Former national footballer dies waiting for ambulance

[snoop1130]

Former national footballer dies waiting for ambulance

By The Nation

 

 

Boontham Booranathammanant, a former national football player, died on Tuesday while waiting some 15 minutes for an ambulance. He is believed to have suffered a heart attack.

 

Ironically, the former defender had collapsed right after playing a game at a pitch located opposite the National Institute for Emergency Medicine, which oversees the 1699 hotline for medical emergencies. 

 

Boontham reportedly took a break from the game to catch his breath and was later found unconscious on the field by his friends, who called 1699 for help. 

 

Full Story: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/breakingnews/30306938

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-2-22

[NCC1701A]

A year ago I was on Soi 6 in Pattaya. A man who was drunk fell backwards coming out of a bar. He cracked the back of his head on the pavement and started bleeding out in a big pool of blood. I stayed with him until the EMS ambulance showed up. It took 42 minutes before any medical help arrived. I know because I timed it. He was lucky because a man with Army medic experience came by and between the two of us got the Thais to find towels to wrap his head and to keep him from moving.  

 

Last month there was a terrible auto accident in Hua Hin with a Farang pinned in a pickup truck.

 

As no one spoke English I stopped to talk to the man who was about 70 and barely responsive. I was trying to reassure him help was on the way.

 

Again about 30 minutes for the ambulance and 45 minutes for the equipment to cut him out. All of this just 200 meters from Bangkok Hospital. 

Edited February 22, 2017 by NCC1701A

[darksidedog]

The ambulance was probably stuck in traffic behind some dumb self centred idiots who wouldn't pull over to let it through.

I have lived and worked in many places. Even in India where traffic is awful they move aside for an ambulance.

Here, probably due to the appaling level of road accidents, I see ambulances racing about almost every day.

More often than not they are travelling at the same speed as the traffic, cos no one will pull aside for a few seconds to let them through.

Absolute national disgrace, which the PM would be far better off addressing than worrying about a few phony goods in the market.

My condolences to the family.

[Wilsonandson]

16 minutes ago, NCC1701A said:

A year ago I was on Soi 6 in Pattaya. A man who was drunk fell backwards coming out of a bar. He cracked the back of his head on the pavement and started bleeding out in a big pool of blood. I stayed with him until the EMS ambulance showed up. It took 42 minutes before any medical help arrived. I know because I timed it. He was lucky because a man with Army medic experience came by and between the two of us got the Thais to find towels to wrap his head and to keep him from moving.  

 

Last month there was a terrible auto accident in Hua Hin with a Farang pinned in a pickup truck.

 

As no one spoke English I stopped to talk to the man who was about 70 and barely responsive. I was trying to reassure him help was on the way.

 

Again about 30 minutes for the ambulance and 45 minutes for the equipment to cut him out. All of this just 200 meters from Bangkok Hospital. 

You are a credit to the expat community. Well done! A man with a heart of gold.

[MarkusAUST]

I am half Thai. I was born in Austria. My dad taught me when I first started riding a motorbike to always move over to the side whenever an ambulance is coming, from either direction.

He said to think of the ambulance as heading to pick up a member of my family or a close friend who could die if it was delayed, which I understood.

I always do give way, and it is very embarrassing for me to see so many people here behave so badly when an ambulance is trying to get through.

I have tried to tell my Thai friends to do the same, but they look at me with a blank look on their face, totally not getting it.

A few seconds is more important to some of them than someone elses life.

One of the many faults of Thailand.

[blazes]

In North America it is the law: you safely pull over or slow down to create space for an emergency vehicle, whether police, ambulance or fire-engine.

 

Not too difficult to pass a simple amendment to the traffic laws to make this compulsory in any country.

[trogers]

3 minutes ago, blazes said:

In North America it is the law: you safely pull over or slow down to create space for an emergency vehicle, whether police, ambulance or fire-engine.

 

Not too difficult to pass a simple amendment to the traffic laws to make this compulsory in any country.

Would be effective as the crash helmet law...

[freebyrd]

Not exclusive to TL.

 

25 years ago when I was in my final days as a PTI in the army in England, I was standing on the steps of my gym when I barked at a recruit who then fell over and had an epileptic fit. One of my lads, medic trained attended to him, while another called 999. There was a hospital behind the barracks, not more than 5 minutes drive away.

 

42 minutes later the ambulance arrived at the gym. After barbs of 'f'ing hell, remind me not to have a heart attack in your vicinty' etc, we retired to have coffee when there was a knock on the door. An embarrassed para medic asked if we could help them with their stretcher, a new model that they didn't know how to put together. Amid more comments of 'f'ing hell, remind me not to etc, we helped them out and returned to the land of Nescafe.

 

A minute later there was another knock on the door, their battery was flat and could we give them a push! Yet more chants of 'f'ing hell, remind me not to etc.... saw them depart 1 hour+ later!

 

Thankfully the young lad recovered and henceforth he gave me a wide berth when he saw me on the steps of my gym.

Edited February 23, 2017 by freebyrd

[kartman]

Use the flashing lights only when a life saving emergency and other motorists may be inclined to clear a path for it, where i live the lights are on every Ambulance every moment it moves sometimes when it's not even moving parked up at the roadside noodle shop having  let it pass a short time previously.

[bbbbooboo]

hmmm....life is cheap in the land of smiles.....at all levels.

[Bench499d]

I have noticed people moving for ambulances in Bangkok recently as there was a buzz on social media about doing so. However I think the problem is that there is no central ambulance service just the private hospital ones and those damn "rescue" services. They always have the lights on even when not an emergency and they are not trained to drive at speed safely. Couple this with getting jammed up small sois and it is no wonder people die waiting for help. 

[wakeupplease]

7 hours ago, blazes said:

In North America it is the law: you safely pull over or slow down to create space for an emergency vehicle, whether police, ambulance or fire-engine.

 

Not too difficult to pass a simple amendment to the traffic laws to make this compulsory in any country.

In every country of the world you see this happen

But never in this neck of the woods

 

Passing a law will not help, as no one there to enforce it

 

They must be brain dead here or very close to it

[bangon04]

15 hours ago, trogers said:

Would be effective as the crash helmet law...

and all the other many laws which Thailand has, which the RTP appears to be totally incapable of enforcing at any level.

[Mook23]

On Wednesday, February 22, 2017 at 2:41 PM, Wilsonandson said:

You are a credit to the expat community. Well done! A man with a heart of gold.

Sexpat community in case of our hua hin friend ??

[pogal]

The  National Institute for Emergency Medicine  are just offices, no ambulances there! 

1669 is the number for Narenthorn for OUTSIDE of Bangkok only. (normally pretty good EMS chain)
1646 is for Erawan for INSIDE Bangkok. (Not so good EMS chain)

15 minutes is not uncommon with the traffic in Bangkok even "IF" you call the right number (which in this case wasn't). 

 

Most high end private hospitals do not participate in the government ambulance scheme so even if you were next to Bangkok Hospital they may or may not attend. I always thought they did not but recently I think as part of their CSR they do, but very rarely from my experience. Normally its low end private hospitals or government hospitals that will attend which also can  cause delays to do with distance and traffic.
 

[uchibenkei]

Dead in 15 minutes.  Not likely to get an ambulance in any city in 15 minutes.  I think he was beyond help unless there were paramedics right there when it happened.  Unfortunate. Rest in peace.

[sandemara]

Ambulance and other emergency services don't have to succeed at their main mission objectives.  As long as you can look like you're trying is good enough here. In a Face vs Achievement contest, no doubt about the winner.