An aspiring martial arts fighter has suffered a devastating leg injury after being knocked off his scooter in Thailand with his medical bills expected to cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Tommy Kirk, 23, was just three days into an intensive two-week Muay Thai training trip on Koh Samui with a friend when he was knocked off his scooter by a driver who was travelling on the wrong side of the road on January 30.
They collided with such force Mr Kirk’s bone pierced his skin and he suffered a clean break of the tibia and fibula on his right leg.
Mr Kirk, a mine operator from Kitchener in NSW‘s Hunter region, was taken to hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to save his leg.
His medical bills are skyrocketing and he will need to fly home in business class after a further procedure to fix the bone.
It’s understood Mr Kirk had travel insurance but the company has declined to cover his medical bills because the insurance did not cover motorcycle injuries of this kind.
It’s another warning for Aussies travelling to South East Asia to ensure they add full motorbike cover to their travel insurance plan, as mopeds are the main mode of travel in the region.
Tommy Kirk (pictured), 23, was just three days into an intensive two-week Muay Thai training trip to the island of Koh Samui with a friend when he was knocked off his scooter by another driver who was flying through an intersection on the wrong side of the road on 30 January
Mr Kirk (pictured), a mine operator from Kitchener in NSW ‘s Hunter region, was taken to hospital where doctors performed emergency surgery to save his leg
Nathan Jones, a friend who has set up a fundraiser to help fly Mr Kirk home, said Mr Kirk and his friend Blake had just finished dinner after a day’s training when they got on separate scooters to return home.
‘Tommy was only crawling along when another driver came flying through an intersection and wiped him out,’ Mr Jones told Daily Mail Australia.
‘He was trapped their on the side of the road and the ambos had to come and clean him up. Bad compound fracture. Clean break of the tib and fib in his lower leg.’
Mr Jones, who is a professional Muay Thai fighter himself, said Mr Kirk had recently developed a passion for the martial art and had travelled to Thailand to train.
‘He’s only a young fella and he’s gone over there to try do a good thing for himself, turned his life around for the better and then something like that happens,’ Mr Jones said.
‘It’s heartbreaking.’
Nathan Jones (pictured front right), an champion Muay Thai fighter said Mr Kirk (second from right, back row) had recently developed a passion for the martial art and had traveleld to thailand to improve his skills
Mr Jones said his friend had not been drinking and it was clear the other driver was at fault.
Doctors were due to insert an internal fixation rod last week to help stabilise the shattered bone but postponed the surgery until today because they discovered sepsis on his lungs.
Even though he is not allowed to fly home without the procedure, it is still deemed elective, meaning that Mr Kirk’s devastated family had to stump up around $35,000 before doctors would operate.
‘Muay Thai has changed Tommy’s life and given him a purpose to be healthy, for this to happen to someone on a holiday is nothing short of a tragedy and we hope we can assist his family to bringing him home safely to make a full recovery,’ Mr Jones wrote on the fundraiser.
It has so far raised almost $17,000.
