Phuket tourist trapped in a gutter

Phuket Island View: The following lament was filed at the Phuket Gazette office last week by Phuket tourist Hans Skarholm:

This is our first visit to Phuket and I would like to report something that has happened to my wife.

On Friday afternoon we came back to Karon Beach on a local bus from a visit to Phuket Town.

When we got off the bus, my wife stepped off onto the gutter next to the sidewalk. She happened to step down in the exact spot of one of the holes in the gutter.

Normally the holes – the spaces between the concrete covers – are narrow, but some are, for some reason, much wider, so her foot went through the hole. In fact, her leg went through all the way up to her knee.

Fortunately, she was able to keep her balance; otherwise she would have surely broken her leg.

After some effort and help from bystanders, she managed to get her leg out of the hole.

In the end, she had some scrapes and bleeding, but we didn’t consider it necessary to visit a doctor. We bought some antiseptic and plasters and think that will be enough.

It is obviously unacceptable to have this hazard in an area where so many people are walking.

Later, when I went back to take a photo I found many holes in the gutter that were big enough for a foot to go through.

— Hans Skarholm