Just saw this on the beeb -
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-p ... 147032.stm
A tragedy for the family and an awful waste of a young life.
I have heard that this place is very popular - is this a one-off?
The family are critical of the park's response and offering compensation seems awful - even if typically Thai. I guess the strict H&S rules here in the West would have prevented it?
Pattaya Water Park death
Pattaya Water Park death
Talk is cheap
A terrible tragedy for the family, but it seems like a bit of a freak accident. I'm a keen swimmer and have used swimming pools for my whole life, but I would never think that messing around with intake grills was a good idea.
If you look at the size of the grill in these pictures, I can't think why anyone would want to go in it. (It's a Thai site showing pictures of the investigation):
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownew ... 0000009723
If you look at the size of the grill in these pictures, I can't think why anyone would want to go in it. (It's a Thai site showing pictures of the investigation):
http://www.pattayadailynews.com/shownew ... 0000009723
Having looked at the link in STEVE G's post, I'm surprised it (the grill) is even there in the first place, odd design, don't think I've ever been in a swimming pool with that style of vent in the bottom. The fact that it's not secured down and that two teenage boys could lift it up has to amount to, at least, negligence on the part of the owners.
It's a sad story.
It's a sad story.
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komfortablynumb
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A very sad story.
Now all over the English press.
My heart goes out to all involved.
Sadly boys will be boys.
There are no excuses for that grill being accesible by probing fingers.
But hindsight is always 20/20.
You can't teach experience to children all the time.
Unless you wrap them in cotton wool.
But they will never learn anything that way.
Trees are things to climb, rivers are things to get wet in and apparently the south pole is a place to have a race on. And that's just for adults.
I just wish that the annual sokran road slaughter could be adressed.
I wonder how i would feel if some Thai papparazi wanted to take pics of my dead child.
With my little knowledge of asian culture and the pixalated pictures i have seen in papers.
I wonder if the western total sanitisation of death is a clash of cultures.
NO.
Personaly i wouldn't have hit the photographer?
I would have been too shocked to care.
But it was an emotional time for the Father.
A tad insensitive for the Thai police to pursue it.
And allow compensation.
However small.
Sorry if this seems self indulgent.
It is.
But even future ex pats have thoughts.
Now all over the English press.
My heart goes out to all involved.
Sadly boys will be boys.
There are no excuses for that grill being accesible by probing fingers.
But hindsight is always 20/20.
You can't teach experience to children all the time.
Unless you wrap them in cotton wool.
But they will never learn anything that way.
Trees are things to climb, rivers are things to get wet in and apparently the south pole is a place to have a race on. And that's just for adults.
I just wish that the annual sokran road slaughter could be adressed.
I wonder how i would feel if some Thai papparazi wanted to take pics of my dead child.
With my little knowledge of asian culture and the pixalated pictures i have seen in papers.
I wonder if the western total sanitisation of death is a clash of cultures.
NO.
Personaly i wouldn't have hit the photographer?
I would have been too shocked to care.
But it was an emotional time for the Father.
A tad insensitive for the Thai police to pursue it.
And allow compensation.
However small.
Sorry if this seems self indulgent.
It is.
But even future ex pats have thoughts.
It's a one off Caller from what I can recall. The place is usually packed on weekends with Bangkok Thai families. Very popular place.
There have been incidents with jumpers from the observatory on the 55th floor before they put up security glass/barriers, and a few incidents of out of control cable rides from the top down to the beach. They strap you into a harness and hook you to the cable and down you go at a 45 degree angle.
Here's a pic of the tower and a link to the entire site. Pete
http://www.pattayapark.com/module.php?id=tower
There have been incidents with jumpers from the observatory on the 55th floor before they put up security glass/barriers, and a few incidents of out of control cable rides from the top down to the beach. They strap you into a harness and hook you to the cable and down you go at a 45 degree angle.
Here's a pic of the tower and a link to the entire site. Pete
http://www.pattayapark.com/module.php?id=tower
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. Source
If it was my child, the cameraman would have got more than a spanner and he certainly would not get any compensation out of me. But hey, who can blame the police for enforcing it because after all, he is a super rich farang................
Sorry guys but this is Thailand and we all know better than to believe anything else is more important than money............... cold fact!
Sorry guys but this is Thailand and we all know better than to believe anything else is more important than money............... cold fact!
Don't try to impress me with your manner of dress cos a monkey himself is a monkey no less - cold fact
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Randy Cornhole
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margaretcarnes
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Pattaya Water Park death
A very sad accident indeed, but it does raise even more doubts about safety in Thailand, and not without some justification.
After a (very strange) 3 day delay in hitting the British press the inevitable stories of other recent tourist deaths in LOS are being re-run. We all know that accidents can happen any time anywhere, but what makes this one stand out is the apparent disregard of both the Park officials - (who reportedly took no action for 30 minutes, claiming that the grill was locked,) and the photographers.
For those not familiar with Thailand or it's culture it looks extremely bad. There will always be the questions - could a life have been saved by more prompt action on the part of those people who are supposed to be responsible for others? And just how seriously is that responsibility taken?
After a (very strange) 3 day delay in hitting the British press the inevitable stories of other recent tourist deaths in LOS are being re-run. We all know that accidents can happen any time anywhere, but what makes this one stand out is the apparent disregard of both the Park officials - (who reportedly took no action for 30 minutes, claiming that the grill was locked,) and the photographers.
For those not familiar with Thailand or it's culture it looks extremely bad. There will always be the questions - could a life have been saved by more prompt action on the part of those people who are supposed to be responsible for others? And just how seriously is that responsibility taken?
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Wanderlust
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mags,
Without wanting to be too harsh, surely the main responsibility in any accident like this should be both the unfortunate victim and their parents/guardians? An unlocked grill at the bottom of a pool is hardly negligence, and most sensible and well parented children would go first to their parent/guardian to tell them the situation. I understand that children will do things like this boy did, so when it happens, however sad it is, it just has to be put down as a tragic accident, without any requirement for blame to be dished out. One of the things that most irritates me about the UK is the lack of taking responsibility for oneself and the view that it always has to be someone else's fault, which I'm afraid to say seems to have spread from the litigious ways of the US. This is what has led to the 'nanny state' that many on here complain about, rather than the other way around. The incident with the photographer is a very unfortunate clash of cultures where neither side understands the other. It will be a shame if this incident is seized upon and gives another kick in the teeth to the Thai tourist industry, as accidents happen everywhere, even when there are over the top safety measures in place. I just googled 'UK swimming pool drowning' and on the first page I got this from 2007 in the UK and this from this year in the US. I'll bet no commentator has been inferring 'better not go to the UK/US' because of these incidents, or dragging up other deaths to go with them. Accidents will happen.
Without wanting to be too harsh, surely the main responsibility in any accident like this should be both the unfortunate victim and their parents/guardians? An unlocked grill at the bottom of a pool is hardly negligence, and most sensible and well parented children would go first to their parent/guardian to tell them the situation. I understand that children will do things like this boy did, so when it happens, however sad it is, it just has to be put down as a tragic accident, without any requirement for blame to be dished out. One of the things that most irritates me about the UK is the lack of taking responsibility for oneself and the view that it always has to be someone else's fault, which I'm afraid to say seems to have spread from the litigious ways of the US. This is what has led to the 'nanny state' that many on here complain about, rather than the other way around. The incident with the photographer is a very unfortunate clash of cultures where neither side understands the other. It will be a shame if this incident is seized upon and gives another kick in the teeth to the Thai tourist industry, as accidents happen everywhere, even when there are over the top safety measures in place. I just googled 'UK swimming pool drowning' and on the first page I got this from 2007 in the UK and this from this year in the US. I'll bet no commentator has been inferring 'better not go to the UK/US' because of these incidents, or dragging up other deaths to go with them. Accidents will happen.
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The understudy
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Hallo There
I had red the srticle too and my opinion is it's a freak accident which can happen anywhere. But in the UK as is in Germany Boulevard Newspapers and Boulevard TV-shpws on Private Channels I. e. RTL in Germany especially look for such faults in Popular Touritsts Destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Palma de Mallorca or Thailand.
In these show's they have so called Insurance Lawyers which in the Pattaya Park case they would pseudo inteligently argue: "Well an unlocked Grill behind in front of a suction valve hmmm I must say before and after a dys operration the engineers must take a cole look if every bolt of every security grill is locked so the guilt lies with Pattaya Park! In case of an accident you can claim XEuros/Pounds of the Company if case of death you can sue the living Hell out that company... ect. & sodworth." Which comes again to the point Mr. Wanderlust had briiliantly pointed out about. not taking responsability for oneself. May I quoute you again Mr, Wanderlust.
I had red the srticle too and my opinion is it's a freak accident which can happen anywhere. But in the UK as is in Germany Boulevard Newspapers and Boulevard TV-shpws on Private Channels I. e. RTL in Germany especially look for such faults in Popular Touritsts Destinations such as Turkey, Greece, Palma de Mallorca or Thailand.
In these show's they have so called Insurance Lawyers which in the Pattaya Park case they would pseudo inteligently argue: "Well an unlocked Grill behind in front of a suction valve hmmm I must say before and after a dys operration the engineers must take a cole look if every bolt of every security grill is locked so the guilt lies with Pattaya Park! In case of an accident you can claim XEuros/Pounds of the Company if case of death you can sue the living Hell out that company... ect. & sodworth." Which comes again to the point Mr. Wanderlust had briiliantly pointed out about. not taking responsability for oneself. May I quoute you again Mr, Wanderlust.
Your's The understudy!!![/code]One of the things that most irritates me about the UK is the lack of taking responsibility for oneself and the view that it always has to be someone else's fault, which I'm afraid to say seems to have spread from the litigious ways of the US. This is what has led to the 'nanny state' that many on here complain about, rather than the other way around.
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“Once you survive Stamford U Hua Hin Campus only you can survive anything!!!”
(My fable for All Things Japanese knows no boundaries!) Proud Student of Stamford University Hua Hin Campus from 1999 to 2004 (5th Batch of Graduates.)
“Once you survive Stamford U Hua Hin Campus only you can survive anything!!!”
According to all of the reports, the grill should have been locked and it wasn't. Thats the reason stated by the lifeguard (as per interview on Beeb TV news) that he didn't believe the initial report of the boy going under.
I believe that the family accept it was an accident, but it was an avoidable one. this is a massive family entertainment complex and therefore the Park will be aware that 'kids will be kids' and it should be expected to take appropriate safety measures for that very reason.
This was a basic error, whatever the parental responsibilities, or of the kid himself, if the grill had been locked, as it appears it should have been, this wouldn't have happened. Parents cannot have eyes in the back of their heads!
I believe that the family accept it was an accident, but it was an avoidable one. this is a massive family entertainment complex and therefore the Park will be aware that 'kids will be kids' and it should be expected to take appropriate safety measures for that very reason.
This was a basic error, whatever the parental responsibilities, or of the kid himself, if the grill had been locked, as it appears it should have been, this wouldn't have happened. Parents cannot have eyes in the back of their heads!
Talk is cheap
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Khundon1975
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Wanderlust
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caller and KD1975,
Yes, the pool would have been safer if the grill had been locked, but the accident wouldn't have happened if the boy had common sense and had just told his parents/guardians that his goggles had gone in there rather than opening a grill that is obviously intended to either let water in or take it out, and is not intended to be entered. I suppose all cliff tops should have fences erected to prevent people walking off them, all beaches should have barriers preventing people entering the sea, and all cutlery shops should have their knives locked away in case someone hurts themselves, as this is the same sort of logic being used. May as well ban tuk tuks and songthaews because someone might fall out of them as well.
I am not trying to be unsympathetic as this is a tragic accident and the family must be distraught, but at the end of the day it was the boy's own fault.
Yes, the pool would have been safer if the grill had been locked, but the accident wouldn't have happened if the boy had common sense and had just told his parents/guardians that his goggles had gone in there rather than opening a grill that is obviously intended to either let water in or take it out, and is not intended to be entered. I suppose all cliff tops should have fences erected to prevent people walking off them, all beaches should have barriers preventing people entering the sea, and all cutlery shops should have their knives locked away in case someone hurts themselves, as this is the same sort of logic being used. May as well ban tuk tuks and songthaews because someone might fall out of them as well.
I am not trying to be unsympathetic as this is a tragic accident and the family must be distraught, but at the end of the day it was the boy's own fault.