Alfie Moses, an 18-year-old British tourist, is fighting for his life in a Greek hospital after a quad bike accident on the island of Zante. The crash occurred on June 15 during his first lads' holiday to celebrate his 18th birthday. He was thrown from a quad bike travelling at approximately 40mph after clipping a raised edge on the road.
Severe Injuries and Emergency Response
Moses sustained 12 fractured vertebrae, 11 broken ribs, a punctured lung, a ruptured spleen, a brain bleed, and a broken shoulder. He was initially taken to a local hospital on Zante before being airlifted to Mediterraneo Hospital in Athens for further treatment of severe internal injuries. His mother, Kayley Posnett, flew from Peterborough to Greece the day after the accident.
According to Posnett, the crash occurred when Moses clipped a raised edge and was thrown from the vehicle. She said, 'His friends that were in front of him said they were doing about 50 mph, and he was just behind them. He fell off the bike, he hit something, he went flying in the air and landed down a little cliffy bit, and the bike followed after him but didn't land on him.'
Medical Challenges and Progress
Doctors initially feared a blood clot but discovered bruising to his spinal cord caused by the damaged vertebrae. Moses is now in intensive care and requires spinal surgery, which has been delayed until his lungs are strong enough. He is also receiving intravenous antibiotics for lung contusions. Despite the severity of his injuries, Posnett reported that Moses is showing signs of improvement and has begun speaking again. She described him as a 'perfect patient' who remains positive and cracks jokes.
Posnett expressed gratitude to the medical team: 'I can't thank this hospital enough because as soon as we got here, we had the ICU straight there speaking to us, saying that we've had a call, knowing he's going to arrive. We had a spinal expert. We had a brain expert. We had a neurosurgeon, all coming in at different times.'
Financial Burden and Safety Concerns
The family has faced high medical costs, with initial treatment and transport amounting to around £17,000. Posnett raised concerns about quad bike exclusions on their insurance, leaving uncertainty about coverage. She also criticized safety standards in quad bike hire operations abroad, noting that similar incidents are common among young tourists. 'There's people every week dying of injuries on a quad bike,' she said. 'These companies are baffling these young adults down, and they're haggling them down, and they're letting them have a quad bike for 50 euros - that is a dangerous piece of equipment.'
Moses paid €50 for the quad bike experience, a price his mother believes contributed to the accident. She added, 'Alfie said if that quad bike was €150, he would not have gone on it.'
Recovery Outlook and Fundraiser
Doctors are hopeful that Moses could leave hospital in the coming weeks or months, but his recovery is expected to be long and complex. The incident follows the death of British dad Ray Lally, 42, in a quad biking accident on Corfu last month. A fundraiser has been set up to support the family with medical expenses.
