Italian killed by falling branch while out for a walk on Jomtien beach

[Gold Star]

23 minutes ago, impulse said:

Were there any 3rd party witnesses that corroborate the story, or just the widow's account and some freshly broken branches nearby?  If it's just the one (related, no less) witness, that's hardly definitive.  Nobody had to be in the tree.  He could have simply been assaulted with a chunk of wood and the branch broken off to make it look like an accident.

 

In fact, which do you think the odds would favor?  How many people are murdered by (or at the behest of) their spouse and how many people get hit by falling trees?  If he was my brother or father, I'd be asking questions.

I was just 75m away, along with hundreds of others. The beach was packed, and it was hard to find parking. I didn't go over to see the commotion, but among the many people there at the time, at least one witness that came forward to verify the story, and many others taking photos. There was a wind blowing west from the land out to sea, stressing the branches on the road side of the beach, where the branch fell. Nothing sinister here, other than a poor beach safety and maintenance plan on behalf of the city to protect the tourists and citizens from falling hazards. 

[KhunBENQ]

13 minutes ago, hottrader77 said:

who is going to stand below a noisy cracking branch and would have to stand there for at least 10 seconds something fishy going on 

A 91 yr old with impaired hearing and not that quick on his feet. maybe?

[elliss]

3 hours ago, kannot said:

"after"  the death theyll check trees................typical, theyd  have their arse  sued bare  in the UK

  That is  another reason , compensation culture,  why the UK  is bankrupt .

             Trees fall  everyday .

Edited January 23, 2017 by elliss

[smotherb]

6 hours ago, SOTIRIOS said:

..sorry but gotta wonder.....

 

...91 years old....???

 

...how old is the 'girlfriend'....???

 

...etc....etc......

19 would be a good match

[peterb17]

10 hours ago, daveAustin said:

Please tell me the ambulance guy isn't doing the pointy thing?! Unfortunate accident, but it is likely this occurred due to planting the wrong trees and the bad practice of indiscriminate pollarding by folk who don't know what they're doing. 

Have you any idea what pollarding involves?

 

Not quite what you would expect on a morning stroll, sad end to a long life.

[Dumbastheycome]

7 hours ago, elgordo38 said:

You could see this coming a mile away. After the fact tree trimming. I understand the man was 90 years old RIP your now the flavor of the day tree trimming on a mass scale. 

You saw  it coming???  Then  you acknowledge  liability  for not providing  a warning? 

I  can only offer belated sympathies  to family and partner for the tragic result of an act of  nature in the  form of a "widow maker".

 

[phantomfiddler]

I wonder, did anyone actually witness the branch falling from the tree ?

[madusa]

On 2017/1/22 at 8:29 PM, Awohalitsiktoli said:

The trees are not the "wrong trees."  They are, in fact, precisely the right trees because they are perfectly adapted to saline conditions.  They also  prevent erosion and provide much-needed shade.  But, it is important to know how to prune a tree.  If you slice its head off (topping it), you weaken the tree and cause branches to die.  The weakened or dead branches eventually fall to the ground.   If I were doing the pruning, I would only remove dead branches and would never cut its head off.   And I would only do it once every 2-3 years.  It is tragic that this happened.  I hope they do not add to the tragedy by destroying all of the old-growth trees that remain.

Are you a tree doctor? Serious. In my country we have what you call a tree doctor, he will come round if your tree is attacked by some fungus or insects or seems to be dying for no good reasons. He put them back in good health.

I would love to be a Tree Doctor because when people ask me what do you do for a living I would answer with a bit of pride, "oh, I am a tree doctor". That would boost my ego.

[elgordo38]

34 minutes ago, Dumbastheycome said:

You saw  it coming???  Then  you acknowledge  liability  for not providing  a warning? 

I  can only offer belated sympathies  to family and partner for the tragic result of an act of  nature in the  form of a "widow maker".

 

Whoa hoss pull back on the reins it was the tree trimming part that I referred to. It was a widow maker helped along by mother nature. 

[Scott]

Off-topic posts have been reported and removed. 

[samsingsong]

Suicide.

 

RIP sir. and condolences to your loved ones.

 

Edited January 23, 2017 by samsingsong

[Cracker2000]

Gets a slightly different slant in the European Press

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4148270/Heroic-Italian-pensioner-91-killed-falling-branch.html

 

More heroic

[elliss]

55 minutes ago, smotherb said:

19 would be a good match

  Age  not  important ,  take  care  important  more .

        Yes  19 would be  a  ideal  age  gap   70 years , what a  man , a Martyr . RIP 

            

Edited January 23, 2017 by elliss

[Bendi]

That rotten branch have been there fore a long time. Most people having their livinghood on that beach, knew about that rotting branch. Nowbody did nothing. But they knew. What they did was go around that tree, not go under. Having their work, and beeing there everyday, they have to know that branch was comming down, one day. And nowbody did nothing! A shame!

[SiSePuede419]

2 rules for walking under tropical trees:

 

1) look up

2) look down

 

?

[Elkski]

RIP.. not a bad way to go... walking on the beach with a GF...  How old was she?  tragic thing for her to observe... you cant blame poor maintenance... with the fast tropical tree growth and high winds and such there is no way govt could handle the cost burden to prune and  verify all the trees safe. Happens in national forests here in USA.  

I am sure there are not that many trained Arborists in Thailand... I am well aware poor pruning can lead to weak trees. 

Edited January 23, 2017 by Elkski

[Destiny1990]

1 hour ago, Elkski said:

RIP.. not a bad way to go... walking on the beach with a GF...  How old was she?  tragic thing for her to observe... you cant blame poor maintenance... with the fast tropical tree growth and high winds and such there is no way govt could handle the cost burden to prune and  verify all the trees safe. Happens in national forests here in USA.  

I am sure there are not that many trained Arborists in Thailand... I am well aware poor pruning can lead to weak trees. 

Of course they should

[gdgbb]

5 hours ago, TheSwede99 said:

How old is his girlfriend?

You can type but you can't read?

[elgordo38]

Once an item like this becomes the flavor of the day its gung ho chain saws at the ready. Fate is fickle and can be friend or foe. RIP old timer. 

[webfact]

UPDATE:

 

Pattaya municipality may be sued over death of Italian hit by falling branch

 

Picture: Thairath

 

PATTAYA: -- Pattaya police said Monday that the local authority may be sued for damages in the death of the 91 year old Italian man hit by a falling branch when out for a stroll on Sunday.

 

Full story: http://www.thaivisa.com/forum/topic/965290-pattaya-municipality-may-be-sued-over-death-of-italian-hit-by-falling-branch/

[jacko45k]

Lived so long and then Thailand got him!

I expect there will be some tree pruning in Jontiem now.

[draks]

14 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

Would make more sense to have a crackdown on 91 year old men wandering around.

 

If you reach the shelf 91 and your still fit enough to walk maybe you will change your mind.

[superal]

17 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Poorly maintenance...

maintenance.     Not found in a Thai dictionary 

[wannascuba]

From the pictures, that branch size would not normally be attribited to a "Widow Maker", but you just never know.  The broken, smaller branch, attached to the larger branch, and hit in just the right area. Makes you stop and think, everyone should do their best to beware of their surroundings. Note; Not saying this person wans.nt!!!

[maoro2013]

17 hours ago, Destiny1990 said:

Poorly maintenance...

Yes true. In Australia all sorts of problems might occur for the local council. Hence they employ 'nutters' whose job is to remove coconuts so they will not fall on non pith helmeted heads. Looking after dangerous looking branches also falls under their bailiwick.

[seancbk]

1 hour ago, draks said:

16 hours ago, seancbk said:

 

Would make more sense to have a crackdown on 91 year old men wandering around.

 

If you reach the shelf 91 and your still fit enough to walk maybe you will change your mind.

No doubt, although I'm not expecting to be walking round in real life by the time I'm anywhere near that age.   

I hope that, well before then, I will be living in a virtual reality environment and be completely safe from falling branches or any other physical hazard.



 

[superal]

20 minutes ago, maoro2013 said:

Yes true. In Australia all sorts of problems might occur for the local council. Hence they employ 'nutters' whose job is to remove coconuts so they will not fall on non pith helmeted heads. Looking after dangerous looking branches also falls under their bailiwick.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=ELWhQV2cLlc           got to watch this 

[Rimmer]

More conspiracy troll posts and replies blaming the wife have been removed

[CatCage]

I have two very large trees close to the house, one is inside my perimeter the other just outside the wall,  the lower large branches often break off and fall to the ground, they are not rotten just old and making  way for new growth further up the tree. 

 

The one just outside my wall often drops large branches onto a the roof of a secure cage where garden equipment is stored punching through the cement board roof. 

 

It happens with such amazing regularity that I wear a hard had if doing any work in that area when the wind is blowing. 

Edited January 24, 2017 by CatCage

[johng]

12 hours ago, Cracker2000 said:

Gets a slightly different slant in the European Press

 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-4148270/Heroic-Italian-pensioner-91-killed-falling-branch.html

 

More heroic

The daily mail via TOT looks slightly different from how I had imagined

 

However after some adjustments to my browser  I read that  the Italian pushed his wife out of the way of the falling branch.

 

Quote

A spokesman for the Sawang Boriboon Thammasatarn charity foundation said the tourist had been hit on the head and suffered severe bleeding. 

He added: 'His female friend said that he had pushed her out of the way of the falling branches.

 

Edited January 24, 2017 by johng