Phuket expat’s urgent appeal for funds after hit-and-run incident

Richard Valentine, an expat and businessman in Phuket, has made an urgent appeal for funds to complete his medical treatments at the government-run Vachira Phuket Hospital. Valentine suffered serious leg injuries and a concussion in a hit-and-run incident.

Valentine was riding his motorbike when he was struck by an unidentified SUV driver on March 31, The Phuket News reported. Initially, requests for help were for blood donors to provide for his rare blood group, but recent updates now focus solely on raising 260,000 baht (approximately US$8,300 or £6,000). To date, around 5% of the required amount has been donated. Valentine has set up a link on the website Weeboon.

According to information available on LinkedIn, Valentine is the general manager of a cigar, whisky, and wine lounge on the island. He is involved in various business and charitable activities. Valentine has spoken about the need to raise money, as his personal resources and limited insurance coverage are exhausted. He also expects that he will need extensive rehabilitative treatment and physical therapy to attempt to resume a normal life. Potential contributors can find payment details on his Facebook page or in a report published in the Phuket News.

Valentine is the ninth Briton to face financial difficulties following a motorbike accident in the past nine months. Previous cases, mostly promoted on the GoFundMe crowdfunding platform, never reached the desired fundraising targets but occasionally contributed in part to airfares back to the UK. This case is unique because the injured party intends to remain in Thailand, which may explain why a Thai-based crowdfunding platform was chosen.

An insurance claims assessor based in Pattaya told Pattaya Mail he would advise Valentine or his sponsors to provide more information and updates, such as the reasons for the insurance lapsing and whether blood donations are still necessary. They said, “If there is a key to maximising charity fundraising, it’s being frank and anticipating the sort of questions that will be going through people’s minds. Sad to say, Brits needing cash in Thailand for operations is not news anymore.”