Englishman ‘crawled for half a mile’ after moped crash in Thailand

A moped crash on Koh Yao Noi island in southern Thailand has left an Englishman in need of urgent surgery.

Arron Rouse, from Worcestershire in England, sustained several broken ribs and a gaping wound on his leg when he was thrown off his moped on the night of December 16, 2022.

Far away from a proper hospital, Arron couldn’t access the right treatment at first, causing his leg wound to get infected. As a result, he needs surgery which will cost 180,000 Thai baht (£4,537.75).

A friend in Australia launched a GoFundMe to raise money for hospital bills because although Arron’s bank in England has a free travel insurance policy, he did not activate it before he left.

The fundraiser, entitled “Arron’s legs,” reads…

“Hey guys found myself in a bit of a situation… crashed my moped in Thailand and busted up both my legs pretty bad. I have a few ribs broken and an open wound on my leg. I didn’t get proper treatment straight away because the hospital in Thailand aren’t the same and now it is infected and need surgery as soon as possible otherwise the infection can get worse and I could lose my leg.”

Arron was living in Thailand and working at his friend’s restaurant on the island paradise when things turned sour.

After work one night, Arron was driving his moped home in the dark when he skidded and flew off…

“The bike was destroyed and when I looked at my leg I noticed a chunk of meat missing. When I tried to stand and the bone just poked out of my leg.

“I was in total agony. I crawled for around half a mile until I reached some shack-style housing but nobody was around to answer my calls for help.

“I eventually made my way home and passed out in my room. The next day my cousin found me with my leg covered in blood and arranged for people to come and help me.

“I was taken down the hill to a hospital on the island but it did not have a good reputation so my cousin advised me to get a hospital in Phuket.

“My cousin arranged a boat to get me to the hospital out of his own money and my parents have also helped with money to fund my early surgeries.”

Doctors told Arron that he could lose his leg if the infection got worse.

“I had to have a couple of surgeries already. My leg was at first stitched back up but it became severely infected.

“Over time the infection healed and I am now at a stage where I need a skin graft and more stitches.”

So far, 105 donors have donated AU$5,531 of the AU$8000 target.

Arron explained that GoFundMe doesn’t work in Thailand so his friend in Australia helped set it up, which is why the money is shown in Australian dollars.

Last week, a GoFundMe was launched for a Welshman who got into a bad motorbike collision in Koh Samui after “his insurance failed to pay out.”

A GoFundMe was launched for a 21 year old woman from Coventry, England, who was left in need of multiple surgeries after falling from a balcony on Koh Pha Ngan on New Year’s Eve.