Doctors at Vachira Phuket Hospital in Phuket have dismissed reports that they may have to amputate Australian tourist Stacey Liddle’s left leg, which was crushed by a bus after a collision near the island’s Chalong Circle last Thursday.
Liddle, from Brisbane, traveled to Thailand to celebrate her 30th birthday. On Oct. 26, her rental motorbike collided with a tour bus. Liddle was knocked down on to the road and the bus’ back wheels ran over her left leg.
Dr. Kritsada Chairattanaphitak, Vachira Hospital’s Medical Specialist in Hand and Microsurgery, told The Phuket News on Friday, “We have performed several operations on Ms. Liddle’s leg as it suffered multiple fractures and severe damage in the accident.”
“There is no need to consider amputation unless there is an infection or complication – and at this stage there is neither. The nerves are still there and currently there is no infection,” he added.
“Her leg is still recovering, it is getting better,” Dr. Kritsada assured.
Fundraising
Following the accident, an appeal for donations to help pay for Liddle’s medical bills was launched on GoFundMe.com as her travel insurance company had refused to cover medical expenses. It was reported that Liddle’s policy did not cover injury through accidents while riding a motorbike, and Liddle was not licensed to ride a motorbike in Thailand.
There has been some confusion over how much funds were being sought to have Liddle flown home “so they don’t amputate her leg.”
News.com.au initially reported the amount sought as AUD15,000 (THB381,000, while the GoFundMe post itself continues to ask for AUD30,000 while the “goal” set for the campaign remains at AUD35,000 (THB890,000).
Donations by 77 people saw AUD3,466 (THB88,132) raised in the campaign’s first three days.
However, after intensive media coverage of Liddle’s plight, donations surged to AUD23,045 (THB585,355) as of this morning.
Meanwhile, Chalong Police have yet to attribute any blame for the accident, which may introduce compensation paid out under the insurance of the driver deemed at fault.
Pol. Maj. Kanan Somrak of Chalong Police Investigation Division told The Phuket News on Friday, “We have yet to press any charges as we are still investigating the accident.”
Malfeasance
However, media coverage in Australia and even by local news outlets in Phuket have not questioned the accusations publicly posted in the appeal on GoFundMe, which accuses hospital staff of hitting Liddle and the Australian Embassy and Consulate staff of failing to provide assistance.
“She is being hit and mistreated in the Thailand hospital, we have been in contact with both the Australian and Thailand governments (consulate). They will not do anything to help,” claims the appeal.
Methavee Maneesri, Head of the International Department at Vachira Hospital, which is the leading government hospital on the island, said that the hospital was unaware of the claims.
“We didn’t know about it,” she said, and declined to comment further on the matter.
However, Methavee did confirm that the hospital received THB30,000 paid out under the statutory government motorbike insurance coverage.
Support
Meanwhile, The Phuket News has independently confirmed that local Australian consular officials are providing assistance to Liddle – just not the extent of assistance that is being sought on her behalf.
A spokesperson for Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) confirmed, “The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is providing consular assistance to an Australian woman injured in Thailand. For privacy reasons we are unable to provide further details.”
DFAT notes that consular assistance may include liaison with or visits to local hospitals, liaison with local authorities, provision of lists of medical providers and assistance communicating with family members or nominated contacts.
“Consular staff cannot provide medical services or medications, pay for medical costs or query treatment regimens on behalf of Australians overseas,” the agency said.
The Australian Government has campaigned for years for Australian tourists visiting Phuket and anywhere else in Thailand to beware the country’s notorious road safety record, often reported as recognized by the United Nations as the “second-worst in the world.”
“Travel insurance, or medical insurance, is absolutely essential,” noted Craig Ferguson in a special report introducing him as Australia’s first Consul-General in Phuket with jurisdiction throughout the provinces of Phuket, Krabi, and Phang Nga.
“The Australian government won’t pay for medical costs overseas and I have seen cases where families have had to sell assets such as houses in order to pay for high-cost medical treatment and repatriations,” he told The Phuket News in an interview last year.
All too common
Liddle’s dire predicament follows Australian tourist Dawn Weldon, 53-year-old nurse from Valla, New South Wales, who suffered a brain injury, a fractured skull, and 15 separate broken bones when she collided head-on with a truck in Krabi earlier this year.
Dawson’s family noted that Krabi Hospital, which, like Vachira, is also a government hospital, would not discharge her to receive much-needed treatment in Australia, until a mounting medical bill was paid.
Story: The Phuket News
