A British backpacker travelling in Thailand has appealed for help after she was seriously injured in a motorbike crash and left with mounting medical bills when her travel insurance was found to be invalid.
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Chloe Foster, 26, from Medway, Kent, was attending a full moon party on Koh Pha-Ngan last Friday, 1 May, when she met a 20-year-old British tourist who offered her a lift on his motorbike. Speaking from her hospital bed, Foster said the rider was travelling “pretty fast” before the bike suddenly “did a whole 360”, throwing her from the vehicle and knocking her unconscious.
Foster said she later learned the man had fled the scene after the crash, leaving her alone on the roadside until another person found her and arranged medical help. She described waking up in hospital in Thailand as one of the “scariest moments” of her life.
The backpacker suffered multiple injuries, including a broken foot, a fractured cheek and a bloodshot eye. She also said the facial injury had left half of her face “paralysed”. After the crash, Foster discovered that her travel insurance policy would not cover her treatment costs.
Although she had taken out insurance before travelling, she said the policy became invalid because she had exceeded the 31-day maximum limit allowed for a single trip under the terms and conditions. In a statement shared through a GoFundMe page set up to cover her medical expenses, Foster said: “I was left alone and unconscious on the side of the road after a hit-and-run in Thailand.”
She added: “I was a passenger on a motorbike when it crashed. The driver got up and left me there, without calling for help. I don’t remember any of it, but I know I was lying there alone, unconscious, until someone found me and thankfully got me to the hospital.”
Foster said she now faces medical costs already exceeding GBP4,000, with bills continuing to rise as further treatment is required. She said she felt “scared, vulnerable and honestly a bit lost” while recovering alone far from home.
The incident has also prompted Foster to warn other travellers to carefully check the terms of their insurance policies before travelling abroad. She urged holidaymakers to read the “fine print” closely and to be cautious about accepting rides from people they do not know, especially if alcohol may be involved.
The Daily Mall reported the case highlights the financial risks travellers can face overseas when insurance policies contain restrictions linked to trip length or activities such as riding on motorbikes. Authorities have not released further details about the crash or whether any investigation is under way into the actions of the rider who allegedly left the scene.
Pictures courtesy of Daily Mail
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Dailymail 9 May 2026