Chinese Tourist Falls to Death From Zip Line in Chiang Mai

[webfact]

Chinese Tourist Falls to Death From Zip Line in Chiang Mai
By Khaosod English


Chiang Mai Zoo staff check the equipment at a zipline company based in the zoo, 2 July 2015.

CHIANG MAI — A Chinese tourist fell to his death while gliding on a zip line in the northern city of Chiang Mai earlier this week due to faulty safety equipment, police said.

The 44-year-old male tourist was zip-lining above the forest with a company called Skyline Adventure on 29 June when a safety lock malfunctioned, and caused him to plunge 12 meters down to the ground, police said.

A police officer privately told Khaosod that the news was withheld from the media until today because junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was visiting Chiang Mai at the time, and local authorities did not want any "negative news" to surface during his trip.

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/detail.php?newsid=1435900896


-- Khaosod English 2015-07-03

[lee b]

These tours are not safe, an ATV trip in CM could have easily have ended up in death if you saw the route the crazy idiots took us down !!

[BKKBrit]

As always, the powers that be are reactive as opposed to being proactive in doing their jobs.

[Thailand]

RIP very sad.

But to withhold such news so it didn't upset the generals visit with " negative news" is almost criminal as people should have been made aware of the potential problem.

[zaphod reborn]

Bungee jumping, zip line gliding, ATV riding, parasailing, etc. Don't come to Thailand to do these. Do them in places that have safety standards and where companies actually take safety seriously, not just post a "Safety First" sign.

[off road pat]

was to be expected,...sooner or later....Thai safety standards....????

[Naroge]

"due to faulty safety equipment, police said." WRONG. Due to possible mismanagement and possibly inadequate safety standards.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Naroge

[woozlewuzzle]

I have been waiting for this to happen for a while now!

Previously I used to work for a outdoor adventure company that offered visiting students and corporate clients zip line activites as part of their programme, so for this instance we had to used a local company as we did not own our own zipline.

I would always go and do a recce of their services before the groups arrrive and I ALWAYS ALWAYS found the same problems., When I brought these issues up with the management, they either claimed I was making it up and that they know what they are doing and have never had an accident, or they said they would take the comments under advisement, obvioulsy, when I went with the clients the same issues arised.

Due to me not owning the outdoor company I worked for I could only do so much, and if the clients wanted to go ziplining there really was not much I could do about it, as it was "what they requested" was the answer given from above.

Safety concerns that ALWAYS came up in EVERY SINGLE company I checked out in Chiang Mai ( i recced at least 6 diffenet companies)

- Helmets being removed at the end of the session, whilst still being stood under other people coming down.

- Hand held bamboo sticks used as brakes, that were not attached to anything, could be easily dropped, see first issue.

- Karabiners not being screwed closed, and in 2 cases, the karabiner was so old the karabiner could not actually close.

- Ropes used for descending, never removed, and having the knots being tied into the permanently

- If using a sit harness, allowing the clients to invert, could leading to possibly fall out of harness but also great risk of catching the ankle against the wire ( very painful)

- Many Many times, not being attached to anything other than the "instructor" physically holding me ( 100kg man against 50 kg thai guy) on most platforms very high up.

- Poorly planned programme timings, so much so that clients back up against eachother causing considerable waiting time on platforms ( too many people on platforms, Instructor not being able to see his group.

- Excessive use of wires, without rest so that it casues the wires to heat up and stretch making the runs longer and thus the clients cannot reach the other side, so they have to be "rescued by the cowboy", then see issue above

- wrong shape karabiner used for wrong reasons

- drunken ytruck drivers picking up clients at the end of the zipline.

- wire clips attached to the wires incorrectly

-trees way too small being used for zip line runs.

- no first aid kits carried by most.

- no real operating procedures in case of emergency.

.

please dont get me stated on some rafting comapanies,..... dear god!

RANT OVER...Whew.

[MaeJoMTB]

Are they trying to hide it happened in CM Zoo?

[woozlewuzzle]

Skyline is the owner of its own canopy tour, but they are also the parent company that offers the experience available at the zoo, they just call themselves another name. They did used to run a zipline over the snall lake next to the aquarium also, but that may have been another company, not sure on that one. I know the instructors from that time, and well, instructor is a term i use loosely.

[chingmai331]

What's the problem with the river rafting? Doesn't seem like the rapids around here offer much risk, but could be. And of course must have helmet, PFD well fitted and best if can swim. If rapids easy, the guides may be numbskulls without much experience.

[Calimotty]

A police officer privately told Khaosod that the news was withheld from the media until today because junta chairman and Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha was visiting Chiang Mai at the time, and local authorities did not want any "negative news" to surface during his trip.

All due respect and condolences to the deceased and family.

But, this particular story would be far from the most worrying or negative story following the Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha around at present.

Edited July 3, 2015 by Calimotty

[masuk]

Bungee jumping, zip line gliding, ATV riding, parasailing, etc. Don't come to Thailand to do these. Do them in places that have safety standards and where companies actually take safety seriously, not just post a "Safety First" sign.

not forgetting jet skis, crossing the road....

[FolkGuitar]

My condolences to the family of the fallen man. Things like this are always a tragedy. However...

Ships are safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for. There is an element of danger in most adventure activities. We can strive to minimize the risk but we can never eliminate it completely, no matter how much some might want to. This isn't a Nanny State. If you want that sort of mommy/daddy protection, having your hand held while you walk down a paved road, you can find it back home. The various zip-line companies have been in business for quite a few years, with a safety record that, for Thailand, is pretty damn good. Folks can say 'I just knew something like this was going to happen...: Well yeah! Wait 5-7 years and it probably will. Wait, and someone will probably get hit in the head with a golf ball or drop a free weight on their chest. Just give it enough time.... Skiers now wear helmets on the slops in most major ski areas, and all have ski patrol personnel monitoring, watching for potential problems, yet every year in several ski areas, someone skis out of control, slams into a tree and dies.

Adventure sports are for people who live in the fast lane. Most of us don't play golf. We tend to live on the edge. And while we all say we want safety, what we really want is an element of danger. And sometimes we fall off that edge. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse!”

[fearless1]

My condolences to the family of the fallen man. Things like this are always a tragedy. However...

Ships are safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for. There is an element of danger in most adventure activities. We can strive to minimize the risk but we can never eliminate it completely, no matter how much some might want to. This isn't a Nanny State. If you want that sort of mommy/daddy protection, having your hand held while you walk down a paved road, you can find it back home. The various zip-line companies have been in business for quite a few years, with a safety record that, for Thailand, is pretty damn good. Folks can say 'I just knew something like this was going to happen...: Well yeah! Wait 5-7 years and it probably will. Wait, and someone will probably get hit in the head with a golf ball or drop a free weight on their chest. Just give it enough time.... Skiers now wear helmets on the slops in most major ski areas, and all have ski patrol personnel monitoring, watching for potential problems, yet every year in several ski areas, someone skis out of control, slams into a tree and dies.

Adventure sports are for people who live in the fast lane. Most of us don't play golf. We tend to live on the edge. And while we all say we want safety, what we really want is an element of danger. And sometimes we fall off that edge. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse!”

There is no way that Zip Lining falls under the classification of an adventure sport and having an expectation of proper safety procedures and equipment is hardly an indication that you require mommy/daddy protection in a Nanny State. Your analogies are ridiculous.

[technologybytes]

Very sad, RIP Chinese tourist.

What is alarming is that the news was withheld on the order of the junta boss, I watched a very interesting documentary the other day where it mentioned that the problem with the media is not so much what they distort and the lies they tell, it's what they know but do not say.

So what other news is being held back because the junta boss doesn't like it. Makes you think!

[sammygood]

thai logic

if chinese man stay home, he no dead now

[bggg]

The article says this happened on 29 June. Trip advisor has a review from the day before of a man falling at the same place!

Reviewed June 28, 2015NEW

Today we had a major wake-up call. We went ziplining at Zipline Skyline Adventure in Chiang Mai, Thailand and it was going great until a man dropped 30 meters from the abseil platform above us. We were lucky because he missed us by just a few inches (about 6 inches.) He was severely injured and blood was gushing from his head heavily. The guides didn't seem prepared to handle this accident and he was lucky there was a nurse in our group. After 30 minutes they were finally able to take him to the hospital, but had to continue to zipline him out since we were deep in the jungle. We are unsure of his condition now but we hope and pray that he is fine. This goes to show that you must always do your research when booking an activity and be aware of your safety. I don't know what caused the accident but I do know that his carabiner was not attached to a safety cable. If you're planning on participating in ziplining, PLEASE BE SAFE. This was definitely was definitely a traumatic and unpleasant experience.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g293917-d6199566-r283630324-Zipline_Skyline_Adventure-Chiang_Mai.html#

[Maggusoil]

My condolences to the family of the fallen man. Things like this are always a tragedy. However...

Ships are safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for. There is an element of danger in most adventure activities. We can strive to minimize the risk but we can never eliminate it completely, no matter how much some might want to. This isn't a Nanny State. If you want that sort of mommy/daddy protection, having your hand held while you walk down a paved road, you can find it back home. The various zip-line companies have been in business for quite a few years, with a safety record that, for Thailand, is pretty damn good. Folks can say 'I just knew something like this was going to happen...: Well yeah! Wait 5-7 years and it probably will. Wait, and someone will probably get hit in the head with a golf ball or drop a free weight on their chest. Just give it enough time.... Skiers now wear helmets on the slops in most major ski areas, and all have ski patrol personnel monitoring, watching for potential problems, yet every year in several ski areas, someone skis out of control, slams into a tree and dies.

Adventure sports are for people who live in the fast lane. Most of us don't play golf. We tend to live on the edge. And while we all say we want safety, what we really want is an element of danger. And sometimes we fall off that edge. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse!”

did you read woozlewuzzle's post? I like going out in big surf on my own. That's adventure sport or extreme or whatever. That's my choice.

This is explorer options for tourists. The tourists put their lives in the hands of operators like this.

I feel safer doing what I do. That says it all. I have only placed my life in somone else's hands learning parachuting and I was aghast at the safety procedures and had huge misgivings in the plane going up. Everybody was happy, believing, trusting, excited.

There were no mishaps that day but six months later I got a call from an investigator's team regarding a student who was "bounced". Means the parachute didn't open and they didn't have their procedures down. Dead.

The government autrhorities, are not doing their job. The tour operators are not doing their job. It is a REAL job taking care of our fellow men and women who aren't extreme sports, or health nuts or mad like those of us who are. We prepare, they put their trust in others who prepare. Its very different.

[quandow]

Come for the adventure! Stay for the burial!

[optad]

They just don't give a shit.

How else do you explain the frequency of this type of accident?

[luckizuchinni]

Adventure sports are for people who live in the fast lane. Most of us don't play golf. We tend to live on the edge. And while we all say we want safety, what we really want is an element of danger. And sometimes we fall off that edge. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse!”

Ziplining is not an adventure sport. It is an amusement park ride, nothing more. It offers the impression of danger, just as does a roller coaster or as a haunted house ride offers the impression of ghosts.

You seem to think that there is an acceptable death rate for ziplining and think that since it doesn't happen in Thailand often, that proves they are OK. No, this isn't OK, and this death was preventable.

[FolkGuitar]

My condolences to the family of the fallen man. Things like this are always a tragedy. However...

Ships are safe in the harbor, but that's not what ships are for. There is an element of danger in most adventure activities. We can strive to minimize the risk but we can never eliminate it completely, no matter how much some might want to. This isn't a Nanny State. If you want that sort of mommy/daddy protection, having your hand held while you walk down a paved road, you can find it back home. The various zip-line companies have been in business for quite a few years, with a safety record that, for Thailand, is pretty damn good. Folks can say 'I just knew something like this was going to happen...: Well yeah! Wait 5-7 years and it probably will. Wait, and someone will probably get hit in the head with a golf ball or drop a free weight on their chest. Just give it enough time.... Skiers now wear helmets on the slops in most major ski areas, and all have ski patrol personnel monitoring, watching for potential problems, yet every year in several ski areas, someone skis out of control, slams into a tree and dies.

Adventure sports are for people who live in the fast lane. Most of us don't play golf. We tend to live on the edge. And while we all say we want safety, what we really want is an element of danger. And sometimes we fall off that edge. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse!”

There is no way that Zip Lining falls under the classification of an adventure sport and having an expectation of proper safety procedures and equipment is hardly an indication that you require mommy/daddy protection in a Nanny State. Your analogies are ridiculous.

You 'may' wish to do a Google Search using as the search parameters 'adventure sports,' 'adventure sports zip line,' or zip line adventure sports.' There are several hundred websites on just the first few pages that disagree with you...

Let me introduce you to just a few of them, close to home:

(NOTE: These are all Chiang Mai listings, and all have either the word Adventure or Extreme right in their titles and ALL include zip-lining.)

http://tqmmathailand.com/adventure-activities/

http://www.getyourguide.com/chiang-mai-l271/extreme-sports-adrenaline-tc85/

http://chiangmai.thaivisa.com/adventure-sports-activities-in-chiang-mai/#.VZc75OH1-Os

http://www.actionsportasia.com/what-is-the-best-zipline-in-chiang-mai/

http://www.travelhubchiangmai.com/adventure_activities.html

We could go on and on, but I hope you get the idea by now. There is nothing ridiculous in the analogies. Only in your definitions.

[FolkGuitar]

Adventure sports are for people who live in the fast lane. Most of us don't play golf. We tend to live on the edge. And while we all say we want safety, what we really want is an element of danger. And sometimes we fall off that edge. “Live fast, die young and leave a good-looking corpse!”

Ziplining is not an adventure sport. It is an amusement park ride, nothing more. It offers the impression of danger, just as does a roller coaster or as a haunted house ride offers the impression of ghosts.

You seem to think that there is an acceptable death rate for ziplining and think that since it doesn't happen in Thailand often, that proves they are OK. No, this isn't OK, and this death was preventable.

I don't think ANY death is acceptable. How dare you suggest otherwise? The fact that it does occur is just that; fact. Please don't confuse your emotional response to the situation as anyone else's acceptance. You are hardly in any position to know what someone else thinks or feels.

[jimstar1]

RIP very sad.

But to withhold such news so it didn't upset the generals visit with " negative news" is almost criminal as people should have been made aware of the potential problem.

Totally agree this is news should be announced immediate to public another case as where Thailand's future is going like the Zip line down fast

[steffi]

Article suggests single point of failure. Why does anything like this have a single point of failure?

[Coaster11]

What's the problem with the river rafting? Doesn't seem like the rapids around here offer much risk, but could be. And of course must have helmet, PFD well fitted and best if can swim. If rapids easy, the guides may be numbskulls without much experience.

I did the rafting thing in about Aug 2010. The river was a raging torrent during some big rains and they said they had to take a look and consider if to go or not....we did.

They described one rapid as level 6 which pretty much means your boat will tip every time.

Half did the others got through fine.

They had guys with ropes to pluck people out of the water ready and one raft at a time..

Two came close to drowning,one a young fit South American swallowed a heap of water but came good. He was trapped under the up turned boat but nobody knew where he was.

Another women was too distraught to carry on.

It was a full on trip on the Mae Taeng which most of the year very little water in it..

[sabaii69]

Very sad, RIP Chinese tourist.

What is alarming is that the news was withheld on the order of the junta boss, I watched a very interesting documentary the other day where it mentioned that the problem with the media is not so much what they distort and the lies they tell, it's what they know but do not say.

So what other news is being held back because the junta boss doesn't like it. Makes you think!

I was in Saudi when Iraq invaded 'Saudi Arabia' at Al Khafji. Thousands of troops shooting/looting at one of my power/desal plants. KSA withheld all news of this event for over 4 days. We knew we were being invaded as a comrade of mine from the USA was working there at the time and let us know as he was escaping. I had to go either to the desert or on a high roof to hear the happenings on short wave radio from BBC. So, you are alarmed at this event? This stuff happens.

[Fullstop]

I wouldn't go near anything in Thailand that required good design and maintenance in order to prevent death ... and seeing as good design and maintenance are a very weak in Thailand ... I'll wait till I go to Disneyland for my next roller coaster ride.

[IamNoone88]

Bungy jump death in Phuket last month and a zip line death this month. In S'pore mega-zip was closed for months after an Aussie broke his back ion entry into the catch net and those guys had the highest standards in safety and operations. I hate heights but took the line several times and it was perfect. The difference being that S'pore adventure companies are safety conscious and well regulated. I bet this Chiang Mai zip line is open for business today and using the same equipment. I avoid this stuff in unregulated countries - period.