Brit dad, 24, suffers a broken spine in horror drunken Ayia Napa hotel fall after trying to leap between two balconies
His stepmum is raising awareness about the importance of medical insurance
HOLIDAY PANIC Brit dad, 24, suffers a broken spine in horror drunken Ayia Napa hotel fall after trying to leap between two balconies
A BRIT dad has been left with a broken spine after plunging 30ft from a balcony in Ayia Napa.
Sam Hudson, 24, from Lincoln, was on holiday with his brother and a pal when he tried to leap between two balconies while drunk at the popular Cypriot resort.
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Sam Hudson has been left seriously injured after falling from a third floor balcony
Credit: Facebook
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The decorator and dad to a two-year-old boy was spotted by a passerby trying to walk between two balconies
Credit: Facebook
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Sam reportedly fell 30ft from the balcony
The decorator and dad to a two-year-old boy was spotted by a passerby trying to walk between balconies last Sunday evening.
Sam was leaving a pool party at the Anmaria Beach Hotel - where he was staying.
He is thought to have been trying to reach his brother's room next door - but the details are unclear, as Sam says he can't remember events before the fall.
The passerby phoned emergency services after they saw Sam fall from the balcony.
While witnesses say the holidaymaker fell from a second floor of his hotel, the fall was reportedly as high as from the third floor with it being around 30ft, onlookers believe.
He was rushed to a local clinic before being transferred to the island's biggest hospital, Nicosia General Hospital.
Sam is currently hospitalised in Cyprus after breaking his pelvis, part of his spine and his leg.
The Brit faces medical bills running into the tens of thousands - after it emerged he hadn't taken out any travel insurance.
Cops have launched an investigation into the accident.
His stepmother, Karen, and her husband flew out the next day to be with their son who at the time was in pain and heavily medicated.
Brit tourist, 18, fighting for life after third floor balcony plunge in Ibiza as he's airlifted to hospital
The family started a GoFundMe to help with medical costs after they had to choose between paying between £30,000 to £60,000 for a repatriation plane or staying in Cyprus for Sam's recovery.
In the description of the crowdfunding page, his family says: "This is a devastating situation for both Sam and his family.
"Sam has a two-year-old son who's missing his daddy deeply, and Sam is heartbroken that he can't be there with him.
"He's not only a father, but also a son and a brother—now stranded, in pain, and feeling isolated so far from home."
Over £4,100 has been raised so far.
His mum Karen has also spoken out on her son's devastating fall as she told MailOnline: "You know what young boys are like but I never could have predicted something like this would happen.
"Doctors at the hospital have said he's lucky to be alive or to not have more severe damage."
She added: "We told him so many times before he left that he needed to get travel insurance but he didn't listen.
"I want the government to make it a legal requirement that all young people must have travel insurance before travelling because I don't another family to have to go through what we have.
"I've heard of families having to remortgage their house or sell their car to cover costs of accidents like this - all because they didn't think to take out insurance."
Sam's accident comes weeks after another Brit fell from a hotel balcony in Marbella.
The unnamed man was reportedly fighting for his life after falling from the balcony onto a public street at 5am.
Police have interviewed the three friends who were with the tourist, who is described in reports as being young.
Reports suggest that over 100 people have died from 'balconing' - the dangerous act of jumping or falling from hotel balconies, mostly carried out by young British men - in Spain's Balearic Islands over the past two decades.
Several hundred more have been seriously injured.
What is balconing?
BALCONING is a dangerous practice that emerged in Spain, typically involving foreign tourists.
It refers to two behaviours: jumping into a swimming pool from a balcony
falling from height while climbing from one balcony to another
The term combines the Spanish word balcón (meaning "balcony") with the English suffix '-ing'.
Often, those involved are under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
According to the British Foreign Office and Spanish doctor Juan José Segura, the 'average practitioner' is a 24-year-old British male.
Over the years, numerous people have lost their lives attempting balconing.
Authorities strongly warn against this dangerous and potentially fatal activity.
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