Sad news on arrival in Pattaya.

[Alaan]

For the interest those who visit Panorama in Boyztown, i received very sad news when we visited there on our first night of our Pattaya visit before a trip to Hollywood. We went to invite our long time friend Tom who is a waiter there out with us as we often do to celebrate our first night.

As we entered I looked around for Tom, couldn't see him thinking he may already be with a customer. As we sat down another waiter we have known for a few years came over quickly to inform me that Tom had died only 2 days previously in a motorcycle accident in Pattaya.

For those who probably don't know him, Tom was a 23 year old waiter who had worked at Panorama for some time, and was a very fun filled guy, always joking and smiling and loved trips to the discos and was great fun to have in your company. I had known him since mid-2006 when he worked as a waiter at Red Dragon on day/night soi 1, and passed there every night on my way from The Flamingo on my way to Wat Chai, boyztown or Walking St, and he was always ready with some banter.

A very sad loss indeed as I know many customers liked Tom in the same way as we did. A really nice, lovely fun guy. He apparently had his accident on the 27th or 28th of Sept and was rushed to hospital, unfortunately the waiter could not remember which, with severe head trauma, the surgeon there [apparently] stating a price of Bt300,000 for treatment, which was obviously way outside the means and he was transferred to another hospital where he succumed to his injuries a few days later.

There are many nastly individuals in Pattaya who get involved in robbery, fights etc..who seem to lead a charmed life, yet a fun loving harmless guy like Tom gets taken, very unfair as is life.

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[frequentflier]

Can you post a pic if Tom please??

[Beachlover]

That's sad to hear. Someone was looking for information about this on another board last month.

I wonder if his life could have been saved. It's a sad reality that the hospitals won't treat you or will only do the minimum to stabilise you unless you can come up with the money on the spot.

Indeed, a sad death and a tragic end to a young life.

[attachment=0:2051ayab]tom.JPG[/attachment:2051ayab]

I am not sure if the information about the cost of surgery is correct. I was told that it was early in the morning, after the bars had closed, and he crashed his motorbike into a car driven by a farang, He was apparently not wearing a crash helmet, and been drinking heavily, but I have not verified that information

I would be surprised if money for life-saving surgery was a problem - I'm sure the Panorama bosses would have taken care of that.

:occasion9:

[stevehadders]

Very sad to hear such news - over the 12 years I have been travelling to Thailand I have heard quite a few times , and have known several Thai boys killed on motorbikes - each time it is so sad

[Beachlover]

Damn, he was a good looking boy. What a shame. I guess this is why Matt insists on no drink driving for his BF.

I would be surprised if money for life-saving surgery was a problem - I'm sure the Panorama bosses would have taken care of that.

Yeah, but even if someone "would be" willing to fund the surgery, how do you get that organised at 2am in the morning?

I hope they at least got him stabilised before moving him to another hospital... It's really sad, if 300k is all that stood between him living and dying. Perhaps it wasn't a black/white case of "have surgery here or die elsewhere".

Thailand probably has the highest number of road deaths caused when driving motorcycles, sometimes drunk but not always in S.E. Asia. One should just note the numbers tallied after major public holidays such as Sonkran which run into four figure numbers. Pattaya is like a production line in the hospitals with motor cycle accident victims being brought in. Stay safe and stay away from two wheel machines....

[Alaan]

Stay safe and stay away from two wheel machines....

Wise words which on occassion even i stupidly ignore. If we are going to any of the discos, Hollywood/NAB/Xyte they are all a good distance from Boyztown/day-night areas so we always have a quick drink at Panorama or one of the terraces meet up at the end of PL soi3 and hire a songtao. We just stop the first one to pass empty make an offer of Bt100 to go wherever we want(no negotiation if the driver refuses Bt100 we just get the next) and for the usual 4-5 of us it is a cheap, fairly safe way to get wherever. The problem for me is when we are leaving the venues and there are no songtao's just there at the moment we come out with a bit of whiskey in us, we then call a motocy taxi and travel 3 on the bike, no helmets(motocy driver has of course).....which of course is daft. I also use the motocy taxis all the time for short runs around day/nght/sunee/boyztown if i need to get somewhere quicker than walking or if it is very hot during the day.

I drive when in Thailand in my friend's borrowed pick-up (i pay the fully comp insurance for us) and also in Pattaya, but only for driving in and out of Pattaya, and NEVER when i have had any kind of alchohol. If going to Jomtien or long distance on songtao route, always just take one of those.

I am not sure if the information about the cost of surgery is correct

Yes me too, that's why i added the apparently, the whole story was told to me by two of the waiters at Panorama i have also known for many years and they didn't stop yapping to give the other the chance to explain, so much of the (even repeated) info was a little blurred. They seemed very keen to emphasise the Bt300,000 demand but who was there to actually confirm that info i dont know, so i cant be sure of its truth.

He was apparently not wearing a crash helmet, and been drinking heavily, but I have not verified that information

Yes that is what i was told too, and is most likely correct as it seems to be just an accepted part of life in Thailand of driving with a drink if you own a motocy.The guys also told me they understood the accident to be Toms fault. but like you had no verification from any other source and was one of the reasons i posted incase anyone had futher info. And thanks for putting up that lovely photo

Tom wasn't my current bf or lover, he knew my bf and they got on very well, but we only kept in touch when in Pattaya as I do with many guys i have known over the years, especially guys like Tom i had a 'soft spot' for. We always had him join our company if he wanted to and didn't already have a customer if we happened to be in the boyztown area and we were looking for a bit of fun/sanook, in fact on our last visit in July, he was with a customer who wanted to off him, but when he knew we were heading to NAB, he turned down the customer, who was a good looking youngish Russian, and in typical Tom style laughing that he wasn't much fun and VERY kee-nieow (cheap)with the tip, he knew anyway he would always get a small tip of somekind for taxi home and eats at wat chai and something for his pocket, he was just one of these guys who found it difficult to say no to fun!

and have known several Thai boys killed on motorbikes

I have been visiting for 11 years on multiple visits over that time, and for me this was the very first death of a Thai friend in a motorcycle accident, which even i find surprising, but is true. I have known many in motocy accidents but never fatal.

Anyway thanks to all for the replies.

[colmx]

Apparently Tom was T&T the morning he died, and died on his way home...

I didn''t know him... in fact i rarely ever visit Panorama...but we were in T&T both the night he died and the night after he died and there were a lot of people in shock and crying

Friends told us that he was in our company that night... or at a table nearby... but i can't honestly remember him

From the outpouring of grief it seems that he was a really liked guy...