A British tourist is stranded in Thailand and pleading for help to pay a £20,000 medical bill after a horrific moped crash left his leg ‘hanging off’.
Lewis McClelland, 30, is facing the huge cost after his travel insurance refused to cover emergency surgery and flights home.
He had travelled to Ko Lanta on January 16 for a two-week break with a friend before starting his ‘dream job’ as a window fitter.
But on February 2, he rented a moped for a morning ride to the beach and collided with a tuk-tuk, which he says ‘ripped through his leg’.
Shocking photos show him lying on the ground with his leg torn open and ‘hanging off’.
He was rushed to hospital where doctors stitched him up to stop him bleeding to death before transferring him for reconstructive surgery.
Lewis suffered multiple open fractures to his leg, fractures to his wrist and fingers and facial lacerations.
He now has an external fixator holding his leg together and is waiting for a second surgery before he can fly back home.
The window fitter claims Post Office travel insurance is refusing to cover his medical bills and repatriation because he didn’t hold a Compulsory basic training (CBT) certificate, required in the UK to ride a moped or motorbike.
He says he was only asked for his passport when hiring the bike and there was no mention of a CBT.
A GoFundme page set up by Lewis’s mother is seeking to raise more than £20,000 to cover treatment and flights home.
Lewis who lives in Portsmouth, Hampshire, said: ‘This relaxing trip I never would’ve thought would turn into such a nightmare. It was horrific.
‘I was meant to be just going for two weeks on a holiday. Just to get away from life for a bit.
‘I’d got up and was just going to get breakfast. I had my helmet on and everything. I collided slightly with a tuk-tuk and it ripped through my leg.
‘It was terrible and it was a big blur in the moment. I can’t really remember because of the concussion afterwards.
‘My leg was hanging off. I’m still lucky to have my leg. My wrist snapped and two fingers snapped. I’ve got life-changing scars now all across my face.
‘I pretty much ripped the bottom of my leg off to the point there was no pulse in my foot. I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.’
He added: ‘I’m very lucky to be alive. If they didn’t act so quickly I would’ve bled out. There was no way around it. It was a very, very close call.
‘It’s a life changing position for me. My face is lacerated and I’m quite a self-conscious person as it is.
‘I don’t even know how long the healing process is. It was only a two week holiday I was meant to come out for. Which has now turned into a lot longer and very expensive.
‘On top of that I’ve got to get home. I’ve got a recuperation period of two weeks where I’m not allowed to fly for two to three weeks. It’s a very messy situation.
‘I was due to start my dream job when I got back. You couldn’t write it.’
Lewis claims his insurer is refusing to pay because he didn’t have a valid CBT certificate, which was listed in the small print of his policy.
He hopes to spread awareness to other tourists to stop them from making the same mistake.
Lewis said: ‘I thought I was absolutely fine because they hired it to me with my passport. Obviously the insurance companies are saying otherwise.
‘I’m competent on a bike and it’s not my first time riding a moped. It’s one of those things. The only options are to pay a cash deposit or give your passport. No one asks for a CBT. Why would I think otherwise?
‘Read the small print and make sure you have your license. [In Thailand] they’re willing to hire you bikes out here just off of a passport and not even whether I’d ridden a motorbike before.
‘Just make sure you take your licence with you. How they’re doing it out here is not legal in the eyes of insurers. I wouldn’t wish this upon my worst enemy.’
A Post Office spokesperson said: ‘We’re sorry to hear about the injuries Mr McClelland has sustained whilst on holiday.
‘Unfortunately, the information provided by Mr McClelland and his family confirms that Mr McClelland did not have the relevant licence for the vehicle they were operating and therefore he was not covered for the injuries sustained in the accident.
‘We will continue to provide any assistance we can to support the family as they make arrangements to return to the UK.’
