A British tourist is fighting for his life, after reportedly falling from a moving pickup truck and being run over in Pattaya. Ethan Lacey, 20, from Birmingham, who had taken two months off from his factory job to visit Thailand, is on life support at a hospital in Bangkok after suffering critical head injuries in the incident on May 16.
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According to local reports, Ethan was travelling in the back of a pickup truck when he either fell or was thrown off during an argument, at a busy intersection in Pattaya. Local media reported that the truck’s rear wheel ran over his head, leaving him with life-threatening injuries.
Ethan’s family lost contact with him on May 15 while he was travelling across Thailand. Several days later, they discovered he was in intensive care after being alerted by a woman he was reportedly seeing in Thailand.
His grandmother, Anthea Chatwin, has launched a GoFundMe appeal to help cover mounting medical expenses and maintain his life support treatment. In an update shared on the fundraising page, she said doctors had told the family Ethan had a “30% chance of survival if kept on life support for 2 weeks”.
Ms Chatwin also shared details of the financial burden facing the family. She wrote that hospital costs were expected to reach between GBP800 and GBP1000 per day while Ethan remains in intensive care.
In an earlier update, Ms Chatwin explained how the family located Ethan. She wrote: “We located Ethan at 5:00am on the 19th May British time, via a girl he is seeing in Thailand, he is in the ICU.”
She added that Ethan’s travel insurance had expired before the accident. The family is now seeking donations to help pay medical costs and eventually return him to the UK.
Ethan’s mother, father and grandmother are understood to have travelled to Thailand to be at his bedside. At the time of reporting, more than GBP2,200 had been raised through the online appeal.
The case has drawn attention to the risks faced by tourists travelling in open-backed vehicles in Thailand, particularly in busy resort areas such as Pattaya. No further details about the circumstances of the crash or any police investigation have been released by authorities, who are still believed to still be searching for the pickup.
The Mirror reported that Doctors are expected to continue monitoring Ethan’s condition over the coming days and weeks, while his family remains in Thailand, hoping for the best.
Pictures courtesy of The Mirror
Original story
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Adapted by ASEAN Now Mirror 21 May 2026
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