Crash rider’s family appeal for cash for spinal op in Thailand
Saturday 20th February 2010, 2:29PM GMT.
Scott Hicks, left, and Delron Barker with a picture of Darren El Mettouri who is in intensive car following a scooter crash in Thailand last week. (Picture by Steve Sarre, 0918865)
THE family of a Guernsey man seriously injured in a scooter crash in Thailand is appealing for money to pay for his treatment.
Darren El Mettouri, 27, suffered a broken spine, a punctured lung and broken ribs in the accident in Koh Samui.
He did not have any travel insurance.
Darren was taken to hospital and told he had a broken arm and bruising. But when his condition deteriorated one of his friends took him to a private hospital.
Further tests and X-rays revealed he had actually sustained more serious injuries.
Darren is now in a stable condition in intensive care but needs a delicate operation on his spine.
However, his family said doctors will not treat him until they have received a down-payment of £13,000.
It is estimated that the total bill for his treatment could reach £35,000 and his family said they could not afford to foot the bill on their own.
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I’m sorry, no sympathy, you have enough to go on holiday to Thailand, you should have enough to pay for travel insurance.
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Whilst I feel sorry for him and his family, I really can’t believe that people spend all that money going all that way – and fail to spend an extra £30-£40 on travel/medical insurance for the trip……
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I HAVE ONE YEARS WORLD WIDE TRAVEL INSURNACE;
IT COST ME £25 – NUFF SAID
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Let this be a lesson to all of us. You should never never ride a bike or drive a car uninsured, especially in Thailand. What would have happened if he had run over a child even though it was not his fault. He would be forced to pay a huge sum of money or be jailed until he did.
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tony
If that had happened, we would now be being asked to donate to help this poor unfortunate child.
I have to agree, we are bombarded with adverts on travel insurance, how can someone spend hundreds or thousands of pounds on a holliday and not bother spending another 30 – 40 pounds on insurance.
OK its not nice for the family when this sort of thing happens and I can understand their desperation, he put you in this position for the sake of saving a few quid.
Thats the whole point in insurance.
Welcome to the real world.
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I.m afraid I have to agree with the comments already posted, travel insurance is easily accessible,and its foolhardy not to have it.
I think that sympathy will be thin on the ground here, and maybe the family will have to pool their resources,and any shortfall may well have to be covered by them taking out a loan.
I,m sure there will be replies to these posts saying we are all been very cynical and judging etc, but we are all respondsible for ourselves firstly.
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Travel insurance.
If you go anywhere with no insurance then you are knowingly taking a chance nothing will happen, unfortunate as it is you can’t expect others now to pay for the chance he took not paying.
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This is a really difficult one, I considered commenting the other day (similar to the above) but wasn’t sure whether it was tasteful, given the circumstances.
Obviously he should have insurance, and it defies belief that he didn’t, but we should still sympathise with the family.
As for raising funds, I don’t think there will be enough sympathy to generate the money needed. The thing is if the family really can’t raise the money then we surely can’t just leave him there?
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I agree with all posts on this subject to date, it is not acceptable and is very foolish to travel without insurance as the unfortunate chap must now realize.
Dean your comment “The thing is if the family really can’t raise the money then we surely can’t just leave him there?” who is this we?? Are you referring to the Island populous or the government to bail them out? While I have some sympathy for the guy who suffered the accident, surely if you do not take sensible steps to protect yourself should the worse happen, then you must accept the consequences.
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Firstly, before commenting on someone elses unfortunate circumstances, you should all get the facts correct.
Darren did have insurance cover for the bike as a matter of course when hiring it out!
He actually thought that he was covered under his Bank account which has travel insurance linked to it but unfortunately the small print (as always) had restrictins, etc.
Before you all jump to conclusions and have your 5ps worth, just think about the poor family having to read these comments.
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Isn’t something missing from this whole story?
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Angry Friend
I think you need to blame the Press article for that. It simply stated that Darren had no insurance (hence the need to raise funds to cover the medical costs). You really can’t blame the public for picking up on that point. Is it perhaps the case that he paid for compulsory third party insurance for the bike, but that this did not extend to injuries to himself ?
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I am confused. This sort of accident should be covered under any standard travel insurance policy. I suggest that Mr. El Mettouri’s family get in contact with his insurer asap before paying anything to the hospital etc. in Thailand.
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Well yes, I mean us as a populace.
Angry Friend, people are only commenting on the article. It says ‘He did not have any travel insurance’ not ‘He didn’t read the small print of his travel insurance’.
Perhaps you should speak to the Press about the correct facts, as they printed the story.
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Quite agree Angry Friend, one of the early reports i saw stated he had insurance which as it turned out was invalid.
This poor guy is seriously injured and desperately needs help and i will be donating a small amount [wish i could afford more] on payday this week.
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Angry Friend – it is very awkward that the Press implied no insurance in their report. This will influence public opinion on the matter, whichever way you look at it. This will have an effect on the fund raising and no arguing on posts or face to face will help that.
My advice, get the press to re-run a story on how the small print on Insurance provided by the Bank has put the family in this terrible position.
People already have a dislike for the banks and if this situation has risen due to some Bank not paying out on insurance, more sympathy will be given to the fund raising effort.
Also ask for help on sorting the insurance issue. Anyone out there reading these posts know the insurance industry? Can you help the family with the insurance dispute? You need public momey and professional advice – this would be of much greater help than trying to raise funds off the back of the Press story, which you say has allegedly reported incorrect facts.
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The Guernsey Press couldnt even spell Darren’s brothers name correctly so how they would ever print the FACTS is beyond me!!!
Darren is my friend and is hurt and if any of you get hurt, lets hope someone puts some money in a bucket for you, or rather lets hope not seeing you lot wont for someone else.
I hope non of you have to go thru what his family are going thru right now! you lot make me sick.
Darren i hope you get better soon, and my money will be safely in the hand of his family who can put it towards his care!!!!
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Ladies and Gents
I am ashamed to say that Darren didn’t have Travel Insurance and whilst it is his own fault the family are merely asking his friends for support.
Lesson to be learnt is that you should never travel without insurance and if you don’t want to give to his fund like i don’t then so be it
Thanks
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To ANGRY FRIEND. I feel really sorry for Darren, it could have happened to anyone. I have travel insurance included with two of my Bank cards but I simply don’t trust them to pay out. I didn’t read the small print either and who does? Instead I bought a yearly travel policy with a local company just for peace of mind! I suggest to the family to get legal advice. The bank could be wrong. Good luck there. Surely it can’t be right that they have refused due to the small print that nobody reads! Hope you find a solution and if I see someone collecting money for him I will gladly give and shame on the rest of you for showing no sympathy. You are not immune.
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Just think about the true story before commenting.
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Angry Friend – i think people are thinking about the true story!
No Insurance = Silly
Such a shame.
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I feel compelled to write something here. Why wasn’t the small print read!?!? For goodness sake. We all know how cruel this world can be and we all know what banks are like! It’s obviously got something important in it or it wouldn’t be there! I genuinely feel sorry for Darren and pray that he returns to full health. I think there is a serious lesson to be learnt here.
PS. No comments on “I bet no-one reads the small print” because I do!
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Before donating , i would be interested in hearing the full facts of how the accident occured , i wonder if the local media actually contacted authorities in thailand to verify the facts?
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What small print is everyone going on about – family Friend has clearly stated that no insurance was taken so there was no small print.
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An insurance company should pay out if the man who crashed had a licence to drive a bike and he hadn’t been taking any substances when he crashed. It is far too common on the islands in thailand for tourists to hire a bike without having to show any proof of licence. If the poor guy didn’t have any insurance I question why he even contemplated going out on a motorcycle!
All that aside the accident has now happened, and if any of us found ourselves in a similar situation we would need all the help we could get! Fingers crossed for a quick recovery
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Angry Friend
Firstly, people were only repsonding to the information given, if that information didnt give the true story you cant blame people for responding in the way that they did.
Secondly, why oh why didnt he get better cover?? We all know how dangerous certain parts of the world can be, especially if he had the intention of hiring a scooter in Thailand and those bank account related insurance schemes are just scams under any other name.
Whilst I have the utmost sympathy for his and his family and their predicament its is still a true comment that decent travel insurance would have cost him less than £50 and he would be well on the way to treatment now.
Second mortgage time for the parents methinks because I really cant see them raising the money, although I hope that they do.
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10/10 to this chap’s nearest and dearest for being so supportive.
Whilst travelling many years ago, 2 weeks after my insurance lapsed, I had a very bad accident, and had to somehow find the money to pay the medical bills.
There was no whip round, so I did, with great difficulty, pay the bills myself, and thru’ this process, learned a very, very hard lesson. That is, quite simply, that I am responsible for me, my actions, and the consequences thereof.
I sincerely hope that he gets the treatment he needs and recovers, but also that he can benefit in a positive way (as I did) from a very hard lesson.
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“Just think about the true story before commenting”
Alternatively, you could say
“Just read your insurance policy before riding”
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Even if you buy travel insurance, it is important to understand what is covered. Riding of hired scooters/bikes and certain other activities are sometimes excluded under a standard travel policy so don’t presume these would be covered in the event of an accident.
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What do you people suggest, just leaving him there? Yes he didn’t take out travel insurance and he was stupid not to, but fact is he didnt and he is a young lad stuck in Thailand desperately needing the support of everyone back home. Think about his poor parents. I wonder how many of you slagging him off have kids. Are you saying if one of your children had got into this situation you wouldnt be doing all you can to raise the money? Thought not!!
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This story is similiar to those often put about in the paper – namely Mrs So and So from whatever estate has had her home vandalised/burnt down/toys nicked over the Christmas period etc etc – surprise surprise no insurance cover – poor things, everyone does a whip round – whilst the rest of us pay hundreds in insurance to cover us for these eventualities. I am very sorry that a young person has ended up seriously injured and that his family now have to bail him out. But surely this is the reason for getting cover? You wouldn’t dream of travelling to America without proper insurance – so why do people take chances like this? If he had not insurance, then stupid boy – if he did, but didn’t read/understand that insurance t&C then equally stupid boy. It is nice that he has friends who are willing to donate money to get him back – and I wish the campaign well. This is a horrid lesson for everyone to learn – perhaps tickets to foreign destinations should not be sold without adequate insurance cover being bought in the first instance.
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Hold on there Jenni, I don’t see the accident victim or his family being “slagged off” the posts in regard to this thread are simply pointing out the dangers of travelling without insurance.
If you do this then you are running a significant risk, as has been proved, I am afraid the buck stops there.
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Dear all,
I am Darren’s younger sister. I appreciate that every one is entitled to their own opinion. However my brother thought he was covered by his bank but unfortunately was not which I did fail to mention before he left.
We have gone past this and are not dwelling on it. The support we have had from Guernsey’s community has been fantastic so thank you to every one who has kindly donated.
This is a lesson to every one so please check your policies before going away. I would not wish this to happen to anyone else’s family and hopefully does not in the future.
Thank you.
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I agree with Katie, it’s happened now and there is nothing that anyone can do to change that.
I can’t see paying £30-£40 would cover medical bills over £30,000. And as I beleive travel insurance does not cover motorcyles.
I have great sympathy for his family and wish them the best in raising the money needed.
As we can all already see a lot of guernsey people are trying very hard to organise and raise money for him. So obviously there are people who care on this Island and give a little.
I really hope nothing like this ever happens to any of you or your family, if it does then remember your comments! ! ! !
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Yeah, I agree with Scarlett, insurance is rubbish, waste of money.
If the worst happens rely on a good old whip round.
Its the Guernsey way nowdays.
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As Darren’s brother stated ‘ He thought he was covered through his bank account’ it’s an easy mistake to make. I have travel insurance through my bank and to be honest I don’t read the small print, if it was that important why don’t they make it more clear. The accident had happened now so there is no point to keep bringing the ‘insurance’ up. If you don’t care then why bother to comment, but think about the nasty comments that the family will read. I give full support to Darren and his family!!!!
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A very dignified response from Katie El Mettouri.
There is a lesson to be learned here – to ensure that adequate travel insurance is taken out and to be aware of exactly what cover is provided. It is however extremely unfortunate that it has taken such a serious situation to highlight it.
I must confess though I really don’t see the point in the earlier comments on this forum. I’m sure Mr El Mettouri, whilst lying in agony in intensive care waiting to see if enough money could be raised for a vital operation, had plenty of time to reflect on the consequences of failing to read the “small print” without needing it rubbed in by smart a*** comments on the Internet.
As for asking for help, what’s the problem in the family asking for support? There’s no obligation to give, so if you don’t think the cause is worthy, don’t give – simple! Nothing to stop others who think differently from giving. That’s the whole point in charity – it’s a matter of free choice.
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I am a friend of the family…
Like Katie stated above- yes Darren had honestly believed that he was covered before going away to Thailand. After the unfortunate accident, it was actually revealed that he wasn’t, which then had his family worrying themselves sick about the huge payment that was expected to cover everything for his much needed operation.
It was not only his family that decided to appeal for donations, but it was many of his friends that suggested it aswell. No one is expected to donate, whether they know Darren or not… it’s by choice!
I really do believe the family, friends and kind people who have donated will reach the amount needed.
Thankyou
(hope to see you soon Darren)
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This young man’s family and friends are facing huge anxiety – have read that he has had the important, vital, spinal op; whilst he currently remains on assisted breathing, he will at some stage understand the enormity of his injuries and therefore, I assume, the costs incurred in his treatment. We are sending a small amount of money via overseas aid to assist various causes throughout needy areas in the world and whilst I would not decry this vital cause, it seems to me that we should be looking also at bringing him home and then start the fund raising, to pay back the tax payer, eg, those contributing to others in distress, whom very few of us would know when passing them in a street, callous?, I don’t think so. This is a local man, who will probably need a lot of care, if he gets home; which I feel would be enhanced by being in constant and direct contact with his family and buddies.
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Not being funny but if you havent got anything better to do with your time than bitch about darren? Yeah ok he didnt read the small print so now his family and friends etc… have to raise the funds.
What is all the bitching actually proving? other than if any of his family read all these comments its going to cause more upset, which i can imagine they dont really need right now. If it was one of your friends or family who had done the same thing then im sure you wouldnt turn round to them and say “nah, im not donating money, you should have read through everything properly”
shut up and think about if the shoe was on the other foot.
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Good response Katie. Spoke to Frank (Prime) last night and he’s gutted his mate is in trouble.
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Having read all of this there are some life lessons here
The Public – read the small print as I am sure Darren will be advising everyone to do so, so you or your family do not end up in this predicament
Friendship – in times of crisis, your friends will be there for support and Darren you must have some quality friends
Guernsey public – We are not all perfect and how many of us never read the smallprint?
Darren is a Guern abroard in trouble with family and friends living amongst us wanting our support and not just financial…lets focus on NOW with our support whether it be financial, verbal but lets not forget he is a young man who had a life threatening accident
Darren – I do not know you personally but lets hope you make a 100% recovery.
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Darren, sent you a bit of dosh via your brothers bank acc today to help along.
Hope you recover soon and well!
We all make mistakes eh!
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The problem with this entire thread is anger. Those close to Darren are happy to fight with those who want to post and highlight the danger of travelling without insurance.
Read it back, from the start. If people want to donate, let them. If they do not because of the stupidity of no insurance, let them.
How can the family get ‘hurt’ from reading the posts? Someone from the family says he was insured, someone says he wasn’t. Someone says get it checked out and get professional help, others support and donate.
In a situation like this people feel shock, anger, denial, sadness and remorse. But to resort to name-calling of others with their own view is wrong. He didn’t have insurance, say so, do not say he did, then he didn’t, it’s the Press’s fault or the Bank. Say simply help, please, there has been a massive mistake and avoid all this confrontation.
Use this blog as a reaching post to pull at the heart strings of all and do not alienate them by name calling. Yes everyone can understand if it was their family, obviously. They would be looking for donations, prof help, and a re-mortgage or loan to pay for Thai bill, air-vac home and contiued care/rehabilitation going forward.
Don’t just sit on this post saying yes he did/no he didnt, your out of order or stop b1tchn etc and expect people to dig in.
You have to accept that some will not donate, yes because of the insurance issue, and move on.
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RE; Picture above, Delron is on the right. As for the rest, I am sure if Delm could go back in time he would have been insured. I am sure several young travellers would now have been alerted by this to the importance of travel insurance. Try and look on the bright side!!
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To Family Member,
You are certainly not a family member with comments like that!!!!!!
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Getting away from the Insurance issues,as a relative, massive massive thanks to all those at ST JACQUES TAVERN last night for the fundraiser.To the girls who did a great job on the Blind Auction to the MAD bloke who had a waxing..crazy!!To the licensee and all those who gave.Thanks to all, loadsa money which i am sure will help out.
Oh and “family member” if you wish to make comments..dont hide, state who you are!
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TONY HOLLAND – it is Roy and i certainly won’t be intimedated by you! you have blown this all out of scope, i was merely saying that we are not saying that everyone has to pay money just those who are willing
And for your infermation i have donated
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I can not understand why everyone is commenting on this post and arguing what is the point in that? Surely all energies should be focused towards you objective of getting Darren home.
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