Here’s a good reminder as to why you should always have adequate travel insurance: this lad who’s been left stranded out in Thailand with an £100,000 hospital bill after suffering a nasty accident at a beauty spot he and his girlfriend saw on TikTok.
Liam Gibson, 21, lost his footing while visiting the Na Muang Waterfall 2 on Koh Samui, and dropped around 30ft onto a rock ledge below.
Liam shattered his femur, fractured his skull, broke several bones in his face, and spent two hours slipping in and out of consciousness from the pain while waiting for hours to be rescued.
He’s been in hospital since the accident occurred on April 12 and his medical bills have hit astronomical levels.
His girlfriend Lucy Baldwin, 20, has now launched a GoFundMe seeking £100,000 in donations to help pay the hospital bill and bring him home. Thus far, they’re at £31,000, so fair play to everyone who’s donated.
‘There was loads of families at the waterfall and Liam was taking pictures when I realised he had been gone just a bit too long.’
‘I was shouting and shouting for him when I spotted him on the rock ledge passed out.
‘I tried to climb down and reach him but I couldn’t so I started screaming for help – in the end a local Thai boy helped reach him.’
She reckons Liam would be dead if he had fallen all the way down the waterfall – he somehow ended up laying just inches from another 100m drop:
‘I had to hold him so he wouldn’t slip further down the waterfall with my arms and legs wrapped around him, sitting in a pool of his blood.
‘He had bone sticking out of his leg, you could see his skull. It was absolutely horrific.’
Jeez, that sounds awful.
Liam has been a soldier with the British Army for 5 years, so we know he’s a tough lad who will get through this, but unfortunately they can’t leave Thailand or even the hospital until the medical bills are paid up.
Let’s hope he recovers well and respect to Lucy for staying by his side and doing what she can to raise the funds. Again though, don’t skimp on travel insurance.
NOTE: Just read a follow-up where it turns out the couple did have travel insurance, but the area where the accident occurred has been classed as being a high risk (roped off, waterfall) so he’s not covered. Damn…
For the British man, 30, who died after his first even Muay Thai fight in Thailand, click HERE.
