As 21 year old Brit Jack Heathcock lies unconscious in his Chiang Mai hospital bed, his travel insurance is apparently resisting all compensation claims. Jack was enjoying the last two days of his vacation with friends when he accidentally fell from the third floor of the condominium, creating multiple injuries in several organs.
Pattaya Mail has been told that the insurance company claims that the policy was basic travel cover which did not cover repatriation to the UK. It could cover hospital procedures in Thailand, but assessors found that there was too little detail in the police and hospital reports to substantiate a successful claim. According to Jack’s sister Chloe on Facebook, the family is appealing against the decision. Initial hospitalization costs were quoted at 40,000 GBP, a conservative estimate as further operations in Thailand may be necessary.
According to Terence Quinn, who acts for a company not involved in the case, said that insurers in this situation usually point to fine-print clauses requiring the claimant to have acted responsibly and be free of intoxicating substances. He added that police and hospital reports of accidents are often quite brief and avoid difficult questions which, as officers well know, can invalidate a claim.
The family has started a GoFundMe (Chloe Heathcock) appeal for 40,000 GBP which has so far raised just under half. Also, a fund raiser will be held in Dorman’s Club in Middlesborough on July 14 to raise extra cash. The expense of a repatriation, when safe to arrange, depends substantially on whether a passenger plane can be used, with a section reserved for the injured person and medical staff, or whether a specially equipped air ambulance is needed. Costs for the journey alone in the latter case start at around 60,000 GBP (Chiang Mai to UK) but variables can push up this base line.
