Holidaymaker Josh Richardson, from Lancashire, lies in a Bangkok hospital after a motorbike accident several weeks ago in which he suffered substantial head injuries. His Chorley family says that an initial operation to make him well enough to return to UK by business class travel was not successful, so he now needs a full intensive care team onboard which would cost around 170,000 pounds or around 7 million baht.
The total cash required is in excess of 200,000 pounds as the Thai hospital requires payment and there are add-on costs such as the family travelling to Thailand. So far the Go Fund Me crowdfunding platform has raised just under 28,000 pounds. Friends and family in UK are also organizing separate fundraising events. Josh is a well-known local figure he played for the Bradford Bulldogs ice hockey team in his university days.
A hospital spokesperson said Josh’s travel insurance company was refusing to make a contribution as there was no evidence Josh was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident. Failing to take “reasonable care” or “defaulting on the host country’s traffic regulations” are common grounds for denying accident claims. But there is some suggestion that Josh’s helmet disappeared at the crash site. It is not known whether an alcohol test was administered as part of the post-accident bureaucracy.
ABG Insurance, not involved in the case, said crowdfunding charity appeals are now inevitable in cases where cover is denied. But they rarely raise more than 20 percent of the amounts required. The general advice was to provide full details on the internet site and to provide regular updates. “Public interest soon wanes unless fresh information on the internet is provided on a regular basis.”
