Hotel balcony falls - suicide or accident?

[Yujin 18]

Pattaya hotels seem to have a high number of deaths and injuries from guests falling from their hotel balcony. At first, I thought it was probably suicide or a mixture of too much booze and suicide.

After my last trip to Pattaya, I noticed something that now leads me to believe falls from hotel balconies are most likely accidental. What I noticed is the height of the balcony railing is very low. I’m not a tall person (5’6” / 167 cm) and I almost fell over the balcony railing after I stumbled on the threshold between my room and the balcony. After that near death experience, I rarely ventured out to the balcony. BE CAREFUL!!!!

 

 

[jacko 8,814]

You can bang your head a lot too here, when I first came all the locals were tiny.

I rarely venture out on balconies because high ones give me the eeby-jeebies!

Topic also active on Thai Visa after a Russian fell.

[whitney 10]

The balconies and electrical system, two things in Thailand that are scarier for me than crossing a busy road here :-)

[nkped 1,208]

Not questioning what you say about hotel balconies, but at VT2 the railings are high enough that you're not going over by accident

[js007 795]

The balconies and electrical system, two things in Thailand that are scarier for me than crossing a busy road here :-)

 

I'm normally not the kind of person that likes heights, so I don't do a lot of hanging around on balconies. But the other two things, the electrical systems and crossing the road? I've almost been killed by both at one time or another. One time, an ATM machine in the rain almost did me in, and one time, down in Phuket, I almost got run over by a motorcycle crossing the road one night. Alcohol may have played a part that time.

[jacko 8,814]

 

I'm normally not the kind of person that likes heights, so I don't do a lot of hanging around on balconies. But the other two things, the electrical systems and crossing the road? I've almost been killed by both at one time or another. One time, an ATM machine in the rain almost did me in, and one time, down in Phuket, I almost got run over by a motorcycle crossing the road one night. Alcohol may have played a part that time.

Beware of the soi Buakhao area then, no pavements and an abundance of MC taxis racing around.

That is the reason they built the hospital there!

[js007 795]

Beware of the soi Buakhao area then, no pavements and an abundance of MC taxis racing around.

That is the reason they built the hospital there!

 

 

Yea, Soi Buakhao looks dangerous. I've seen one or two motorcycle vs. car wrecks at the corner by the Oasis go go bar.

[sinbinjack 251]

Pattaya hotels seem to have a high number of deaths and injuries from guests falling from their hotel balcony. At first, I thought it was probably suicide or a mixture of too much booze and suicide.

 

After my last trip to Pattaya, I noticed something that now leads me to believe falls from hotel balconies are most likely accidental. What I noticed is the height of the balcony railing is very low. I’m not a tall person (5’6” / 167 cm) and I almost fell over the balcony railing after I stumbled on the threshold between my room and the balcony. After that near death experience, I rarely ventured out to the balcony. BE CAREFUL!!!!

 

 

Didn't I read once about a suicide who was wearing a hood and had his hands tied behind his back?.

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

Didn't I read once about a suicide who was wearing a hood and had his hands tied behind his back?.

 

I never read that one but I have always thought the amount of farang suicide by balcony was far out of proportion to what common sense would expect.

 

So, I am an expat, I ran out of money. So what? I go home and get myself sent to the USA. No worse of in warm spots in USA than in LOS. LOS is great if you have money. The western world is better if you are poor.

 

I suspect that either barfine with a boyfriend who helps you over the ledge or your teelack has a bf who helps you and oops sorry was shooting for the pool.

 

 

skipped, he didn't know there was a pool.

Edited September 17, 2017 by midlifecrisis

[maipenrai 474]

 

 

Yea, Soi Buakhao looks dangerous. I've seen one or two motorcycle vs. car wrecks at the corner by the Oasis go go bar.

 

Nicknamed "Hellfire Crossing" by some...gives me the willies just getting across this corner on foot.....

[nkped 1,208]

Wonder if any of the falls are Darwin Award competitors who think it would be really neat to perch on the railing while consuming the 14th beer of the evening.

[Kev 178]

Didn't I read once about a suicide who was wearing a hood and had his hands tied behind his back?.

Actually I remember reading one a few years ago I think was wearing concrete shoes as well - LOL

[gs joe 1,776]

Actually I remember reading one a few years ago I think was wearing concrete shoes as well - LOL

Was that the same guy who left a note admitting his perversion to sleeping with the fishes ?

 

Joe

[yogi100 1,925]

I've only known one man in Pattaya who went over the balcony. He was an elderly fellow who did it intentionally because he had inoperable and incurable cancer.

[Idefix 2,275]

A few years back, the BG who was with a guy in my condo said that he was so drunk that at one point, with no reason, he decided to jump!

He run towars the balcony but was so drunk that he didn't see that the glass-door was closed.

He crashed in that door and finish stunned against the balcony lower wall. The glass door finished on a car a few floors lower...

In one way he has been lucky. Without the door many would have suspected the girl... at least on Pattaya's forums...

[JONPAT 222]

Suicide, accident, or murder? I'd imagine some of each. My difficulty is walking the uneven pavements when there is pavements.

[nkped 1,208]

A guy is down in the dumps, maybe even clinically depressed. He thinks, "I know, go to Pattaya, drink copious amounts of booze, and screw my brains out." So he does it. Instead, the booze, and, possibly, other recreational substances, along with being away from his support system, makes things much worse and he does something irrevocable.

 

Not an original thought, but no idea where I saw it.

[jacko 8,814]

This is not a place to be if you need medical support and can't afford it.

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

This is not a place to be if you need medical support and can't afford it.

 

It is relatively affordable. Was in the ER, two nights on IV meds and meds to go for 1200 USD about seven years ago. Put it on a credit card. You are right though. They wanted cash up front. Glad I wasn't having a stroke or heart attack.

[jacko 8,814]

 

It is relatively affordable. Was in the ER, two nights on IV meds and meds to go for 1200 USD about seven years ago. Put it on a credit card. You are right though. They wanted cash up front. Glad I wasn't having a stroke or heart attack.

My phrase was chosen with a little thought.

 

Let us assume not everyone has a credit card.

[Irish boy 67]

Pattaya's full of desperados, nothing surprises me about what happpens there.

 

Whether it's people who have blown everything, nothing to go home to, wherever that may be, and purposely 'jump', or maybe they have been 'helped over' in some sort of money scam by someone they thought they could trust, or pissed/full of drugs.

 

Some of the reports are very dubious to say the least.

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

My phrase was chosen with a little thought.

 

Let us assume not everyone has a credit card.

 

I believe I was agreeing with your premise.

 

In those days I only had two credit cards. Despite the fact that I always notify the CC company of travel dates and destination, the first card was declined. Had the second card been declined, I would have had to have taken my disease ridden carcass to a bank or ATM or go get TCs from the hotel room safe to pay my bill in advance. etc.

 

I was in no condition to be running around Bangkok.

Edited October 7, 2017 by midlifecrisis

[losgrad 264]

 

It is relatively affordable. Was in the ER, two nights on IV meds and meds to go for 1200 USD about seven years ago. Put it on a credit card. You are right though. They wanted cash up front. Glad I wasn't having a stroke or heart attack.

 

 

Yes, a few years ago, it was 'affordable' within many westerner's credit card limits or savings (median US savings account balance of $5,200 in 2013), but in the last 5 years we have seen significant increases in hospital costs. Outpatient still seems to be a good deal, but Inpatient prices are approaching Western countries insurance reimbursement rates. As Thailand became promoted for medical tourism, they took advantage. I know one expat who had to sell one of his two Thai condos to pay his hospital bills after a 2nd motorcycle accident.

It's more important than ever to be prepared with health and/or travel insurance or if you self-insure to really put that big money aside...unless you just want to call it quits anyway.

 

 

Suicide, accident, or murder? I'd imagine some of each. My difficulty is walking the uneven pavements when there is pavements.

 

 

Some of each for sure.

 

Years ago, I installed a higher railing in my condo because the original owner who had never lived in the unit raised the balcony floor tile work making the original railing low enough for a midget to lean over. Luckily, my condo association is less strict than others (or they just haven't noticed) that probably wouldn't permit any noticeable visual exterior modifications. I told my Thai wife she'd need a couple of strong guys to push my 90 kgs over the higher railing :).

 

Yes, i also know of at least one guy who had a terminal illness and in lieu of deteriorating in a hospital purposely took a dive.

 

Not a balcony per se, but in the last few years there have been reports of guys jumping over the higher floor railings at BKK airport after being dropped off for their flights home.

 

In regards to other ways to die here, yes, being a walker requires you to be careful of the pavement while also watching for speeding baht buses and motorbikes (aka "Death Race 2000"). Is it just me or do baht buses and motorbikes seem to actually speed up when they see us cross Beach, 2nd or 3rd Roads? The Indians walking 3-4 abreast now make it a little safer for other pedestrians as they slow traffic, but yeah, when i'm riding my bicycle, motorbike or driving my car WTF are they doing?

 

 

Pattaya's full of desperados, nothing surprises me about what happpens there.

 

Whether it's people who have blown everything, nothing to go home to, wherever that may be, and purposely 'jump', or maybe they have been 'helped over' in some sort of money scam by someone they thought they could trust, or pissed/full of drugs.

 

Some of the reports are very dubious to say the least.

 

 

Yes, i would assume statistically our local Pattaya population would not be 'normal' in many surveys.

 

 

Well, be extra careful approaching your high balcony, avoid touching live electrical wires, crossing streets while intoxicated and generally being worth more dead than alive :) or deciding to living happily in the ever after... Hmm, another reference to Pattaya's "Happy Endings."

Edited October 7, 2017 by losgrad

[midlifecrisis 4,048]

 

 

Yes, As Thailand became promoted for medical tourism, they took advantage.

 

Yes, milk the cash cow. I was fortunate to get ill when I did.

[jacko 8,814]

 

I believe I was agreeing with your premise.

 

In those days I only had two credit cards. Despite the fact that I always notify the CC company of travel dates and destination, the first card was declined. Had the second card been declined, I would have had to have taken my disease ridden carcass to a bank or ATM or go get TCs from the hotel room safe to pay my bill in advance. etc.

 

I was in no condition to be running around Bangkok.

If you were in the Bangkok Hospital Pattaya, it is simply a matter of wheeling you down to the bank of ATM machines in the building.

I am guessing Bangkok hospitals have them too.

 

A short stay in a hospital here could eat up many a retirees residual funds. I recently heard of a 2 night stay in Memorial, in a ward, being over 30,000 baht.