Zak Forsyth was left with life-changing injuries after the scooter he was riding collided with a car.
Zak Forsyth, 21, has been on holiday in the Asian country with his friends over the past week.(Image: Daily Echo)
A young British man is fighting for his life after being seriously injured in a horror crash while on holiday in Thailand.
Zak Forsyth, 21, from Huyton, in Merseyside had been travelling in the Asian country with friends when the incident happened last week. His girlfriend Amy Ekin, also 21, said Zak was sober and riding a scooter when it collided with a car.
The driver of the car reportedly took Zak straight to hospital, where doctors discovered he had suffered potentially life-changing injuries. He is now in a coma.
Amy said Zak had no medical or travel insurance, meaning the cost of his treatment must be covered by his family.
Holding back tears, Amy, who is still in Huyton, said she is struggling to come to terms with what has happened.
She told the ECHO: “The police came and knocked on our door, so he must have had some ID on him which the British Embassy have looked at.
“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, a broken ankle and a broken arm.”
Zak has suffered potentially life-changing injuries.(Image: Daily Echo)
The family have already managed to pay a £5,000 deposit to allow Zak to undergo surgery, but say they will need far more financial support in the weeks ahead.
Amy said: “We’ve put a £5,000 deposit down for his surgery, he’s in a coma. We’ve got a fundraiser going — we just need as much help as possible at the moment.”
More than £9,000 has already been raised through a JustGiving page, with the family hoping to reach £20,000 so they can continue his treatment and eventually bring him home to Merseyside.
Amy said the response from the local community has been overwhelming.
Zak Forsyth with his girlfriend Amy Ekin.(Image: Daily Echo)
She added: “The whole of Liverpool has rallied around Zak and the family. He’s loved by everyone around here.
“I’ve had people coming round, dropping money off every five minutes. What we have is great, but it’s not enough to fix everything.
“I’m going over to Thailand on Monday. I’ve had to get an emergency passport to get there. We’re doing what we can. I just want him home.”
Zak’s mum, Mel McCourt, 47, also from Huyton, said the family are desperate for support.
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She said: “We need as much help as we can to get him home.”
In a heartfelt statement shared on Instagram, Amy described the ordeal as “sudden and devastating”.
She wrote: “Like so many people, we never imagined something like this could happen to us. Our lives have been turned upside down in ways we never could have prepared for.
“Time is critical, and every moment matters in ensuring he continues to receive the care he desperately needs and in getting his loved ones to his side.
“It is incredibly humbling and difficult to ask others for financial help — something we never thought we would need to do. But right now, our only focus is doing everything possible to support him and give him the best chance to keep fighting.
“Any money raised will go directly toward Zak’s medical expenses, as well as urgent travel costs for me and his family so we can be with him during this incredibly difficult time.
“Any donation, no matter how big or small, will make a difference.”