Woman could lose leg after Thailand crash
THE FAMILY of a 22-year-old Yorkshire woman fear she may lose her leg unless £100,000 can be raised to fly her home after she was involved in a motorbike accident in Thailand.
Jenni Evans, from Sheffield Road in Barnsley, was a passenger on a motorcycle when she was involved in a serious accident on Ko Pha Ngan island on Thursday, May 11.
The Barnsley Council worker was on the holiday of a lifetime with her boyfriend Joe when the accident occurred, causing substantial damage to her right leg.
Due to a misunderstanding around what British driving licences will allow you to do abroad, Miss Evans was not insured to be on the motorcycle, though she was unaware of this at the time.
It means her holiday insurance company is not willing to cover the costs of medical evacuation or treatment and she currently remains in hospital in Thailand.
Miss Evans has suffered with Crohn’s Disease since she was 13 years old and was supposed to return to the UK next week to continue with her treatment for the condition, which causes inflammation of the lining of the digestive system.
But she is now stranded in a hospital on Koh Samui island, where her family fear she is not getting the treatment for her leg injury that she desperately needs. Her father Paul Evans has flown out to be with her at the hospital as attempts continue to get her back home. An online fundraising appeal set up by friends at the weekend has already raised more than £16,000 after attracting over 600 donations from well-wishers.
Her mother Andrea, said: “We just want to get Jenni home as soon as possible.
“The money needs to be raised as quickly as possible. At the moment Jenni is incredibly exposed to infection and there is a real risk Jenni could lose her leg. If the infection spreads it could be lifethreatening.”
She said the family is deeply grateful for all of the money that has been donated so far but hope others who do not know Miss Evans will also support the appeal to help provide her daughter with the prospect of recovering from her injuries. “This is a terrible accident that could have happened to anyone,” she said.
“Our Jenni could have easily been someone else’s daughter, granddaughter or friend. You think it will never happen to your girl, that it will always be some horror story that you read in a paper, but this is our reality now.
“We are so very grateful for the outpouring of support we’ve had so far, not just from the people of Barnsley and family and friends but from people right across the country.
“We really need all the help we can get to bring Jenni home and get her the help that she so desperately needs.”
In a message to family, friends and supporters posted from hospital on Facebook, Miss Evans said: “Thank you to everyone for their love and support, I am so overwhelmed.
“You don’t realise how much it means to me, you are literally keeping me going. It was never my intention to have to look to anyone for help through this as I thought I would be covered by insurance but what a relief and morale boost it is to see how much you have been willing to help.
“I just feel speechless. Thank you again everyone, I cannot tell you how grateful I am.”
To make a donation, visit www. justgiving.com and search for ‘Get Jenni Home’.