A tourist has described himself as “lucky” to be alive after a horror scooter crash in Thailand left him with catastrophic injuries and stranded overseas without insurance to cover.
Lewis McClelland, 30, was seriously injured when the scooter he was riding collided with a tuk-tuk on the island of Ko Lanta.
Footage circulating online shows him lying on the road with a severe leg wound following the impact.
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“My leg was hanging off,” he recalled.
“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 said rapid medical intervention likely saved his life.
Brit has suffered major injuries after a crash in Thailand. Credit: GoFundMe
“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,” he recalled.
“It’s a life-changing position for me. My face is lacerate and I’m quite a self-conscious person as it is.
“I don’t even know how long the healing process is.”
Despite undergoing emergency surgery, Mr McClelland’s ordeal continues. He remains in Thailand after his travel insurer declined to cover treatment or repatriation costs, citing licensing requirements.
Mr McClelland says he was unaware he needed a Compulsory Basic Training certificate, which is required in the UK to ride a scooter, and claims he was only asked to provide his passport when hiring the vehicle, News.com.au revealed.
A GoFundMe launched by his mother, Liza McClelland, is seeking nearly $40,000 to cover medical bills and flights home.
“On January 26 he was supposed to come home. Instead, he is lying in a hospital bed in Thailand with devastating life-changing injuries after a serious road accident.
“Lewis is lucky to have not lost his leg. He has suffered multiple open fractures to his leg, fractures in his wrist and fingers, and facial lacerations and has undergone major surgery and has to have another next week.
“He currently has an external fixator holding his leg together. He is in pain, and thousands of miles from home.”
She said the family is facing mounting financial pressure.
“Now we are facing the unthinkable. If I want to bring my son home safely, I have to pay for his medical bills and his repatriation myself.
“The cost is overwhelming. Depending on the level of medical support he needs, getting him home could cost anywhere between AU$28,000 and $80,000+. I am doing everything I can, but I cannot do this alone.”
Mr McClelland, from Portsmouth in Hampshire, had been travelling with a friend before starting a new job in the UK. He is now preparing for further surgery and a lengthy recovery.
He hopes his experience will serve as a warning to other travellers.
He said the trip was meant to be a “relaxing trip” but turned into “such a nightmare.”
Sharing advice, he said: “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 spokesperson for the Post Office said, “We’re sorry to hear about the injuries Mr McClelland has sustained while 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.”
