Travel insurance grows increasingly important as accident rates in Thailand surge
Nicole Fitzsimons and her partner Jamie Keith were an ordinary Australian couple, deciding to holiday in Thailand for a tropical escape. With Nicole's promising career as a sports journalist beginning to take off, they were enthusiastically planning their future together. But that all come to a sudden end, when a motorbike ride back to their hotel ended in tragedy.
It was 3:37am in Australia, when Nicole’s younger sister Kate received a phone call from her distraught mother that would change her life forever.
“If your parents are calling you at that hour in the morning, it’s never going to be good news,” said Kate Fitzsimons.
Nicole was killed in October 2012, when the motorbike driven by her and her partner collided with another bike driven by a local Thai man.
Kate Fitzsimons (left) with her big sister Nicole. Source: Kate Fitzsimons
Unfortunately, Nicole is not the only Australian to have suffered this horrific fate.
According to statistics released by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, an Australian is killed in Thailand every 3 days, with a further 80 people killed in motor vehicle accidents on Thailand’s roads each day. Despite these alarming statistics, 31% of Australians travel overseas without travel insurance.
Kate believes travel insurance is the most practical way of protecting travellers and their families from experiencing additional financial stress in the case of an emergency.
“When my mum walked through the hospital doors in Koh Samui, Nicole had already passed away, and the first thing that was put to her before she was even allowed to see her was the medical bills... Without her travel insurance, our family tragedy would have been compounded further by a financial burden,” said Kate.
Kate, determined to honour her sister's memory, established the Nicole Fitzsimons Foundation, with the aim of educating young people about the importance of travel insurance and how to stay safe abroad.
“It’s about reminding people that we lose that safety net and protection when we step of Australian shores… if I can just save one family from what we’ve been through, then it’s worth it,” said Kate.
Kate presenting her travel safety campaign at Sydney TAFE.
Source: Kate Fitzsimons
Kate Fitzsimons offers presentations on travel safety and insurance. You can find out more about The Nicole Fitzsimons Foundation by following the links below:
