The girlfriend of a 21-year-old British man fighting for his life in Thailand after a scooter accident has issued an urgent plea for help to bring him home. Zak Forsyth, from Huyton, Merseyside, was involved in a collision with a car last week while riding a scooter in the Southeast Asian country.
According to his girlfriend, Amy Elkin, the driver took him to hospital, but Zak suffered serious injuries including two blood clots and a bleed on the brain. He is now in a coma in intensive care. Zak did not have medical or travel insurance, leaving his family to cover all hospital and treatment costs.
Amy, who flew to Thailand earlier this week, said Zak was sober at the time of the incident. She told the Liverpool Echo: 'He was coming back from somewhere. His friends didn't even know about it. He's got a bleed on the brain, a broken nose, a broken jaw, broken ankle and broken arm.'
The family initially estimated they would need £30,000 for surgery alone, but that figure has since risen to £60,000 due to mounting medical costs. In a recent update, Amy said Zak has been placed on new medication to reduce brain swelling, but doctors cannot operate until his condition stabilises. Surgery will only be attempted if the situation becomes a matter of life and death.
Amy said: 'We're hoping the swelling goes down enough for the clots to heal on their own but nothing is certain. The doctor said he is still in a life-threatening condition. The prices of the medical bills are rising each day with us having to pay £5,000 every seven days to keep him in ICU.'
A JustGiving page set up for Zak has raised over £34,000 so far. Amy wrote: 'Every little will help us. Thanks to everyone who's helped so far. Get my boy home.' Supporters have flooded social media with messages of hope, with one saying: 'Liverpool is an amazing city the way people come together to help and support their children.'
