Aussie victim blamed for his death by Thai parasailing men

[Tilacme]

1 minute ago, kensisaket said:

A little off the subject; but, as you get older you should seriously consider removing stuff from your "bucket list". I'm thinking parasailing after you hit 70 is probably one of those things.  

 

I have deleted sleeping with Michelle Rodriguez  from my BL for much the same reason.

[Blinky62]

That's what I was thinking, the thai guy is totally unrestrained and then looks to swing his legs over Rogers head to gain some seating position, and Roger falls almost immediately.

What was the young fellow (71) doing up there anyway, much safer spending some quality time with the lovely's at the local drinking establishment. Cheers !!! RIP.


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[Hawki1970]

Will the officislly verdict be suicide ???

Anybody opening a book 

[free123]

6 hours ago, Dogmatix said:

As a result of this tragedy, where the farang is, as usual blamed for his own death, all they can do is pretend that operators are taking more care and giving advice to tourists.

 

The only worthwhile advice to tourists is to avoid all dangerous activities such parasailing, jet skiing, renting motor bikes, trips on overloaded boats without life jackets & etc. The operators of these things are poorly educated and have training in safety standards. Local authorities do not care as long as it makes money. You can enjoy your holiday in Thailand without these activities and go home safely.

best advise : spend your holidays in a country where minimum standards apply...example if we rent a motorbike... no insurance at all... not with cars ( avis ) ..if an motorbike accident occurs multiply financial problems follow...this is not civilisation this is jungle monkey system... every rental bike should have full cover insurance included in the rental price...if the bike is damaged somebody else or the driver is hurt. should be covered not the tourist problem...in this  case it should be impossible for somebody to fall off once hooked to the vest regardless how. inexperienced one is...but in thailand the put up the idiot smile mai  pen rai

[farcanell]

Just now, captspectre said:

 

have you seen the harnesses? you go up at your own risk! when I go up I hang onto the chute lines, not the harness. and they have been sewed up so many times that is really is not safe to go anywhere near those things  quit trying to argue and get your butt on the beach and take the ride!

Lmao.... 

 

as a proffessional skydiver with twenty years instruction experience at every level and discipline within the sport ( excepting chief instructor and freestyle skydiving), I hardly need to get of my butt and take another ride

 

as to equipment... I posted yesterday that I believed it was a failure in the harness due to wear/ age, and that the leg straps where probably at fault, and posted picture showing this... at that time, I had not seen the post incident picture, which I have now, and it seems that I may have been right in suggesting leg strap ( stitching) failure

 

as to holding the chute lines... Well....  the system is designed such that you dont hold the lines. If you can, then that's a completely flawed rig, which you deemed ok to ride in... which is why an expert should inspect the gear, not a punter with no knowledge

 

As to arguing... lol... if you don't want a response to a post.... don't post

 

[farcanell]

22 minutes ago, Minnehaha said:

Okay.

Why?

Because falling from boat platform is in deeper water?

Sounds logical

Because you ascend in a far more controlled manor.... and the operators can react to issues much faster, and can even communicate with the punter much more effectively

[650721]

Plenty more takers for parasailing in phuket. Stupid is stupid does !

[farcanell]

4 hours ago, rkidlad said:

Even if it were the Aussie man's fault, you have to ultimately take responsibility as the carers. 

 

You have to make sure everything is working and has been explained. Can't leave things to chance. Unless the Ozzie man had a knife on him and decided to cut himself free, etc, the blame lies completely with the people entrusted with his safety. 

This needs reposting.... thanks rkidlad.

[jenifer d]

7 hours ago, MaeJoMTB said:

I would blame the Thai guy with dreadlocks who jumped on the back of the tourist as it took off.

1 tourist in a harness, and one Thai person sitting on his shoulders isn't normal operating procedure.

 

No spotter in the boat either, you're supposed to have a driver (looking forward and steering), and a spotter (watching the person towed) in the boat.

the 3 times i went up in Patong, guy jumped on with me each trip, it was actually part of the fun,

especially when they knew i could speak Thai, i got some extra cool treatment-

never seen any of them use spotters anywhere, even years ago Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

 

that said, it is highly improbable, verging on impossible, for it to be the tourist's fault,

all indications point to poorly maintained and/or secured equipment, negligence in properly hooking up

all the harness/straps in the beginning-

were everything properly connected and in good working order and quality, there should have been no problem

posed by the flyboy along with the customer, the operative phrase being

"everything properly connected and in good working order"

[farcanell]

2 hours ago, aussiandrew said:

Watching the video at 1.30 with the naked eye, one can see the harness around his back side is not fitted correctly and in fact is loose.

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That strap is not designed to be adjustable.... it stops the user doing the splits and ripping his / her crotch out ( one death in Australia that I know of from this .... but in a construction harness)

 

 

Edited July 14, 2017 by farcanell

[jenifer d]

1 hour ago, Fore Man said:

But...many of these operators use tandem yokes that are designed to suspend two passengers. It still doesn't explain why the Thai crew member climbed on and rode aloft, apparently not clipped into the yoke. If he subsequently clambered on top of the deceased, that added weight could have pressed down on the deceased with much greater force, causing the (possibly worn) leg straps to unravel and pass through their retaining adapters.  Thus the man could have fallen under gravity downwards and into the water. It's a stretch and only one possible explanation. 

please see #107, all parasail outfits use an outrider on the rigging; the Thai guy riding was not the cause,  

they don't add any weight onto the customer, only in the rigging, but they help to steer/control-

it had to have been either faulty equipment/failure or improper securing of harness and all straps on tourist,

make no mistake- any and all problems were caused by operators, there is no way the tourist could have opened the rigging himself, it is difficult to do , especially considering the forces at work...

[FitnessHealthTravel]

Dead men don't talk. Same for the Aussie Cyclists a month ago. He just fell off his bike for no reason into the path of the scooter. I find it interesting that the man can actually release himself and if you look at the video very quickly and easily as he fell seconds after take off.  The 'guest' should not be able to release themselves, isn't that why a guide is with them?

 

 

[InMyShadow]

Looked like a suicide to me. Why else would he pull the release toggle?

[4MyEgo]

56 minutes ago, Minnehaha said:

Okay.

Why?

Because falling from boat platform is in deeper water?

Sounds logical

Yes I think it sounds logical, having read someone else's reply on this topic/post, he said he saw a guy doing the run with the chute off the beach as they do in Phuket and the wind picked him up, and pulled him back down and straight into the back of a boat, "not nice", less obstacles and a safer place to land than the beach full of crowded tourists not used to whistles blowing for the incoming chute, which is also an accident ready to happen, and how that is allowed to happen in this day and age, well it is Thailand, isn't it.

Edited July 14, 2017 by 4MyEgo

[HiSoLowSoNoSo]

During a bad monsoon storm in1988 (or 1989) I was in the old post office in Patong when the power suddenly went down and everybody ran outside, two parachute speed boats had crossed their lines and the lines to the chutes (with paying customers) broke off. One of the customers ended in the power lines and got electrocuted the other got tangled in a tree and broke her arm. I could not believe that they could take out customers in such a strong wind, pure madness! Another year a Japanese girl was up for 9 hours in the chute and was charged for the extra time!!! they could not get her down before that as the wind was too strong. 

[Tilacme]

4 hours ago, kwilco said:

Health & Safety has to be FOOLPROOF - especially in holiday venues like Pattaya........ it clearly wasn't, there can be no excuse, regardless of how "accident-free" they claim to be it sounds it was more by luck than intent.

Just take it on the chin and Pattaya will be seen as a responsible place as regards H&S - obfuscate and prevaricate and it just reinforces the image that no-one in Thailand every accepts responsibility for their actions.

edit it down to your last line

[sandemara]

The dead guy can say nothing now on his own behalf. Who in the Thai tourist industry will stand up and act in the interests of him and his distresed family now?  Is there any integrity or decency in a greedy industry? Public safety and rule of law seem to be non-existent.

[Grusa]

6 hours ago, LivinginKata said:

I was surprised to read that the 2 guys are still in jail. I expected they would be back in business. I am also pleased to read that all these operators island wide have been suspended.

By the neck, or fom a parachute?

[mogandave]

The dead guy can say nothing now on his own behalf. Who in the Thai tourist industry will stand up and act in the interests of him and his distresed family now?  Is there any integrity or decency in a greedy industry? Public safety and rule of law seem to be non-existent.

Are not the operators in jail?

[bazza73]

I would question what a 71 yo is doing parasailing. I would also question why, if he was an experienced parasailer, he would not have corrected the flaws in the equipment before getting airborne.

The Thai guys may or may not be guilty of negligence. However, parasailing is a high risk activity and to a certain extent the person taking on that risk has a responsibility for their own safety.

[sandemara]

1 minute ago, mogandave said:

Are not the operators in jail?

Let's wait and see. I'd heartily love to be proved wrong, even tho it's too late for another poor tourist who mistakenly thought professionalism in LOS extended beyond love of money.

[Mad mick]

8 hours ago, colinneil said:

The two Thai men are blaming the Aussie for the accident !!

Well of course they would, when have you ever heard of a Thai taking responsiblity for anything.

Yes suicide , not health and safety or harness problems not checked for years , lanyards etc.  No suicide will be the coreners finding 

 

Edited July 14, 2017 by Mad mick

[garbolino]

7 hours ago, steelepulse said:

I'm just shocked.  No way these upstanding members of society would put the blame on the innocent victim unless it was true...........  Anyone checked the Kata/Karon guy that was caught charging for sand and then let off after his payoffs?  How about tax records of these scumbags?

they dont pay tax....all monies go into their pockets....just like bar girls...massage parlours...bar fines etc.....NO ONE PAYS any tax

[InMyShadow]

I would blame the Thai guy with dreadlocks who jumped on the back of the tourist as it took off.
1 tourist in a harness, and one Thai person sitting on his shoulders isn't normal operating procedure.
 
No spotter in the boat either, you're supposed to have a driver (looking forward and steering), and a spotter (watching the person towed) in the boat.

I think your supposed to be in a 1st world country.
Your at least 20 years backwards in Thailand. What next, compulsory Helmuts for bikers? Yeah right...

[sawadee1947]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

. It was the tourist who let go then in trying to hold on again released himself.

Well, well I stated this yesterday already and was blamed with coarse insults.

Sure, Thais would not admit anything. Stupid farang.

[InMyShadow]

Yes suicide , not health and safety or harness problems not checked for years , lanyards etc.  No suicide will be the coreners finding 
 

How do you know it wasn't suicide?
Thousands of people around the world are looking for ways to end it but still have the insurance payout for their families.
Best one I ever heard was a clever chap who drove out into the desert and tied several large helium balloons to his gun and shot himself in the head.. Balloons took the gun miles away.. But they found the gun

[Mad mick]

8 hours ago, z42 said:

Dreadful but not at all surprising. Blaming the dead guy from the outset. I am no expert but would have thought that safety features on such equipment for public use should be numerous and as a result negate such an occurence.

 

I guess the only consolation is that these cowboys are in the nick already, with their attitudes like they are i hope they have a lengthly stay 

Not for long its suicide " no checks on lanyards, or safety harness inspection load ratings 2 take off 1 drops RIP . Tea money.  

[ozterix]

the scene is apparently filmed by his wife... I don't get it.

This is a movie, the sound is on, as you can hear the people talk, and when the guy falls off, the camera stays perfectly steady, and keep filming steadily still after he hit the water and when the people run on the beach to rescue the person... 

no shaking, no screaming, no running...

 

Would your wife really film your death with such cool attitude? not a scream, not a panic gesture, just like a professional film maker documenting an event.

Did she really not realise he was plunging to his death??

 

[Peterw42]

5 minutes ago, ozterix said:

the scene is apparently filmed by his wife... I don't get it.

This is a movie, the sound is on, as you can hear the people talk, and when the guy falls off, the camera stays perfectly steady, and keep filming steadily still after he hit the water and when the people run on the beach to rescue the person... 

no shaking, no screaming, no running...

 

Would your wife really film your death with such cool attitude? not a scream, not a panic gesture, just like a professional film maker documenting an event.

Did she really not realise he was plunging to his death??

 

My Thai wife thought the same as you but explained it away as maybe she has never seen parasailing and thought it was part of it

[roo860]

the 3 times i went up in Patong, guy jumped on with me each trip, it was actually part of the fun,
especially when they knew i could speak Thai, i got some extra cool treatment-
never seen any of them use spotters anywhere, even years ago Puerto Vallarta, Mexico
 
that said, it is highly improbable, verging on impossible, for it to be the tourist's fault,
all indications point to poorly maintained and/or secured equipment, negligence in properly hooking up
all the harness/straps in the beginning-
were everything properly connected and in good working order and quality, there should have been no problem
posed by the flyboy along with the customer, the operative phrase being
"everything properly connected and in good working order"

Nice to hear again on a different thread that you can speak Thai and get cool treatment, again.
Yawn.

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