There have been a series of unusual deaths of foreign tourists in Thailand recently. Last month a Swiss tourist was trampled to death by elephants (Tourist Death by Elephant in Thailand—) in Surat Thani Province. There has also been a seried of unexplained deaths in recent weeks involving tourists to Chiang Mai that appear to be connected to a single hotel in Chiang Mai Hotel (Chiang Mai Deaths).
As Thailand Lawyers, we often encounter deaths and injuries and grieving families who are seeking answers, or a sense of closure and in many cases financial compensation based on the deaths of their loved ones. While most tourists to Thailand have fond memories of their travel, a number do have serious accidents, and in some rare cases can meet an unfortunate end. Some tourists die of drug overdoses, other are murdered, have fatal accidents and many die of natural causes and diseases.
Although being trampled by elephants is a fairly unusual way to die, the grief felt by the victims family is the same as in more standard deaths. There have actually been a number of unusual, even bizarre deaths that have appeared in the Thai and international media in recent years.
Decapitation hanging from a bridge The decapitated head of foreign was found hanging from a bridge of a prominent Bangkok thoroughfare. Initial speculation was that the foreigner’s head was decapitated by the rope that was used to hang him from the bridge.
Alleged Auto Erotic Death in Closet The famous actor David Carradine was loved by his fans. He rose to prominence early in his career for his role as Kwai Chang Caine in the Kung Fu TV series. Although he continued acting throughout his life, it was only later in life that his career took off after being re-discovered by Quentin Tarantino and starring in Kill Bill. The bizarre circumstances of his death after his body was found, apparently tied up with ropes, in a Bangkok hotel, is still a subject of investigation.
Death by Snakes While Putting on Trousers This death was reported only in the Thai media. A Thai man wearing a condom, but with his trousers off was attacked by a venomous snake and died in a state of partial undress.
Whether the families of these unfortunate victims are able to obtain compensation often depends on the results of investigations that can determine a cause of death and that can assign liability on a specific individual. All too often, police investigations are inconclusive and we are required to perform our own investigations.
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Don’t forget about the string of tourist deaths a few years ago in the south.
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