A British tourist has incurred a medical bill of £21,000 after breaking her back in three (3) places while enjoying a beach pony ride in Thailand.
After tagging the seaside horse ride as an ‘extreme sport’, her insurer declined to pay out, saying, it is not covered by her policy, this has left her and her husband to foot the bill.
Fifty-six (56) year old Jo Ingram, and Stu, her husband, were close to the end of their two-week holiday in Krabi when she was thrown on the sand by the animal, and was immediately taken to the hospital with grave injuries to her spine.
Scan results revealed multiple fractures and disc fragments pressing on her spinal column, which forced the medical team to carry out emergency surgery as the couple scrambled to pay £12,000 upfront from their savings to commence treatment.
Jo, a veterinary receptionist, said: “We were shocked and so scared.”
58-year old Stu cried: “It’s been indescribable, I’ve been constantly terrified and very lonely.”
When the couple reached their Insurer, they were told horse-riding was not covered under their policy, leaving them to pay the full cost of her two-week hospital stay and ongoing recovery.
Stu opened up to the BBC: “The insurers disregarded our claim on the grounds it was an extreme sport.
“As we plodded along the water’s edge on ponies it didn’t feel extreme, but it’s our fault for not reading the small print.”
The couple will remain abroad while Jo recovers, and doctors have waned she cannot fly home for at least seven (7) weeks after the operation.
While, Jo regains mobility, a fundraiser online has been launched with the aim to help cover mounting medical bills, rehabilitation costs and their extended hotel stay.
She can only move around with the aid of a walking frame as she undergoes physiotherapy. A long recovery is expected before she returns to normal life.
While Jo remains abroad, the Foreign Office made known, it is supporting the British national.
This is happening after a British Tourist was stranded in Thailand in February and begging for help to pay a £20,000 medical bill after a horrific moped crash left his leg “hanging off”.
30-year old Lewis McClelland was forced to face the mountainous cost after his travel insurance refused to cover emergency surgery and flights home.
He had taken a trip to Ko Lanta on January 16 for a two-week holiday with a friend before commencing his job as a window fitter.
However, on February 2, he rented a moped for a ride in the morning to the beach and had a collision with a tuk-tuk, which he says “ripped through his leg”.
Lewis suffered multiple open fractures to his leg, fractures to his wrist and fingers, as well as, facial lacerations.
Photo: Jo Ingram enjoying her two-week holiday in Krabi, Thailand
