A Birmingham MP has requested an urgent meeting with the Foreign Office after a 20-year-old British man suffered severe brain injuries when he fell from a moving pick-up truck in Pattaya, Thailand. Ethan Lacey, from Castle Vale, Birmingham, was visiting his cousin when he went missing last month and was later found in intensive care.
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Speaking in the House of Commons, Erdington Labour MP Paulette Hamilton said she was requesting an “urgent meeting with the relevant Foreign Office minister to discuss immediate support for Ethan and his family”. The family is currently raising money and attempting to secure personal loans to cover medical expenses in Thailand and the cost of a specialist flight back to the UK.
Lacey sustained three bleeds on the brain, a broken jaw, a fractured neck, and injuries to his shoulder, arm and hand following the fall. His relatives have said they still do not know exactly what happened.
According to his family, Lacey had originally planned to stay in Thailand for four weeks and had travel insurance covering that period. However, he extended his trip shortly before the accident and forgot to renew his insurance after deciding not to return home as scheduled because flights were expensive.
His father, Kevin Lacey, said the mention of his son’s case in Parliament was “positive”. He added that the ongoing cost of hospital treatment was making it increasingly difficult to raise enough money to bring Ethan home.
Despite the severity of his injuries, Lacey is showing signs of progress. His father said he has started moving his hands and fingers. He has also been issued with a “fit to fly” certificate on special grounds, although he will require a doctor, nurse and medic to accompany him during the journey.
The case has highlighted the financial challenges faced by families when serious medical emergencies occur overseas without valid travel insurance. The family continues to seek support while Ethan remains in hospital in Thailand.
The BBC reported that doctors will continue to monitor Lacey’s recovery as arrangements are explored for his return to the UK. His father said the family’s priority is to reunite him with his three-year-old daughter as soon as possible.
Picture courtesy of The BBC
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Adapted by ASEAN Now BBC 6 June 2026