Kiwi's fatal balcony fall near Khaosan Road ruled accidental

By Teeranai Charuvastra, Staff Reporter

 

Photo: Chillax Resort

 

BANGKOK — Police said today that a foreign national who plunged to his death from a hotel near Khaosan Road on Monday fell trying to climb between balconies.

 

Ross Anthony Mobbs, 30 of New Zealand, fell from the fourth floor of the Chillax Resort on Soi Samsen 2 after a wooden railing he was holding broke away, according to Chanasongkram Police Station chief Pitsak Sitthikul.

 

Full Story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/crimecourtscalamity/2016/09/01/kiwis-fatal-balcony-fall-near-khaosan-road-ruled-accidental/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2016-09-01

A wooden railing broke away? 

 

Well now that is just what I said in another thread. 

Stupidity is never an accident!

There was an assumption made that construction practices in Thsiland were equal to those in NZ.

 

That is naivety but not really stupidity if he was new here.

A picture of Chillax resort and another from the manager thai media site from the night in question. The railings probably were half eaten by termites.

11 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

There was an assumption made that construction practices in Thsiland were equal to those in NZ.

 

That is naivety but not really stupidity if he was new here.

 

Stupid is as stupid does - he climbed...

2 minutes ago, trogers said:

 

Stupid is as stupid does - he climbed...

 

I was a young man once and I climbed too. Thats what young men do who are athletic. They test their strength. They celebrate their strength. 

 

Thry climb from one balcony to another to get under the covers with the lass in the room next door. 

 

Its called living life...sadly it comes with risks.

 

1 minute ago, ClutchClark said:

 

I was a young man once and I climbed too. Thats what young men do who are athletic. They test their strength. They celebrate their strength. 

 

Thry climb from one balcony to another to get under the covers with the lass in the room next door. 

 

Its called living life...sadly it comes with risks.

 

 

I call this 'thinking with the little head'.

9 minutes ago, trogers said:

 

I call this 'thinking with the little head'.

 

Bull.

 

This is no different than goes rock climbing or swimming out to a distant buoy off the beach or racing s motorcycle. These are things that guys do who are physically fit. Like zi said, its a way of celebrating life, stregth & vitality.

 

I guess a guy either knows what this feels like or he doesn't. Not everyone was athletic...its just some of us were. He was a risktaker. It was his life to live and I doubt very much he could care what a middle aged fat guy in a cape thought of it.

 

 

Edited September 1, 20169 yr by ClutchClark

I hear what you are saying Clutch, but athletic or not, it was not a smart move - those rooms have doors.

 

Hope others can learn from this, and again, RIP to you Mr.Kiwi.

3 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

I was a young man once and I climbed too. Thats what young men do who are athletic. They test their strength. They celebrate their strength. 

 

Thry climb from one balcony to another to get under the covers with the lass in the room next door. 

 

Its called living life...sadly it comes with risks.

 

 

I'm a pretty sensible person. It was not always so. In my youth, especially with a drink inside of me I could be an idiot. There but for fortune. RIP mate.

ah, so an outdoor wooden railing gave way.  Not surprising there in that environment.  Climbing between balconies, well, young is what young is.  Too bad the infrastructure seems to be what really did him in.

Quote

....wooden railing....

 

If they are referring to those decorative matchsticks between the balconies, their only purpose is to hide the aircon compressors.

12 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

I was a young man once and I climbed too. Thats what young men do who are athletic. They test their strength. They celebrate their strength. 

Thry climb from one balcony to another to get under the covers with the lass in the room next door. 

Its called living life...sadly it comes with risks.
 

 

He wasn' t staying at a girls parents' house, he was staying at a hotel...wih doors (also originak story mentions nothing about a girl if any sorts, just a drunk guy messibg about and he unfortunately paid the ultimate price)

I too was young and did stupid things, but the integrity of wooden hand rails were never blamed when I fell into the bushes

 

you cant fake stupid.RIP

All very well to call the victim stupid, but balcony falls are a daily event here, (for foreigners). I think the building code should be reviewed, not that it may be necessarily adhered to. Not to say the victim in this case was acting stupidly, but just a comment.

 

Why are balconies so dangerous in  Thailand, I have not heard of these continual events in Australia?

3 minutes ago, maoro2013 said:

All very well to call the victim stupid, but balcony falls are a daily event here, (for foreigners). I think the building code should be reviewed, not that it may be necessarily adhered to. Not to say the victim in this case was acting stupidly, but just a comment.

 

Why are balconies so dangerous in  Thailand, I have not heard of these continual events in Australia?

 

Construction tachniques are frought with shortcuts to save money and time.

 

There is a reason that we have strong building codes in the US and that each new building needs to be inspected throughout the construction process--there are unscrupulous builders the world over (except Germans). 

 

Here in Thaland, shortcuts are everywhere...from construction practices to materials chosen AND lets face it. The average Thai weighs about 2/3's a farang. The finished product may feel plenty strong to support a Thai or plenty tall to prevent a Thai toppling over but a strong Kiwi boy is another story. 

 

Plus Thais have grown up knowing their buildings fail and so they do not even think of trusting a railing to support them. 

 

Its sort of like walking a sidewalk in BKK. A Thai is prepared for loose and missing bricks and uneven surface and guy wires and telephone poles directly in the path. They are conditioned for the motorbikes racing by them on the footpath. But a Westerner is not accustomed to these things and so walking the sidewalk has all of these previously unidentified risks...it is the same for balconies. 

 

I think all foreign visitors should be given notice on arrival reading"avoid Thai balconies"

You stand 99% chance of falling particularly if you are not alone ,1% if you are drunk.?

last few days I was staying at a friend's condo on the 14th fl in Q hse Sukhumvit.I went to have a smoke in the balcony? i checked the rail while ensuring my entire body is 40cm away just in case...u never know....?

 

3 minutes ago, Mickmouse1 said:

I think all foreign visitors should be given notice on arrival reading"avoid Thai balconies"

You stand 99% chance of falling particularly if you are not alone ,1% if you are drunk.?

 

Sadly, it would be a rather thick pamphlet which included swimming and motorbikes and minivans and ferries....

3 minutes ago, ClutchClark said:

 

 

Sadly, it would be a rather thick pamphlet which included swimming and motorbikes and minivans and ferries....

...and BG's....

Note to ALL Kiwi's you are flightless birds

You can't fly so Please don't try it here or at home

It could have been just a few friends in the next room and he tried to climb around for the fun of it which i am sure many have done similar or worse when in the past but you have added risk factors in Thailand where most of the fixtures are fitted with spit and hope.

12 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

Bull.

 

This is no different than goes rock climbing or swimming out to a distant buoy off the beach or racing s motorcycle. These are things that guys do who are physically fit. Like zi said, its a way of celebrating life, stregth & vitality.

 

I guess a guy either knows what this feels like or he doesn't. Not everyone was athletic...its just some of us were. He was a risktaker. It was his life to live and I doubt very much he could care what a middle aged fat guy in a cape thought of it.

 

 

Balcony supremo

It's the desire to swim in deeper waters is what gives us a greater experience. Nothing new comes out of being ordinary. Leaders take risks. 

 

RIP 

 

 

Edited September 2, 20169 yr by ScotBkk

Farang + Thai wife / girl friend + Balcony = Guarantee Death!

12 hours ago, denkiblue555 said:

I hear what you are saying Clutch, but athletic or not, it was not a smart move - those rooms have doors.

 

Hope others can learn from this, and again, RIP to you Mr.Kiwi.

 

Apparently you and the man in the blue tights with a cape never did anything risky that was learned from, always did what were told and never deviated from thinking with the head on shoulders? Dreamchildren. 

1 hour ago, maoro2013 said:

All very well to call the victim stupid, but balcony falls are a daily event here, (for foreigners). I think the building code should be reviewed, not that it may be necessarily adhered to. Not to say the victim in this case was acting stupidly, but just a comment.

 

Why are balconies so dangerous in  Thailand, I have not heard of these continual events in Australia?

 

There are so many books of building codes in Thailand, but none related to safety, they don't need a review, they need one more book.

Give it a rest now, let him rest in peace. He did a foolish thing through young age and a few drinks it felt it would be a piece of cake but they do not check closely.

RIP KIWI MATE.

I am Kiwi.

13 hours ago, ClutchClark said:

 

Bull.

 

This is no different than goes rock climbing or swimming out to a distant buoy off the beach or racing s motorcycle. These are things that guys do who are physically fit. Like zi said, its a way of celebrating life, stregth & vitality.

 

I guess a guy either knows what this feels like or he doesn't. Not everyone was athletic...its just some of us were. He was a risktaker. It was his life to live and I doubt very much he could care what a middle aged fat guy in a cape thought of it.

 

 

You rekon he would like his life back?

27 minutes ago, silent said:

 

Apparently you and the man in the blue tights with a cape never did anything risky that was learned from, always did what were told and never deviated from thinking with the head on shoulders? Dreamchildren. 

I may not be a rocket scientist but i would certainly use a door before a balcony,especially if pissed.