An uninsured British mother and her 19-year-old daughter are stranded in a hospital in Montenegro facing a £40,000 bill after a car mounted the pavement and hit them.
Helen and Nell Barratt suffered ‘life-changing’ injuries while on holiday in Budva, including a broken collarbone, spinal fractures and head wounds.
Although they originally had travel insurance, it is understood it had expired. Nell’s sister Ella said the fundraising target reflects the cost of getting them home, as both would need specialist medical transport.
Ella said her mother and sister had been walking to a local shop last week when a driver left the road and struck them.
‘My mum flew backwards into another parked car, hit her head and all her back so she had the impact from the one car and then hit into the other car,’ she said.
Both were rushed to hospital and are being treated for multiple injuries. Police took witness statements from the driver and the other people who were there, according to Ella.
She said the accident, on April 13, has ‘changed their lives completely’.
‘My mum and sister have severe, documented life-changing injuries and I am watching them suffer while having to fight for their basic care,’ she told Worcester News.
An uninsured British mother and her 19-year-old daughter are stranded in a hospital in Montenegro facing a £40,000 bill after a car mounted the pavement and hit them
Helen and Nell Barratt suffered ‘life-changing’ injuries while on holiday in Budva, including a broken collarbone, spinal fractures and head wounds
Ella said her mother and sister had been walking to a local shop last week when a driver left the road and struck them
She added that the incident happened just three hours after the pair arrived on vacation.
According to the outlet, Nell suffered a broken collarbone and fractures to her vertebrae, while she also has a large open wound on her back.
Helen has a fractured pubic bone, a split lip which is showing signs of infection and 10 head injuries which have required stitches.
The pair have Global Health Insurance Cards, meaning emergency treatment in Montenegro is covered, but they have had to pay for follow-up care.
Ella, who lives in neighbouring Serbia, said she has been quoted £40,000 to bring them home as they are immobile and unable to take a commercial flight.
The family have contacted the British Embassy and a local lawyer but a friend set up a Go Fund Me page to try and help.
‘It’s been an absolute godsend that people actually want to help and they are being so supportive and donating money,’ Ella said.
‘To get them home would mean absolutely everything as they’re both scared and so worried.’
In photos shared on the GoFundMe page, Helen can be seen with stitches on her lips and head, while Nell was pictured lying in a hospital bed.
A photo of the large wound on Nell’s back was also shared.
‘My sister’s boyfriend said the car mounted the curb as if to park but just kept on going,’ Ella told Worcester News.
Helen and Nell Barrett with oldest daughter Ella (left) before the accident in Montenegro
‘The driver stopped and the police took witness statements from him and the other people who were there.’
In her update on the GoFundMe page, Ella said her mom and sister’s insurance is not valid and the family ‘desperately needs help’ to bring the pair home.
According to Worcester News, Helen and Nell have global health insurance, but this doesn’t cover a medical repatriation, and they didn’t know their travel insurance had expired.
‘We’ve struggled to get answers about their injuries, we don’t even know if my mum has had a CT scan for possible brain injuries,’ Ella told Worcester News, adding that the situation has been ‘horrific to witness’ and she feels ‘helpless.’
‘We’re worried their injuries could be worse and have permanent consequences,’ Ella continued. ‘We started the appeal to get them home and it would just be so nice to have some help and support.’
‘At the moment, it’s just me, my boyfriend and my sister’s 19-year-old boyfriend, we’re three young people having to navigate a foreign hospital system and a legal battle,’ she added.
The GoFundMe page has so far raised over $8,105 out of a £8,780 goal.
In a statement, a Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office spokesperson said: ‘We are supporting the family of two British nationals who are hospitalised in Montenegro and are in contact with the local authorities.’
