Show your love with…

[BlankCanvas 0]

A CRASH HELMET and INSURANCE.

 

This is a very serious post, sorry if some will think it’s boring but please read anyway.

 

After spending what has to be the worst 3 days of my life sitting at the bedside of my Thai girlfriend, I really cannot express how important it is to wear crash helmets and also very important to get insurance.  My girlfriend only ever wore her helmet when she knew the police may see her, which most of the time I laughed off as TIT.

 

Well after getting a call at 3am on Monday morning from the staff at Memorial hospital, saying she was in A & E, could I come!  As I live in Jomtien this is not a quick thing so 30 min’s later I was there to find her outside A & E waiting for treatment or more precisely the accounts staff where waiting for a deposit.  Ok, no problem so I hand over 6,000 baht for starters and they take her in. Well it turns our she had broken her left clavicle, dislocated left shoulder, and required 20 stitches to cut on her head, along with many other abrasions.   Of course she is in extreme agony most of the time, but by about 7 am they are beginning to give her something for the pain.   She was not wearing her helmet, but it could have been worse.  I will not recount the next 2 days, but needless to say very stressful for her.

 

After 2/3 Days she has now checked out to come back to my place for a month of bed rest as she is in a brace for her shoulder and should really not move at all.  Total cost so far about 80,000 Baht, ok it’s wiped me out but at least I had it at the time to help her.

 

My point to all this is……,

 

I REALLY regret not making her wear her helmet at all times, and WHY OH WHY did I not get her insurance for her motorbike and accident cover, it’s only about 1,000 Baht a year.  So if you have a girl you like, show her you care and buy her BUPA or some sort of insurance.

 

Stephen

[ragman 0]

Stephen

 

I want to wish her a full and speedy recovery. But it won't be speedy. And be reassured that many of the people who read your post are also wishing for her recovery but don't reply because they just do not know what to say.

 

The insurance is a good idea for long term relationships. I do wonder if they have some exclusion clause if not wearing the helmet. There will probably be some discussion about that.

 

The always wear your helmet is one of those hot-button issues. I hope that if the debate gets started it gets moved to the off-topic board. Out of respect for hers' and yours' pain.

 

Wishing a full and speedy recovery,

 

Thom

[jimmybcool 0]

Speedy recovery for your tilac.

 

The only thing I would add is what TYPE of helmet.

 

Frankly, most of the helmets worn in Pattaya are useless in an accident.  They simply do not protect anything.

 

In the US I know we have specific ratings and tests for helmet approvals.  I don't know if/what LOS has.  Still, try and get more than a peice of plastic that ties to her head.

[Guest]

i got a girl some bupa insurance a while ago.

this was after she had spent 2 days unconscious from a bike crash.

after reading the smallprint, im sure that motorbike  accident cover was excluded, so it would not have been any use anyway.

look on the bright side mate, she will get better and  it could have been a lot worse.

baz

[kjvegas 2]

Sorry to hear about your girl, hope she fully recovers.  It could of been alot worse.  You sound like a good person, hope she appreciates you.  

[BigDUSA 71]

80000, I think they ripped you off. Always smart to wear a helmet. Glad you helped her out.

[Emil 0]

I hope she recovers fully and that she realizes how fortunate she was to have you around to help her out.  It sounds like that even if she was wearing a helmet that she would have sustained many of the injuries.  On my last trip while I was riding a baht bus I noticed a TG on motorbike with what looked like a 5 year old sitting behind her and a 2 year old sitting in front of her.  If she would have had to slam on the breaks the 2 year old would have gone flying over the handle bars.  In a way I wish the Thai police would be stricter in what they allow.

 

Emil

[PattayaPete 527]

This board is full of questions about SARS, VD, crime in Thailand and personal safety.  People worry about getting mugged, ripped off or catching some nasty exotic tropical disease.  

 

People who have been here before do realize how safe Thailand is and yet, there is a silent killer lurking in Pattaya.  On average it kills two farangs a week and seriously injures many more.  Thais are also affected and are dropping like flies.  

 

Motor bike accidents are common, nasty and hard to avoid.  Wearing a helmet is the least you should do.  Better yet avoid motor bikes altogether.  Baht busses are cheap and convenient and your chances of survival are much greater if there is an accident.

 

Sorry for hijacking your thread to preach BlankCanvas but I feel very strongly about this and preach at every opportunity.  FLB cutomers and staff have been killed in motor bike accidents.  

 

Over the three day Sonkran holiday recently more than 3 times the deaths reported world wide for SARS occured on Thai roads.  Most of these deaths were in motor bike accidents.  

[jimmybcool 0]

Pete,

 

As you say, the best way to avoid a motorbike accident is don't get on the effing things.

 

I have friends with them always offering me lifts here or there, e ven out hitting the bars.  I always meet them there taking baht buses.

 

I am  not getting on 2 wheels in Thailand.  It would be safer to bang a different bargirl every night without protection than to ride a motorbike every day in Pattaya.

 

My humble opinion of course.

[monkeyman 1,597]

This isn't just a helmet issue, but a general lack of protective clothing.

 

It made me think about a former FLB hostess who I spent some time with. Very pretty girl, but her back was a mess of skin grafts, courtesy of a motorcycle accident several years previously.

 

Four wheels good, two wheels bad. Listen to the man.

 

be seeing you

monkeyman

[maipenrai 465]

Hello all -

 

On my recent visits to Pattaya, I remember on at least three or four occasions watching assholes on big sportbikes roaring down Soi 7 or 8 doing at least 50mph during the late afternoon or early evening when the soi was starting to get busy; I felt like throwing my beer at them. I'm suprised more of these jerk-offs aren't killed, and can't believe that anybody off the street can rent  these big bikes.

 

One of my beer-drinking buddies in BKK is an ex-Canadian champion from the '70's, and still owns the TZ750 he won with. He rides in Thailand, but just a 150cc bike - he says that anything with enough power to spin its back wheel will see you dumped sooner or later on wet and/or oily pavement. Personally, one reason I go on holidays is to enjoy my beer and leave the driving to others - I drive too much here at home.

I occasionally take motorbike taxis when I am in a hurry or they are convenient, and I'm not going to say no to a BG offering me a ride home on her bike, but I still don't feel comfortable without protective gear. I rode big-bore dirt bikes for many years and always dressed for it.

 

And yes, I've seen the scars on a few of my BG's. One spent four days in hospital in a coma, and lost her hotel job as well because of it.

 

One day on Walking Street I saw a gorgeous little BG wearing almost nothing drive up and park a blue Honda Fireblade; her little tippy-toes hardly even reached the ground. I wish I'd had my camera - this bike was far too big for her, but she just approached the whole thing with total Thai nonchalance while I was sitting there shaking my head in disbelief.  I hope she's still in one piece.

 

Safe riding to all.

[Eneukman 1]

In 4 visits to Pattaya, I have seen people come off bikes twice - (in 40+ years in Scotland, I have only ever seen 1 person fall off). The first time was at the corner leading into Beach Road outside the Dusit Hotel. Fortunately, it was a low speed accident and no one was hurt. The second time involved a collision between a motor bike and a van at the roundabout before the Residence Gardens. Again, fortunately this was a low speed accident and apart from a few bruises, the couple on the motor bike were unhurt.

 

Then there were the 2 farangs on a big powerful motorbike (don't ask me the make or engine size cause I haven't a clue  ;D) who were riding along 2nd street without crash helmets. They were spotted by the boys in brown who pulled them over whilst ignoring the locals who were also riding without helmets.

 

Alan

[kjvegas 2]

I was in Thailand about 1 month ago.  There were these two little guys on a crotch rocket.  They were riding on a dirt rode when they lost control near an intersection, they both wiped out.  They were very lucky not to get run over by a car turning on the dirt road from the intersection.  

[valentinoxxx 4]

I've seen worse. That's all I will say about that. Unless you are going to putt around at 10 to 15 mph, don't bother. ESPECIALLY NOT, on the islands.

[jeetter 0]

I used to never get on a motorbike, but decided it was worth having my freedom getting around.

 

We all know people in Thailand drive like JERKS, so I always wear a helmet and expect everyone to make some type of idiot move in traffic.