Darren Webb, 34, and Danielle Davies, 30, were rushed to hospital on the first day of their dream trip to Marmaris after they were involved in a moped crash
A British couple caught in a horror moped crash in Turkey have been left with an eye-watering £20,000 hospital bill.
Holidaymakers Darren Webb, 34, and Danielle Davies, 30, were rushed to hospital on the first day of their dream trip to Marmaris. The incident left them with serious injuries, including a bleed on the brain and broken bones for Darren.
But the couple, from Morecambe, Lancashire, said their insurance company won’t cover treatment, claiming their policy did not account for crashes involving bikes. A spokesperson for Admiral said they understood the pair were injured after riding the moped without the correct licence and training while Mr Webb was under the influence of alcohol – although Danielle said blood tests confirmed he was under the legal limit.
After remaining in the Turkish hospital for 10 days, Darren eventually discharged himself and made his own way home to Lancashire by coach – a gruelling 2,560 mile journey, which took him five and a half days.
His partner Danielle said: “We flew out to Turkey on September 9 and booked a moped because we thought it would be the easiest way to get about for a week. The last thing that I remember before the crash was having something to eat in a restaurant, before getting back on the bike.
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“The next thing I knew, I was waking up in hospital surrounded by doctors. It was the most petrifying thing that’s ever happened to me in my life. There was also a language barrier and I just remember asking, ‘Where’s Darren?’ He was in ICU, but I’d had a bang to the head so I didn’t really know what was happening.
“I was crying and everything was a blur. It was very scary, I was basically on my own in a foreign country.”
Upon returning home, Danielle was examined by doctors at Royal Preston Hospital and discovered she had a punctured lung and muscle damage. She revealed that she is still in pain.
Darren, on the other hand, suffered a punctured lung as well as a broken arm, foot, ribs and jaw. Danielle claimed: “He had to travel for five and a half days on a coach, because he wasn’t able to get on a plane without a fit to fly certificate. The doctors in Turkey wanted him to have the operations there, but that would’ve added another £15,000 to the bill.”
Due to her condition after the accident, Danielle said she was in “no fit state” to bring suitcases back by herself, resulting in her leaving belongings behind. The couple have initiated a fundraiser to help cover the medical bills and other unforeseen costs.
Danielle further added: “It’s quite scary to think of that £20,000 bill, it’s a lot of money. Before I went on holiday, I was saving for a house. I’d saved enough money for a deposit, but I’ve had to use it to help Darren get home. The experience has put me off going on holiday again – you just don’t expect something like this to happen.”
A statement from Admiral said that the company was sorry to hear about the situation, but the claim had been assessed using witness accounts, photographs from the scene, police reports and investigator insights. They added that Danielle was was not wearing a helmet, which she confirmed. However, she added that this was not provided by the hire company.
The spokesperson added: “The claim wasn’t covered because Mr Webb and Miss Davies knowingly undertook this risky activity whilst Mr Webb was intoxicated, and it was foreseeable that doing so would result in serious injury.”