Man trapped in Thailand for two months after bike crash left him in a coma
A man seriously injured in a crash in Thailand has finally returned home after being stuck in a hospital for two months.
Adrian Wallace was hit by a car while riding a bike during a holiday in Phuket in January – but his family didn’t have enough money to bring him home safely.
The 34-year-old sailor spent two months in a coma following the crash on January 3. He also suffered knee fractures, multiple rib fractures, facial trauma and a dislocated hip.
But Adrian has finally made it home from Thailand after a 23-hour flight accompanied by medics. He was taken by ambulance from the hospital to the Royal Sussex County Hospital.
While his condition has improved and he can now open his eyes, medics still consider Adrian to be in a ‘semi-comatose’ state.
His mum Julie Hopkins described the moment she was reunited with Adrian for the first time in more than two months, telling The Sun: ‘It was really, really tough, although he had his eyes open I don’t think he recognised it was me.
‘I had to come to the realisation of where he’s at and it hit home that it’s going to take a while before I get any response.
‘We’re hoping we get him back completely but at the moment it’s been three months and there’s a long way to go.
‘No one has given indication that that is the case, they won’t give you a prognosis because they just don’t know.’
Julie said the biggest sign of progress came at the beginning of the month while Adrian was in Thailand and his uncle Alan was visiting him.
Adrian was able to lift two fingers when he was asked to, and hopes more visits from friends and family now he’s back in the UK will accelerate his recovery.
There weren’t any witnesses to the crash, but it’s believed Adrian’s bike caught the back of a car.
Julie explained: ‘The driver of that car has not made any claim against Adrian but I think Adrian was deemed to be at fault in the end.
‘Everyone has just said the roads are really dangerous out there though with u-turns being allowed in the middle of dual carriageways.
‘I just think it was a really unfortunate accident and I’m obviously really upset at the outcome for Adrian but I don’t feel any real anger towards anyone else.
‘I am just so glad that the medics got to Adrian quickly and in time to get him to hospital and keep him alive.’
A fundraiser set up by the family has raised £48,000 towards Adrian’s treatment, but Julie still has to cover ongoing costs for the ‘long journey ahead’.
She explained: ‘I had been so focused on just getting him home but now we have to get him well, walking talking and out of the hospital.’
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