Family of well-known Houstonian killed in Thailand trying to raise money to bring his body home

[Basil B]

1 hour ago, khunPer said:

In a tourist area a cremation only may be around 6,000 baht (actual cost last December), but if any service at a temple is required, there will be some additional fees. A Buddhist ceremoni can easily run up in 50,000 to 100,000 baht, but that's typically for three days service at temple and some level of accommodation (food etc.) for guests. Moving the body from city morgue to temple may be 1,000 baht (ambulance fee).

 

An insurance company could offer to fly out say six family members, put them up for a week, have a ceremony and be quids in.

 

The family could bring the ashes home, have a wake or memorial service, have the ashes scattered or buried under a stone for a lot less than a full blown funeral. 

[Basil B]

1 hour ago, F4UCorsair said:

Did I read $71,000 raised already?

 

If so, the family can send him on a couple of round the world trips, first class, before dispatching him, and then a HUGE party.

 

If he couldn't be sent home for under $10K I'd be surprised.  Bodies are freighted at premium rates, but $100K campaign???

As I read it probably $30,000 max, I think they are taking the proverbial. 

[OMGImInPattaya]

10 hours ago, harrycallahan said:

No. If you don't have the money to fly his body home in a casket then have him cremated in Thailand, at a discount developing world price, and carry him free in the overhead locker. Those with the spare change to pay for your desired extravagance can give it to an orphanage.

Don't even have to do that...the ashes  can be boxed-up and sent by EMS for $20-30 bucks...surely such a famous Houston personality and his family/friends could raise that much. 

[gk10002000]

9 hours ago, impulse said:

 

If it's a question of releasing the body as indicated by the linked article, it may be the hospital bills rather than repatriation expenses.

yes.  several cases like this have happened.  The hospital typically wants its money.  Plain and simple.

[berybert]

37 minutes ago, gk10002000 said:

yes.  several cases like this have happened.  The hospital typically wants its money.  Plain and simple.

If that's  the case his girlfriend might have to spend the rest of her life in the hospital. Unless of course the money is to pay her bill which will be far more than his as she is still alive. But a living woman wouldn't get the same sympathy as a dead man.

[gk10002000]

1 minute ago, berybert said:

If that's  the case his girlfriend might have to spend the rest of her life in the hospital. Unless of course the money is to pay her bill which will be far more than his as she is still alive. But a living woman wouldn't get the same sympathy as a dead man.

And there are several instances, some quite recent where the hospital kept the living person, and would not allow release for repatriation, or pulling the plug life ending procedure in one recent case.  Again, because hospital bill was outstanding.

[joeyg]

9 hours ago, Basil B said:

 

Sounds like the mob finished him off...

 

Not that he meet his unfortunate end in a motor cycle accident, would not died in Thailand be more accurate?

What indicates the mob was involved?

[Friendly Stranger]

Take it easy guys, I knew him as an acquaintance.  Very fun loving and physically strong person as he was one of the on line contributors to a very popular you tube site.

 

I'm in shock to say the least.  Hope his girlfriend is ok.

 

Condolences to his family.   It really hits home when you actually know them.

 

RIP Clark.

 

 

Edited October 22, 2016 by Friendly Stranger

[wayned]

Cremation would be the way to go. If that is the choice the OP should check with the return Airline exactly what they require.  The container that you transport the remains in must be able to be xrayed so a metal urn is unacceptable. You would definitely need a copy of the death certificate to present to customs in the US.  Also remember cremation here is not like cremation in the US.  The body is not burnt at the temperature and length to reduce the bones to ashes.  When the cremation is over there will be many pieces of bone remaining so they won't all fit into a small container.

 

 

[Kerryd]

9 hours ago, Basil B said:

Anyone know how much a cremation would cost in Thailand?

 

Presume the charges will vary depending where. 

 

When my dad died back in 2010, I was quoted a figure of 100,000 baht (less than $3,000 US) for the whole cost of the cremation and (1 day) ceremony at a small temple in Pattaya. His "girlfriend" wanted a 3 day ceremony (at my expense of course) so she could gain more merit or something, but the temple said no because dad had already been on ice for too long. The one day ceremony includes a couple of processions involving some monks and mourners, and a meal and the cost of the casket and the "dumping of the ashes" ceremony at a different temple the next morning. 

 

As for dad, his idea was (in his words) "just burn me and be done with it". A straight out plain cremation would have been considerably cheaper of course.

 

Looking online, it seems that the cost to repatriate a body to the US would cost between $10-15,000 US, depending on carrier(s) and point of origin. For the UK it could cost up to 17,000 GBPs (again, depending on carrier(s) and point of origin).  

 

(ps: They are up to almost $80,000 on their gofundme already so they will probably reach their goal of $100,000 easily.)

 

Still can't find an article (from Thailand) about the accident though. 

[performance]

Question what is the extortion cost here of body transfer back to the beloved family ?  Have TOT got a estimate ? 

[performance]

Cremate him here and with a priest in attendance. Demand to be present. 

TAKE him home

[Cats4ever]

I am terribly sorry that the bloke died and feel sympathy for the family. What I don't understand is repatriation of bodies and the like. If you are dead, you are dead. Reincarnation is unlikely (sorry to the believers in that). It would not be a bad idea to have somewhere that bodies could be pulped into fertiliser. If you believe in second comings and various other astral events, fair enough but there are costs.

[F4UCorsair]

3 hours ago, wayned said:

Cremation would be the way to go. If that is the choice the OP should check with the return Airline exactly what they require.  The container that you transport the remains in must be able to be xrayed so a metal urn is unacceptable. You would definitely need a copy of the death certificate to present to customs in the US.  Also remember cremation here is not like cremation in the US.  The body is not burnt at the temperature and length to reduce the bones to ashes.  When the cremation is over there will be many pieces of bone remaining so they won't all fit into a small container.

 

 

 

 

OK, so let's say the volume of a couple of beer cartons?   Cost of cremation in Thailand no more than B30,000, cost of transport of a couple of cartons, say $200.00, so US$1500 should see them clear, including a few beers after the fire.

 

I can't see why they would want to take a body back to the US.  The family are in Thailand!!

 

If they are trying to raise $100,000, in addition to repatriating his body, it's either to pay medical expenses for the departed, his gf who is still in hospital, or it's a scam.

 

Whatever it is, it should be honestly and accurately represented on 'gofundme'.  There have been many scams, and eventually people will just stop donating, because they can't determine the genuine from the scammers.

[gk10002000]

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

 

When my dad died back in 2010, I was quoted a figure of 100,000 baht (less than $3,000 US) for the whole cost of the cremation and (1 day) ceremony at a small temple in Pattaya. His "girlfriend" wanted a 3 day ceremony (at my expense of course) so she could gain more merit or something, but the temple said no because dad had already been on ice for too long. The one day ceremony includes a couple of processions involving some monks and mourners, and a meal and the cost of the casket and the "dumping of the ashes" ceremony at a different temple the next morning. 

 

As for dad, his idea was (in his words) "just burn me and be done with it". A straight out plain cremation would have been considerably cheaper of course.

 

Looking online, it seems that the cost to repatriate a body to the US would cost between $10-15,000 US, depending on carrier(s) and point of origin. For the UK it could cost up to 17,000 GBPs (again, depending on carrier(s) and point of origin).  

 

(ps: They are up to almost $80,000 on their gofundme already so they will probably reach their goal of $100,000 easily.)

 

Still can't find an article (from Thailand) about the accident though. 

Yeah.  The only thing I can find is an article that says in part " “I think it was rainy and the roads were muddy and they lost control of the bike,” said Amanda Adamez, a friend of the couple. "  Can't even find a time or date or place of when the accident happened.  I see some high performance bikes in some of his online posts.  Looks like a a high adrenaline need person.  Wonder if a helmet was worn?

[impulse]

I think it's important to keep in mind it wasn't the deceased who started the GoFundMe campaign, and to realize that it may not be a reflection of the kind of guy he was.  

 

Judgments based on what's happening now should be attributed to his survivors, and perhaps just a tiny subset of them.  And maybe not even close enough to know whether he prepared properly for eventualities like an accident in Thailand.

[tartempion]

I have a year round travel policy covering medical costs up to 1.5 million euro. In case of death 1 family member flown over or my body gets shipped over, whatever they decide. Cost is 205 euro/year for married couple.
How difficult is that?
Don't leave your home without it.

[Tony125]

15 hours ago, longtom said:

From the original article:

 

"I don't know how Houston will function without Clark because he impacted so many people's lives," said Chen.

 

Shouldn't be a problem to find donors then.

 

It isn't , he is a well known trainer as anyone who has signed up for "6 pack abs" or "6 pack shortcuts" from you tube would know. He worked with Mike Chang . I have seen them both on Youtube and subscribed to the site and course. They have already raised $80,000 usd   in only 2 days from over 891 people.  I have always taken out travel insurance any time I fly, some think there not doing anything dangerous so why take it. Bad mistake can even come down with some disease let alone an accident.   Since they won't release the body its the hospital that wants to get paid.  Info on the deceased  http://mikechang.ca/clark-shao-bio/  So its not a scam as tv posters have implied he was a real person well known in health workout circles not just in Houston but around the country. RIP Clark

 

PS: Simply Google his name there are articles  about his death on motorbike from many news reports

Edited October 23, 2016 by Tony125

[impulse]

51 minutes ago, tartempion said:

I have a year round travel policy covering medical costs up to 1.5 million euro. In case of death 1 family member flown over or my body gets shipped over, whatever they decide. Cost is 205 euro/year for married couple.
How difficult is that?
Don't leave your home without it.

 

Does it cover riding a rental scooter?  Like the guy in the OP?

 

Edit:  There's a possibility that he may have thought he was well covered when he really wasn't.  It wouldn't be the first time, and if that is the case, it won't be the last...

Edited October 23, 2016 by impulse

[impulse]

55 minutes ago, Tony125 said:

So its not a scam as tv posters have implied he was a real person well known in health workout circles not just in Houston but around the country. RIP Clark

 

PS: Simply Google his name there are articles  about his death on motorbike from many news reports

 

May be a legitimate death, but what about any life insurance or estate he left behind?  For all we know he may have left behind assets and insurance benefits in the $$$ millions of dollars.  Impossible to rule out the possibility that it's a scam with the information at hand- or maybe even a well intention-ed effort that's inadvertently double dipping. 

 

Edit:   BTW, that's my substitute for travel insurance- which I don't trust.  My survivors will be well compensated financially in case of my demise or medical emergency in any country in the world.  The old chestnut "worth more dead than alive" comes to mind.

Edited October 23, 2016 by impulse

[madmitch]

14 hours ago, Basil B said:

 

Neighbour keeled over while abroad.

long and short of it was even though his wife and daughter who signed the declaration for the insurance form concealed the fact that he had a stroke one 6 month prior, it was only after many days in hospital and he had passed onto a better place (a place away from his wife) that the insurance company got hold of his medical history, they refused to pay for his repatriation, but after many weeks of her berating them they gave in, she had the body shipped back for a simple services at the crematorium.

That's quite unusual. Normally an insurance company would not pay out, and are quite within their rights not to pay, due to non-disclosure of something as serious as a stroke! The only way they may consider paying is if the death were proven to be without any doubt unrelated to the condition, difficult with a stroke, where the brain is affected.

 

I'm also a little confused over the mother and daughter concealing the fact he'd had a stroke. Nothing to do with them as this should have been revealed on the initial application.

 

 

[scorecard]

20 hours ago, harrycallahan said:

No. If you don't have the money to fly his body home in a casket then have him cremated in Thailand, at a discount developing world price, and carry him free in the overhead locker. Those with the spare change to pay for your desired extravagance can give it to an orphanage.

 

Actually many airlines will not allow cremation ashes to be taken on board as cabin baggage, must be checked-in for the cargo area and must be packaged and labelled according to certain rules.

 

Further, this is also law in some countries, not just airline rules.

 

Actually there was a TV thread about this several years ago.

 

On the other hand who is to know it's not a 'gift' that your putting in the overhead bin.

 

But just imagine a thief who specializes in rummaging through bags / packages in overhead lockers looking for valuables or cash, the thief managed to open the ashes package and ashes everywhere. Would you like to be sitting in a seat which has had a dead persons ashes spilled into it? 

 

 

Edited October 23, 2016 by scorecard

[Wilsonandson]

I cannot find anything either in the way of a report on Thai news media or social media about this guys death or the motorbike accident. Not all deaths or accidents get announced I suppose.

All I know is that he was on holiday in Koh Phangan and his last message on social media was 5 days ago. No news, no facebook mentions, nothing.

Is this a cover up by Thai authorities because of the full moon parties being cancelled due to the national mourning? They don't want any more negative news about the island putting off tourists.

Who knows.

[impulse]

39 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Would you like to be sitting in a seat which has had a dead persons ashes spilled into it? 

 

Wouldn't be the worst thing people have left on an airplane seat for the next 100 people to sit in.

[gk10002000]

12 minutes ago, impulse said:

 

Wouldn't be the worst thing people have left on an airplane seat for the next 100 people to sit in.

It would be better than all the dead skin cells that living people leave on it.

[geriatrickid]

Nothing in the local news. Should I be surprised.

 

 

Edited October 23, 2016 by geriatrickid
apologies, I went to correct a spelling error and my original comemnt disappeared. Sux.

[gk10002000]

Not much mention of his girl friend.  I wonder if her family is pushing for compensation or pushing the hospital to not release him hoping to get his family or friend's to help her?  The one quote I read said the road was slippery and muddy and he lost control of his bike.  If so, then he probably is at fault and could be liable for her injuries.   Based on reports, the accident was about 5 days ago.  Can one really rack up a 100K USD bill in that amount of time?  Things seem a bit odd here

[gk10002000]

Just read his instagram stuff.   http://www.pictaram.com/user/clarkshao1/439563865

 

I see a lot of flash.  The loaner car he documents himself going 60, passing on the right.  Flying first class, private rooms in some club.  He was heading to the full moon party.   Flying first class but now his friends and relatives have to ask strangers for money to handle him after death? I don't see a lot of responsibility.  But that is for his family and friends to deal with.

Edited October 23, 2016 by gk10002000
update

[F4UCorsair]

9 hours ago, Friendly Stranger said:

Take it easy guys, I knew him as an acquaintance.  Very fun loving and physically strong person as he was one of the on line contributors to a very popular you tube site.

 

I'm in shock to say the least.  Hope his girlfriend is ok.

 

Condolences to his family.   It really hits home when you actually know them.

 

RIP Clark.

 

 

That you knew him Is Irrelevant to the effort to raise $100K through gofundme.

I think If the family could afford to fly to Thailand, they can afford a liocal cremation, and send the ashes home In the cargo hold If that's so Important to them.

 

Unable to edit typos or capital 'I' (eye).

[Wilsonandson]

Remember the "Six Pack Short-Cut Guy" that pitched the ab commercials on TV. Well, Clark Shao died today in a tragic motorcycle accident while vacationing with his girlfriend, Melissa in Thailand. Clark was killed and his girlfriend was injured, in what was a head on crash with another vehicle while riding his motorcycle in the rain. Arrangements are being made to transport his body back to the United States.