Restaurateur critically injured in Thai bike crash
A restaurant owner has been left in critical condition after being hit by a motorbike in Thailand.
Ricky Eury, 39, from Hanham in Bristol, was crossing a road in the city of Phuket when he was struck by the vehicle, sustaining serious head injuries as well as fractures to his nose and ribs.
A keen Muay Thai fighter, Mr Eury was in the country to train and to find new inspiration and ingredients for his business Gorilla Thai Kitchen, which has two sites in Bristol.
A fundraiser to help meet the large medical bills now facing his family has raised more than £20,000 in a matter of days.
"It's been really heart-warming to see all of our friends and even people that we don't know coming together," Mr Wilkinson said.
"He's one of those people – he just has friends everywhere. He's lived in London, lived in Bristol, comes from Devon, so everywhere he goes there's always someone he knows.
"[He has] a really lovely community, which Bristol is known for, and he's just the kind of person who, if a friend was in trouble or something like this were to happen then he would drop everything and do everything he could to help out."
Long-time friend of Mr Eury, Solomon Wilkinson, told the BBC he had set up the fundraiser to remove "a level of stress and pressure" from his family, who rushed out to Thailand after the incident on Saturday, not knowing if he would survive while they were travelling.
Mr Wilkinson said the family had received a bill of around £10,000 for Mr Eury's treatment on Monday, with new bills expected every day.
While Mr Eury's condition has improved and he has regained consciousness, he remains heavily sedated and his head trauma means he is unable to fully communicate with family and friends.
This means his family are unable to access information about any insurance cover he may have, leaving them with the possibility of having to pay themselves.
"I think it raises a wider concern about about being safe when you're far away from home," Mr Wilkinson said.
"You never know what's going to happen and it's really important to let your friends and family know you have a plan in case something happens."
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