Horrendous moment an Australian tourist is killed in a head-on motorbike crash in Thailand – as her shattered sister reveals why she WANTS you to watch the footage
- Nicole Fitzimons was just 24 years old when she was fatally hit by a motorbike
- She was on a motorbike with her boyfriend, waiting to turn right into their hotel
- But a rider who tried to overtake them had collided into their bike
- The budding sports journalist, who wasn’t wearing a helmet, died in the crash
- Her sister, Kate, is urging the public to watch the tragic incident in Thailand
- She hopes to raise awareness about need for safety when travelling overseas
A woman whose sister was killed in a horror motorbike crash during a holiday in Thailand is urging the public to watch distressing footage of the incident.
Nicole Fitzsimons was just 24 when she was fatally hit by a motorbike in Koh Samui at 3.37am on October 20, 2012.
CCTV footage released by her sister, Kate, shows Nicole on a motorbike with her boyfriend of six years Jamie Keith, waiting to turn right into their hotel.
But another rider tried to overtake the pair by veering onto the wrong side of the road and instead collided into their motorbike.
Nicole wasn’t wearing a helmet when she was knocked off and killed, while Mr Keith survived.
‘Of course I hate seeing it but it helps no one if I keep it hidden away,’ Kate told Yahoo News Australia.
Nicole Fitzsimons (pictured) was just 24 when she was knocked of a motorbike by a rider in Thailand and died
Kate (pictured right with her sister Nicole) is urging the public to watch the CCTV of the moment her sister was killed from a motorbike accident
‘It’s something you can’t watch without it staying with you for a long, long time.’
Kate said teenagers and those in their twenties are often travelling for the first time and can fall into the ‘natural instinct’ of wanting to ‘impress your friends’.
‘I want to change the mentality from ”you’re so cool driving without a helmet” to ”you’re an idiot, didn’t you hear about that poor girl” and everything like that,’ she said.
Nicole was rushed to hospital in a critical condition but died three hours later.
She had a budding career as a sports journalist – and worked behind the scenes of Channel Nine’s The Footy Show for a year.
She and her long-term boyfriend were enjoying a beachside holiday to celebrate her first year of working at the program.
Mr Keith was initially blamed for the crash by Thai police.
Authorities confiscated his passport and asked him to sign a statement taking responsibility for the crash.
Nicole (left) was celebrating her first year working at Channel Nine’s The Footy Show at Thailand with her boyfriend of six years Jamie Keith (right)
But CCTV footage of the incident meant his name was cleared and his passport was returned to him six days later.
Nicole’s parents Vince and Julie flew to Thailand to face the grim task of bringing their daughter’s body home.
Kate began doing research on the death of Australians in South East Asia and found Thailand had some of the deadliest roads in the world.
‘Had my sister known these statistics, known the facts, heard a story like her own, she would never have gotten on that bike,’ she said.
Nicole (pictured) had a promising career as a sports journalist, before a motorbike accident claimed her life during a trip to Thailand
Kate and her family started the Nicole Fitzsimons Foundation – a charity to help raise awareness about safety overseas for young Australian tourists.
The organisation has a focus on the dangers of riding motorbikes in foreign countries and the importance of purchasing travelling insurance.
The charity has been recognised by the Department of Foreign Affair and Trade’s Smart Traveller.
Kate has since given several presentations about safety overseas at schools and community clubs.
‘When [the students] see her taken before their eyes in that accident, you’ve got 17 and 18-year-old boys even moved to tears,’ she said.
Nicole and Jamie are on the first motorbike waiting to turn right when a rider behind them collides into their bike