A 35-year-old British man from Great Harwood has died in a road traffic collision in Thailand’s Prachuap Khiri Khan province.
Details of the Fatal Crash
Salim Abbas Shah, originally from Blackburn and residing on Blackburn Road, worked as a car valeter. The incident occurred on March 18 while he was visiting the western province. His body was repatriated to the UK and formally identified five days later by Imran Patel of the Blackburn Muslim Burial Service.
Inquest Proceedings
Preston Coroners’ Court opened and adjourned an inquest into his death on Thursday, April 2. Area Coroner Kate Bisset stated during the hearing: “This gentleman died following a road traffic collision in Thailand.”
A full inquest will be scheduled later, with the case next mentioned on June 25.
Another Briton Faces Jail Time in Thailand
In a related incident highlighting challenges for UK travelers in Thailand, Rory McColl from Edinburgh risks imprisonment after mistakenly picking up a woman’s phone in a Bangkok bar shortly after arriving for a holiday on March 9.
Family members report that Rory, who works at Buck’s Bar in Edinburgh, paid £1,000 in bail to secure release after two nights in a Thai jail cell under “horrendous conditions.” Authorities then seized his passport, leaving him stranded in the country for nearly a month while awaiting a court date in Pattaya, where he now stays in a budget hotel.
After his release, Rory sought assistance from the British Embassy, but officials advised they cannot intervene in criminal matters. Loved ones have launched a GoFundMe campaign to help cover his living expenses and legal fees.
Potential detention facilities include the notorious Klong Prem Central Prison or the overcrowded, high-security Bang Kwang Central Prison.
