Shocking moment terrified toddler, 2, screams as she is forced to go PARASAILING on Phuket beach

[cardinalblue]

Looks like the ride was over as they were coming in for a landing...

 

no one rescued anyone...media writes it like they are trying to save Thai face for letting the child go up in the first place 

[Blackheart1916]

1 hour ago, LivinginKata said:

 

Yes but not the same beach ....

Sorry I was being a bit facetious there. I was just thinking aloud about the mentality of people who would strap in a two year old, when even a grown man who understood what he was doing was unable to ensure his own safety. Was there a finding on the actual cause of that one that you know of?

[chrisinth]

3 hours ago, MaryM said:

I have an interesting take on this... because I was there!

 

I googled the story and this is how I came to learn about this forum and thought I would add something to the discussion.

 

Yesterday, my daughter emailed me the Sun article because she knew I was in Patong last week and thought I may be interested in this as she has two young daughters 5 and 3, and remarked that she could not fathom how this would be allowed anywhere. My sister and I (she's 51 and I'm 58), witnessed the whole event as we were sitting not far from where the paragliders land (we were on the opposite side from where the video appears to be filmed from) and quite frankly we were both in shock. We are now in Malaysia enjoying some of the sights for a few more days before heading to Singapore and then back to the UK next week.

 

However, the Sun article is not entirely correct and does seem to embellish the situation some (hey, it's The Sun, we're used to it and you take it with a grain of salt). Firstly, the quote from the article "When the parachute started getting near the beach, passers-by ran to catch the tether and pull the toddler back to the ground." is patently false. There was no passers-by but merely the employees of the company who I guess that's their job to do and did so correctly. Secondly, "The concerned group crowded around the small child to make sure she was okay and the crying infant was carried away by her father." is not quite accurate as they were not what I would call a  "concerned group" but merely employees.

 

However, the rest of the article is reasonably accurate as the girl was definitely forced against her will into the harness and was crying and struggling when they were putting her in it. When they came in for landing you could hear her crying and once out of the harness you could really see that she was extremely upset until she finally calmed down a few minutes later. What is not shown on the video, is that the mother came over later and then took her a few metres away to the public sidewalk area then pulled down her panties/pull-up diaper and let the little girl relieve herself in front of people (and no clean up either). I guess I would need to go too if I had just been traumatized, so not the girls fault.

 

The facts not in dispute are that the girl was no more than two and looking at her it would be safe to say she may have not even been two, but two is fairly accurate. She did not want to go up and was letting people know this by struggling and crying (this is not the same as being forced to eat your broccoli). Age restrictions did not seem to be a factor for the company, however, they should not have been party to this seeing that the girl obviously did not want to go. A google search for age limits for parasailing around the world puts the minimum age of 6 as long as you are accompanied by a parent/guardian. A two year old does not have the mental capacity to understand/agree/ask to go paragliding, whilst a parent does have rights, these are often restricted in some way by laws governing children and their environment (think age restrictions for movies) to what they can and cannot do publicly.

 

Finally, an event such as this can be very traumatizing for a young child even though they may seem to recover from the event fairly quickly. Yes, toddlers cry over lots of things, but severe trauma (including psychological) can have life-long implications - ever met someone who was bitten by a dog when they were a toddler/child? Many do get over it while many others fear dogs into adulthood and sometimes the rest of their lives. So why force a child into something that is very scary (even for adults) and think that all is ok? Lots of blame to go around starting with the parents who obviously were not thinking everything through, to the paragliding company for allowing a 2 yo to go up, and the local authorities for probably not enforcing their rules (if there is any) concerning the safety and well-being of the tourists who come to Patong and Thailand for a good time.

 

I like Thailand and its people, and do look froward to returning again, hopefully awareness of an incident such as this helps make improvements for the good of everyone!

 

Thanks. Mary.

 

 

Hi Mary, welcome to TV.

 

Regardless of what others think, thanks for the eye witness account. Seems to be one of the most complete posts on this thread mixing both your witness to the event and the insight of a mother.

 

I thank you Madam.......................

[Bangyo1948]

So nothing has changed. Thai guy still hanging on,no harness,no possibility to assist only a liability......So much for the paratrooper safety training......cash is king <deleted> safety

[MaryM]

5 minutes ago, car720 said:

Some are blaming the parents, some are blaming the operators,  I blame every human being on the planet for their lack of understanding of fear.

I have lived with fear my entire life.  I know its every nuance.  Not one person has considered the fear that the child must have been experiencing.  The heart has gone out of the world.

I think we are on the same page here and "fear" is exactly what I was alluding in this statement ...

 

"Finally, an event such as this can be very traumatizing for a young child even though they may seem to recover from the event fairly quickly. Yes, toddlers cry over lots of things, but severe trauma (including psychological) can have life-long implications - ever met someone who was bitten by a dog when they were a toddler/child? Many do get over it while many others fear dogs into adulthood and sometimes the rest of their lives. So why force a child into something that is very scary (even for adults) and think that all is ok?"

 

There really is no viable reason for a toddler to experience such a traumatic/fearful event at the tender age of two, especially when they had no choice in terms of participating as that decision was made for them. This was not simply like a first train or bike ride, or learning to go down a slide or similar false equivalency as stated by thesetat2013 above (and I am a parent of four plus six grand kids), but wilful intent/negligence to sow fear into a defenceless and largely unsuspecting child.

 

P.S. Thank you chrisinth for your comment and balanced understanding of the incident

[Scott]

Off-topic posts reported and removed.  

[Sumarianson]

The idiot who is controlling the paraglider had no tandum harness? I am not concerened for the idiots safety but if he lost his grip and fell or got a heart attack or any number of ailments ( cramp as an instance), who then would have the experience and knowledge to land the father and 2 year old safely? 

A serious introduction to safety in this country is needed. 

I tried to hire a motorcycle in Krabi last month but could not find one single outlet that at any cost would provide adequate insurance. There needs to be proper insurance provided for holiday makers and foreigner residents in Thailand. Those like myself whom have the necessary UK licence and or the Thai licence and experience should be offered 1st class coprehensive insurance. There are too many foreigners and tourists dying in Thailand. Something drastic needs to be done.

Edited August 18, 2017 by Sumarianson
Spell edit

[Lokie]

Can't wait for the Gov'nr's statement on this unbelievable event after the death of the poor Australian guy weeks ago, maybe get some CCTV cameras to aid parasailing safety...?

[stevenl]

17 hours ago, Sumarianson said:

The idiot who is controlling the paraglider had no tandum harness? I am not concerened for the idiots safety but if he lost his grip and fell or got a heart attack or any number of ailments ( cramp as an instance), who then would have the experience and knowledge to land the father and 2 year old safely? 

A serious introduction to safety in this country is needed. 

I tried to hire a motorcycle in Krabi last month but could not find one single outlet that at any cost would provide adequate insurance. There needs to be proper insurance provided for holiday makers and foreigner residents in Thailand. Those like myself whom have the necessary UK licence and or the Thai licence and experience should be offered 1st class coprehensive insurance. There are too many foreigners and tourists dying in Thailand. Something drastic needs to be done.

No insurance company in their right mind will offer comprehensive insurance on rental bikes, simply a very bad risk.