A granddad died after being electrocuted by a handrail that allegedly became live in a budget hotel in Thailand.
Now the grief-stricken family of Shaun Walley, 67, from Greater Manchester, needs to raise £10,000 to bring his body home.
Shaun had been visiting a friend in South East Asia when he touched a steel balcony handrail that was allegedly live with electric current due to a faulty light box sign.
Despite the hotel allegedly admitting the accident on October 19 was their fault, they have informed dad-of-six Shaun’s family they can’t afford to help.
Now his stepdaughter Ramona Brooks, 36, who is five months pregnant, is trying to raise cash to cover the costs of bringing his body home so they can bury their dad in the UK.
Ramona, from Hazel Grove, in Greater Manchester, said: “We are so upset and angry that no one is going to pay for it.
“We want justice. It’s not just like it was a small accident. It cost him his life.
“It all feels like a bit of a blur. It has been very manic. I have never dealt with anything so traumatic before.”
Ramona received a phone call from a member of staff at the hotel on the day he passed away to tell her about her father’s death.
But, she says it wasn’t until a week and a half later that she found out exactly what had happened after speaking with one of his friends in Thailand.
She says she was also told that the hotel will not be able to offer any payment to help bring him back and the family are now seeking help to get the tradesman repatriated.
Ramona, a recruitment consultant, said: “I feel really lost because it happened abroad.”
“The hotel don’t have any money and they are admitting it is their fault but they can’t pay for it.”
“We also have to come to the realisation that we are looking to prosecute a company for gross negligence that have financial difficulties in a very poor country.”
“They cannot even assist with an urgent repatriation so we can lay him to rest.”
“It is looking likely we will not be receiving financial support from the hotel in any way and even after prosecution which will be a long drawn out process.”
The family need £10,000 to cover the costs of bringing Shaun back to the UK, to bring his belongings back, to cover funeral costs and solicitor fees.
A scary and sad story. How can something like this happen, even here? Some of the electrics in Thailand are simply sub-standard and downright dangerous. Urgent reforms in safety, particularly in hotels , should be implemented. But of course, they won’t be !
(Source:-The Sun)