Josh Richardson: Chorley man stuck in Thailand hospital finally returns home to family

Data analyst Josh Richardson, 24, had been seriously injured in a motorcycle accident on Friday, February 3, whilst holidaying with a university friend in Thailand. They had been there less than 24 hours when tragedy struck.

It is believed Josh went out on his moped for some food in the middle of the night. When his friend woke up the following morning, Josh was not there. Due to the nature of the accident the insurance company would not cover the costs of his treatment leaving Josh’s family to not only stress about their son, but also how they could afford the ever increasing medical bills.

His tearful mum Susan who is a nurse told the Post that, while they are very grateful that their son is now in the same country as them and being cared for at Royal Preston Hospital, there is still a long and unsure road to his recovery.

He left Bangkok airport last Thursday evening on a £20k flight accompanied by a doctor, two nurses and his dad Jim, who had stayed with his son the whole time in Thailand.

Susan said: “We are so relieved and thankful that we have been able to get him back home close to his family and friends. He has now had his peg tube removed and started eating a balanced diet and taking fluids. He has had his catheter removed, however this was very painful due to the amount of time it was in. He is now on the high dependency neuro ward at Royal Preston Hospital. He is currently undergoing further tests and a CT scan.

"The only help we have had is from friends, family and a few neighbours. The insurance company Josh was with stated that if you hired a moped above 50cc you needed to have completed a Competency bike test in the UK. As Josh had never rode a bike before in the UK he would never have known this information. When they hired the bikes they never asked to see anything other than his driving licence and money. We had been in touch with the British and Thai embassy for support and advice but what we received was very limited.”

How many operations has Josh had so far?

In total, Josh has had four surgeries costing £53k. The first was to reset his jaw due to both cheekbones being fractured. The second was on his left knee which had become infected due to the cuts he received with the accident.

The third was a two hour operation via his nasal passage to close the tear after an air pocket was found near his brain. Unfortunately the air had not reduced sufficiently and it was decided that he needed a second operation which was four hours and involved opening up his skull from ear to ear and repairing the second tear.

Josh currently has no sight in his left eye due to the severity of the accident and is waiting to be assessed by the ophthalmologists. Susan added: "He is the most loveable and outgoing person who puts 100 per cent into everything he does.”

Good friend Joanne Gibson started a go fund me page for Josh and up to now it has raised £36,108 from 592 donations. The View Bar and Bistro in Withnell, Chorley, will also be hosting two charity events to help raise money for Josh’s medical fees, with the family still having to pay £95k for his stay in ICU. The first event – a fashion show and afternoon tea, will take place on Sunday, May 21, at 2pm. Contact the bar for tickets.

If you would like to make a donation to the GoFundMe Page CLICK HERE.