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Emergency Contact Advice


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The guys who recently went beyond the call to help out Etgohom and his family in their time of tragedy have asked us to share their observations and advice on such situations. Thanks for this guys and I'm sure it with be greatly appreciated by the members.

Recently we tragically lost a BM whilst on holiday in Pattaya. A group of us were involved with the tracking down next of kin at speed immediately after the accident. There are several lessons to come out of all this which we would like to think would be some kind of legacy.

If it saves or protects just one person it will be worth it.

Importantly, please, do use this thread as a factual assumption on what happened and discuss and start rumours.

After discussion with several BM's who have had input, we have separated into 3 sections,

so please check the recent advice posted in other sections.

Emergency Contact and ID,

Motorbike Advice

How Secure are Photos & Texts ??

...........,.......................,...............................................................................................................................

Just think of this scenario.......

Your in your hotel in LOS all ready in anticipation for your night out in fun town.

You lock your possessions away and prepare the room for a visitor later.

On your way out you drop your key card at reception and head out......

Then something happens later that night when involves you being fatally injured and coma. Think of any scenario you like......a bomb blast, bike accident, and heaven forbid a heart attack in a short time room........but you get my drift.

The police take you to hospital and do whatever they can for you, but don't know who you are,

Or where you stay.........you are a nobody.........literally.

You maybe a lone traveller which makes all this even more important, but even if you have a group of mates who you meet up with, it maybe 12 + hours before they realise.

A time of day caveat comes into play. If late at night they think you have pulled the trigger and gone back to room.....and had so much fun you keep her busy all day. So potentially 18hrs

If a bike accident they will be able to trace via the number plate back to your rental company who should have a copy of your passport........but still no next of kin contact details, and insurance details. But even then depending what time the accident happens this could take many hours.

Most reasonable hospitals will do whatever they can in such conditions without health insurance but none the less it will literally the second question they will ask and want details of.

It may possibly effect the level of immediate care, who knows, and I don't think that was the case in my recent experience.

A solution is to make sure you carry the following documents on you at all times:

Contact information for the insurer's emergency call centre

A copy of your passport (can be made into a laminated plastic card for minimal fee in any copy shop)

Phone number for next of kin, family member/s

Phone number for a local contact/s

Hotel's business card / phone number.

You should always carry a copy of your passport I believe anyway.....but who does? .....

I didn't for sure.

Leave a full printed copy of your insurance in a folder in a bag in your room may help.

Check your insurance, so you know the limitations. Many exclude cover of motorbikes and also limit the sum of coverage if do so. Does it cover the full length of your stay for those on longer stay visits?

Copies of a PDF email on a pin locked phone, tablet or laptop does not help at all unless you tell a friend your pin or password. Possibly finger print locked phones also make the task harder.

Please keep to comments about how to improve contact after an accident.

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Great advice. And thanks again for the guys that spent so much of their time and energy trying to deal with this tragic situation. I can only hope I've got a few friends that would do half as much for me if the situation arose.

 

Before leaving for an international trip, I usually update my "emergency document" list, which I then laminate (lol!) with some big wide pieces of clear packaging tape so that it's protected from water damage. I then secrete this in my travel bag and in my backpack that I carry with me.

 

The information includes:

1. Passport photos

2. Emergency contacts

3. Copies of health and other pertinent insurance cards

4. Emergency phone numbers for my various credit cards, with last 4 digits & expiration dates

 

In the past, my reason for making this before each trip was in case my wallet was stolen (so I can easily cancel the stolen or lost credit cards and access insurance info if needed) but Etgohom's sad case makes it even more important that I do this in the future.

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I nearly always wear some type of cargo pants and therefore plenty of room to carry the odd sheet or two of paper. I covered much of this info last year in a thread when I broke my arm but worth repeating for those who missed it. Anyway in one of those plastic transparent A4 envelopes I carry a photo copy of my passport and my insurance policy along with the insurance company phone number with the country code included, make the job as easy as possible for the hospital to get in touch with them. Also phone numbers of family members (don't forget the country code again) and friends who live in Los, as has been mentioned above. Just fold it up and stick it the side pocket, keeps it dry during the wet season also of course.

For those who have a smartphone it's worth getting one of those internet packages and download Skype and load it up with credit. I found it invaluable to be able to call the insurance company from the hospital the night I had my accident, explain my predicament and before I knew it wheels were in motion and documents were arriving in the hospital for me to sign to organise the cover.

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Does anyone know how safe crash helmets are in Los regarding international standards. I recall someone saying years ago that once you drop a helmet you may as well get a new one, not sure how true that is, but the way they get knocked around in Los I can't imagine some give much protection.

 

I actually bought a decent helmet in Pattaya (at least I thought it was decent) when I used to get ferried around town by a wee girl from Sensations on her motorbike, not sure if she ever used it after I left

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I was thinking of this just a few nights ago, regarding if something horrible did happen, I am a total stranger in a foreign land, and who the hell the hell are the authorities going to contact, and how, if something did happen. A few years ago, BB advised myself and a few others, to always carry a photocopy of your insurance certificate and passport at all times. Good advice which I and many others have followed.

BUT, still no contact details, you are really still a stranger in a foreign country until the authorities rigorously go through your details to trace contact details. Which led me to think, and forgive me for being intrusive, what if you wrote down a name and number/address of somebody on the back of your photocopied passport or insurance certificate. i.e please contact PD on phone number xxxxxxxxxx, or please contact La Bamba Bar/Sensations Bar etc. Would those who reside here feel it too much a responsibility to carry that weight on their shoulders, or would they be ok with being a contact if a tragic event happened?? 

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Some great advice in this thread. Always carried the passport copy + the hotel card with it, but didn't think about the insurance details

Any helmet is better than no helmet especially at low speed. You may still get concussion if you hit the deck, but far less likely to get your skull stove in when you hit the immovable object.

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  • 2 years later...

Just a bump on this thread .... someone I know well that works in a hospital said that some hospitals will look for evidence of ability to pay prior to full treatment of unconscious people brought into the ER.  They will look for an insurance card and give them a ring, or better yet, a credit card.  He cited Pattaya Memorial, for example, is known to take a credit card and see if 50,000 baht can be authorized (not charged).  If authorized OK, then they render full medical treatment.  If not, they stop the bleeding then send them off to Banglamung Public Hospital.  In addition to the good advice above, the key is to make them want to treat you. 

So here is what was recommended to me in Thailand and Cambodia(this can all be done in a very small plastic baggie jammed into a pocket).

- carry copy of Passport
- carry a copy of insurance card
- carry a credit card that can be authorized for a high amount
- carry this note:

FULL NAME


Please immediately give all medical care necessary.

Please use insurance card or credit card as guarantee for payment for all necessary medical care for FULL NAME

กรุณาทันทีทั้งหมดให้การดูแลทางการแพทย์ที่จำเป็น
กรุณาใช้บัตรประกันสุขภาพหรือบัตรเครดิตการรักษาความปลอดภัยสำหรับการชำระเงินสำหรับการดูแลทางการแพทย์ที่จำเป็นสำหรับนายเควินสมิ

សូមភ្លាមផ្តល់នូវការថែទាំវេជ្ជសាស្រ្តទាំងអស់ចាំបាច់។សូមប្រើប្រាស់កាតធានារ៉ាប់រងឬកាតឥណទានដែលជាសន្ដិសុខសម្រាប់ការទូទាត់សម្រាប់ការថែទាំវេជ្ជសាស្រ្តទាំងអស់ដែលចាំបាច់សម្រាប់លោក FULL NAME

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15 hours ago, TEXASMAC said:

Wow, never thought about ANY of this.

Neither had I ... until a friend of a friend died at Banglamung Hospital 10 hours after a motorbike accident.  He spent 1 hour at Pattaya Memorial then was sent to Banglamung.  His net worth was quite high (in the USD millions) but I heard all he was carrying was a drivers license and about 2000 baht.

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I have the color copy of my passport page and travel insurance card. I never carry a credit card unless I'm going to Villa Market, Big C or Friendship. But I've managed not not get my wallet stolen in the 12 years I've gone to Thailand so maybe not a big deal. One would think my insurance card would be enough with the toll free number but who knows. I do have a Pattaya International Hospital card that is a real ID card and not just some business card style cardboard card.

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