understanding of depression. If some one is finding their life is unbearable and wants to end it, most of the educated world says that most likely that person can get help to turn things around.

You say so many people trying to be funny, most adults would realize that there is a time and place for everything. If you are a professional comedian let me know where you are performing so I can see how funny you are. If not think before you post..........

[ChokDeeMak]

What- or whoever- made him jump doesn't change the fact that just too many foreigners "jump" down of tall buildings here.

Hope he'll fully recover and no problems with hospital bills etc...

Yes way too many even just within 2012 (2555) It is almost like You could gamble on when another foreigner is going to bite the dust down south or even Pattaya.

[phanangpete]

Very lucky guy, he made 15 calls back home before his jump, smelt of alcohol, seems like he meant it.

Perspex roof on the second floor broke his fall, if it had of been glass, well, no chance.

[osten]

For everyone asking how we know that many jumpers change their minds mid-flight...

Check out the documentary "The Bridge," which focuses on Golden Gate bridge jumpers. A small percentage survive, and they nerarly all said they regretted it after jumping and in mid-air.

Fwiw...

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