Jude’s insurance won’t cover the cost of his surgery
A man has been left with a £23,000 bill after he suffered injuries in a horrific bike crash during a dream trip to Thailand that required urgent surgery. Jude O’Connor’s two-month journey was cut short after just six days when he was launched into a parked car.
Jude was riding a motorbike when another rider pulled out in front of him, flinging him from his vehicle into another car. He suffered serious injuries, including a broken shoulder, broken arm, broken nose, and a shattered elbow.
“I was involved in a serious motorbike accident,” said Jude. “Another bike pulled out on me, throwing me into a parked car. I was taken to hospital and told I urgently needed surgery.
“After days of waiting in pain for the insurance to get back to us, we were informed that my insurance would not cover the costs due to exclusions I wasn’t aware of.”
The news left Jude and his family shocked as he believed his travel insurance and International Driving Permit would cover the cost of his medical bills. Jude was riding a 125cc bike, which he claims is the ‘smallest commonly available’ in Thailand.
But his policy only covered him up to a 50cc motorbike – forcing the injured Brit to go private for his surgery. Jude said: “This left us with no choice but to go ahead with essential surgery privately. I spent nearly two weeks in hospital in Thailand with my parents, having to fly out to bring me home.
“This was an extremely difficult process with trying to get my Fit-To-Fly form and the Surgeon’s approval.”
The horrific crash took place in March with Jude returning to the UK in April. The traveller has recently had more complex reconstructive surgery on home shores – but faces up to a year of intense physio to get back to his best.
The strain on the family has been compounded with the £23,000 medical bill hanging over their heads. He said: “The total cost of everything has been around £23,000 which my parents have had to borrow, putting a huge financial strain on my family.”
The Brit has now set up a GoFundMe with a target goal of £17,500 – which he started on 23 April. Jude is currently suffering with feelings of intense guilt with hopes that the fundraiser can help relieve the financial stress on his family.
He said: “I’ve set up this GoFundMe to try and raise £17,500 to help ease that burden and support my family who have done everything to help me through this. I feel incredibly guilty that they’ve been put in this position because of my accident, and this is my way of trying to give something back to them.”
Motorbike accidents like Jude’s are a major safety concern in Thailand. According to recent statistics, between 14,000 and 15,000 deaths related to motorbikes occur annually.
Jude is hoping his accident helps other Brits heading abroad to get the right insurance and stay safe. He said: “I also want to raise awareness so others double-check their insurance when travelling, as I believed I was fully covered and found out too late that I wasn’t.
“I wouldn’t want anyone else to go through this. Any donation, no matter how small, would mean the world to me and my family. ”
