Daily Mirror (Northern Ireland)
Man loses leg in Thai horror
Mike recovering after motorbike crash
A NORTHERN Ireland man is recovering in hospital in Thailand after doctors were forced to amputate his leg following a motorbike accident.
Mike Johnston from Ballymena, Co Antrim, was teaching in Chumphon when he was involved in the crash earlier this month.
Parents Michael Johnston and Jillian Clements flew out to be at their son’s side but due to his insurance lapsing, the family have had to paid tens of thousands of pounds for his care.
In a warning to others, they urged people to ensure they had the right policy to avoid falling into a similar position.
Mike’s friends and colleagues in Thailand, as well as the community here, have rallied to support him since the accident, raising £13,000 towards his medical care.
Speaking on behalf of the family, 58-year-old Michael, said: “Make sure your insurance is in place to allow you do things you want to do, read the small print because anybody can go to Benidorm and have basic insurance but if you go further afield and want to do bungee jumping or motorcycling make sure your insurance covers it.”
Mike, 30, had previously worked in Thailand and China but started his current role in Chumphon in December teaching young children English.
On February 10, Michael received a call to say his son had been involved in a serious accident.
He added: “They did their very best but on the phone when we were in the UK they were saying they needed to cut and they meant amputate, my son was hollering in the background, ‘Don’t cut my leg’.”
“While they had tried to do as much as they could there was a lot of vascular damage and he almost bled to death.”
But costs are mounting up and Michael said he and Jillian were extremely grateful to everyone who had been fundraising for Mike so far.
He added: “We have £12,000 to £13,000 in a fund at this stage which is going to be a fantastic help.”
If you would like to donate to help Mike visit www.gogetfunding.com/savemy-son-right-leg-from-imminent-amputation.
THAILAND YESTERDAY