A young Australian plumber, Carlos Guirguis, tragically lost his life on Ko Samui when his motorbike swerved into a car. The 19-year-old died instantly, leaving his family in Melbourne devastated. His death highlights the dangers of Thailand’s roads.
A young and popular Australian plumber lost his life early on Thursday morning, March 27th, when one flick of his motorbike steering was enough to jettison him to his death. In the early hours of the morning, Carlos Guirguis was overtaking a car at speed when he swerved unexpectedly and hit it. The 19-year-old young man died instantly, leaving his family in Melbourne, Australia, bereft and not knowing what to do next.
It is another devastating motorbike story from Thailand. One second, a handsome 19-year-old Australian is brimming with life on a motorbike, the next he is dead on the side of the road. This was the fate of 19-year-old Carlos Guirguis, a good-looking young man as he rode his motorbike on Ko Samui. The idyllic sun-kissed island is particularly popular with Australians who often travel there from Phuket.
Guirguis, a popular plumber from Melbourne in Victoria, was riding a rented motorbike. However, he had tried to overtake a motorist when he swerved into the car. Consequently, the Australian and his bike were catapulted into a convenience store sign.
Tragic death of Carlos Guirguis: Found dead at the side of the road outside a 7-Eleven convenience store
Later, police found his body at the side of the road outside the 7-Eleven convenience store. Afterwards, the Royal Thai Police on the island confirmed the young man’s death.
Mr. Guirguis suffered horrific injuries when he fell off the motorbike at breakneck speed. In addition, his fate was assured as he was riding the vehicle without a helmet.
“A Honda brand motorcycle was found parked on its side next to the sign of a 7-Eleven. He was not wearing a helmet and was lying dead with serious wounds. There were pieces of his body scattered on the floor, and a lot of blood flowing.”
Nevertheless, rescue personnel at the scene tried to revive the young man. In short, it proved futile.
Meanwhile, his devastated family was later informed of his death.
On Sunday, a relative took to social media to confirm Mr. Guirguis’ demise. “Our family is still processing this profound loss, and we are finding comfort in the support of those around us during this incredibly difficult time,” the message read.
Family face gruelling ordeal of funeral arrangements and repatriation after their tragic loss in Thailand
At the same time, family members confirmed that funeral arrangements would be announced shortly.
Certainly, it brings home the harrowing ordeal facing families who lose loved ones in Thailand. Firstly, there’s the shock and sudden news. After that, there is the ordeal of making arrangements for the repatriation of the remains.
On one hand, their country’s embassy can assist, but on the other, the costs have to be borne by the family.
Therefore, accident and emergency cover is critical when anyone is travelling to Thailand. Indeed, the costs associated with either the death of a loved one or life-changing injuries are a regular feature of crowd funding exercises in Western countries.
Inevitably, these are young Western tourists who have either suffered misadventures or had motorbike accidents in Thailand.
Significantly, the kingdom has some of the most dangerous roads in the world. Thailand ranks as one of the most prolific countries in the world for road accidents. Nevertheless, the Thai government has succeeded in bringing the numbers down somewhat.
Thailand’s roads ranked among the most dangerous in the world, contributing to rising motorbike deaths
It reported 32.2 road accident deaths per 100,000 people in 2019. However, that year it was rated the 18th most dangerous country. Following government efforts, this figure fell to 25.4 in 2021. Nevertheless, the country’s roads were ranked as the 15th most dangerous after that. Some years ago, Thailand was the world’s most dangerous for road deaths.
At the same time, approximately 50 people still die each day on Thailand’s roads. Meanwhile, between 74-83% of these deaths are caused by motorbikes.
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In the early hours of Thursday morning, last week, Carlos Guirguis was one of those statistics. Thai work colleagues at Neighborhood Plumbing, an area plumbing call-out service for Melbourne, remembered their colleague fondly.
“It is with heavy hearts we say goodbye to one of our own, Carlos Guirguis,” a poignant social media message read. “Loved by all, he was a beautiful, kind and gentle soul who brought warmth everywhere he went. His infectious smile lit us all up, and his genuine care for others was felt by each of us. Taken too soon, he remains close to our hearts. We will remember his laughter, kindness, and countless moments that made him so special.”
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Further reading:
Deadly danger of motorbikes in Thailand, 2 dead in 1 day while an Australian’s dreams are smashed
Canadian the latest foreigner killed in a motorbike accident in Thailand early on Friday in Pattaya
Harrowing scene as Canadian cries for his dead wife at early morning accident in Kanchanaburi
Confusing traffic lights and reckless driving may have caused death of French tourist in Ayutthaya
Tragic death of a beauty queen and two others in a road accident near Khon Kaen University is a loss
