A German man crashed a borrowed light aircraft in Thailand in January and barely survived. Now he faces huge costs.
Pattaya, Thailand – A trip on a chartered Raj Hamsa X-Air Hanuman light aircraft in Thailand ended in tragedy for an Austrian and his German co-pilot. On January 13, 2024, the duo took off with the aircraft registered as U-H77 from an airfield near the popular holiday resort of Pattaya on Thailand's eastern Gulf coast. Problems are said to have occurred just a few minutes after takeoff at a height of 180 meters.
Miracle in Thailand: Shepherd pulls German vacationers out of plane wreckage
According to the news portal Pattaya News A report was received at 9:00 a.m. local time that the plane had crashed. According to the current status of the authorities' investigation, it is assumed that the Austrian pilot tried to make an emergency landing. Like the newspaper The Nation reported that the two-seater crashed into a tamarind tree during the attempt, about three kilometers from the airfield. The 50-year-old Austrian did not survive the crash. It is all the more said to be a miracle that the 51-year-old German co-pilot, Christian S., was rescued alive from the completely destroyed plane wreckage.
“I lay in the arms of the shepherd who pulled me out of the wreckage,” he told editors bild.dewho made contact with the German living in Thailand. A herdsman pulled the unconscious man out of the crashed plane before the rescue workers arrived. The native German is currently in a hospital in Bangkok. In addition to broken ankles, he suffered septic shock after his placement and was briefly put into an artificial coma.
German in debt after plane crash in Thailand – insurance won't pay
As if that wasn't enough, a new problem arises: the survivor's insurance doesn't cover the hospital costs. Christian S. said that Picture, every day in the hospital costs 1,000 euros. “The hospital costs are already 100,000 euros.”
Fundraising campaign for German pilots started
To support the injured co-pilot and his family, friends and acquaintances have one GoFundMe fundraiser brought to life. “Although he has health insurance, coverage is limited and the international, more medically equipped hospitals represent a significant financial burden,” the co-pilot’s family wrote in a statement on the fundraiser’s website. The support he has received so far from all over the world is helping his recovery immensely. However, Christian S. is not out of the woods yet and still depends on financial support in order to ever be able to run again.
Insurance abroad: This is why additional costs often apply
According to health expert at the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center, Susanne Punsmann, statutory health insurance (GKV) covers doctor's visits in other EU countries and in countries with which Germany has a social security agreement. However, only incompletely, because the health insurance company only pays what the legally insured people are entitled to in the respective holiday country. In addition, the GKV only pays the remuneration amount that it would provide for the same service in Germany. Holidaymakers have to expect additional costs in an emergency.
The regional newspaper Pattaya News reported that the single-engine light aircraft was in poor condition. This is also confirmed by the survivor of the crash Picture-Editors: “I was co-pilot. It wasn't a pilot error, but my friend only had seconds and didn't manage to stabilize the plane.” Ten minutes after takeoff there was a bang. It is not yet known exactly why the crash occurred. The German-Austrian duo was traveling privately in the aircraft, legally and not as part of a travel or tourism group.
Accidents are pretty much the last thing on your mind when you're on vacation. However, it is not always clear whether and how much the insurance company will pay in an emergency. There are a few things you should keep in mind, especially if you are traveling by car.
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