In a tale of love, resilience, and an unexpected proposal, a British couple from Durham, in the northeast of England, found themselves thrust into the spotlight after a near-fatal motorbike crash during what was supposed to be a dreamy 28-day Thai vacation.

 

As their love story unfolds amidst the wreckage, a community rallies to support the engaged couple, fighting against not only life-threatening injuries but also mounting medical bills.

 

Chiang Mai, what began as a dreamy holiday for 31 year old Dale Goundry, an electrical engineer, and his 27 year old fiancée, Sophie Redpath, a production operator, turned into a nightmare of unimaginable proportions. The couple from Newton Aycliffe in County Durham, embarked on a lavish getaway to Thailand, filled with anticipation and plans for a marriage proposal.

However, fate took a cruel turn on January 22 when the pair collided with the central reservation of a motorway in Chiang Mai, hurtling through the air in a terrifying motorbike crash. The accident left Dale with a collapsed lung, ten broken ribs, and a shoulder so severely injured that his arm became detached. Amid this harrowing ordeal, Dale, fearing the worst, made a poignant call to his mother, uttering a heartbreaking goodbye.

 

by Puntid Tantivangphaisal

Photo courtesy of The Northern Echo

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2024-02-02

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

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1 hour ago, webfact said:

found themselves thrust into the spotlight after a near-fatal motorbike crash during what was supposed to be a dreamy 28-day Thai vacation.

Good to hear they survived and there is a happy ending...

 

 

What the...? They had insurance? No need for a gofundme?

 

Oh, wait...

Detached arm, thats gotta be worth a donation surely?? 

Hit the central  Bolards  at speed no other  Motorist involved.poor driving by the Brit can't blame Thai bad driving for this one. 

miss quote

Always the same old story:

Not sufficient insurance but start a GoFundMe campaign when there is an accident.

4 minutes ago, brianthainess said:

Should have gone public Govt. hospital.

Nakornping is a Government hospital. 👍🏾

16 minutes ago, jippytum said:

Hit the central  Bolards  at speed no other  Motorist involved.poor driving by the Brit can't blame Thai bad driving for this one. 

They hit the central reservation not a bollard.

2 minutes ago, roo860 said:

Nakornping is a Government hospital. 👍🏾

Oops   I should have noticed that by the photo, the use of the term separate room in the full story threw me, its obviously a ward.

 

It's always a great idea to make important life decisions when you're on powerful drugs.

 

2 hours ago, Olmate said:

Detached arm, thats gotta be worth a donation surely?? 

Yeah, I had to scroll up and check the photo again...

3 hours ago, flyingtlger said:

Good to hear they survived and there is a happy ending...

 

 

He does have a wry smile.

Says in the linked article that they have travel insurance covering up to £13200.  Seems strange, I've never heard of such a low limit.

The couple have graciously included their separate gofundme pages in their Wedding Gift Registry.

3 hours ago, newbee2022 said:

Always the same old story:

Not sufficient insurance but start a GoFundMe campaign when there is an accident.

 

I'd cut them some slack on that.  I challenge you to find a policy that fully covers anyone for a scooter accident.  But usually, those exclusions are around page 63 of the fine print.

 

Not to mention, speaking to several former co-workers about their expat insurance plans in Thailand, they're paying between $500 and $1200 a month just for health care coverage, depending on age and pre-existing conditions.  The idea that a typical $150 a month travel policy is going to provide adequate cover is pretty unrealistic.  Bottom line, most tourists that think they're well covered, really aren't.  Sadly, they only find out when they actually need to claim.

 

Wonder what bike they were riding .

18 minutes ago, impulse said:

I challenge you to find a policy that fully covers anyone for a scooter accident.  But usually, those exclusions are around page 63 of the fine print.

I found it in 50 seconds already. So not a big deal. 

https://www.investopedia.com/how-much-does-travel-insurance-cost-7377124

But I admit GoFundMe is cheaper☹️

12 minutes ago, newbee2022 said:

I found it in 50 seconds already. So not a big deal. 

https://www.investopedia.com/how-much-does-travel-insurance-cost-7377124

But I admit GoFundMe is cheaper

 

Did you read to page 63 of the exclusions? 

 

I still recall a Canadian documentary on YouTube about travel insurance policies from several years back.  Their conclusion was that neither a doctor nor a lawyer could decipher them independently.  You needed a doctor to decipher the medical parts and a lawyer to decipher the legal components.  The driver behind the documentary was the large number of people getting stiffed by their travel insurance.

 

The title is Travel Insurance  Are you actually covered (CBC Marketplace).  Worth a watch if you travel.

 

7 hours ago, webfact said:

Newton Aycliffe

 

There is a stock car track there. 🤔

On 2/2/2024 at 8:25 AM, hotchilli said:

Yeah, I had to scroll up and check the photo again...

They obviously found the arm and sewed it back on, nice work can't even see the join. 

2 hours ago, brianthainess said:

They obviously found the arm and sewed it back on, nice work can't even see the join. 

Maybe the doctor was an ex Chinese garment factory worker.

On 2/2/2024 at 1:49 AM, Olmate said:

Detached arm, thats gotta be worth a donation surely?? 

 

As usual, the under-qualified writers at The Thaiger have 'google translated' a Thai report...

 

I'm pretty sure his arm wasn't detached, rather it was 'dislocated'... 

 

 

On 2/2/2024 at 5:06 AM, flyingtlger said:

a happy ending...

 

That's good, because his right arm is in a sling. 

100 percent of everything.  Better be quick.