A 27 year old man was left seriously hurt in a quad bike accident within his first 24 hours of a holiday with his father and a friend.
Lewis Quinn was involved in the crash shortly after touching down in Kalamaki, on the Greek island of Zante, on 6th June for a week-long break with his dad John and close family friend Shaun Clark. He has remained in hospital ever since, with his father — who hails from Fenham in Newcastle — admitting he has “never experienced stress like this in my life”.
John said that the group had hired quad bikes with the intention of exploring the surrounding area upon their arrival at the popular tourist destination. He said: “The following morning, we were notified by the guy who rented us the quads that there had been an accident. The police officer who dealt with it said that Lewis was in a serious condition.”
View 2 ImagesJohn Quinn and his son Lewis(Image: John Quinn)
Lewis suffered a fractured arm and a fractured jaw in two places during the collision, and was rushed to hospital where he was placed on a ventilator, reports Chronicle Live.
His recovery was further hampered when internal bleeding into his lungs triggered an infection, which subsequently developed into pneumonia. After nearly a fortnight in hospital, Lewis is now conscious and on the road to recovery, though it remains uncertain when he will be fit enough to be discharged and return home to the UK, reports Chronicle Live.
His father John, a tattoo artist, described the ordeal as “very, very difficult”, telling Chronicle Live: “I’ve have never experienced stress like this in my life. He’s been under sedation and they’re trying to bring him out of that to remove the tube, but he’s getting agitated.”
Lewis, who currently lives in Bedford with his partner, had failed to take out travel insurance before the trip. His friend Shaun has launched a GoFundMe appeal to help cover the costs of his ongoing treatment, which has raised nearly £7,000 at the time of writing.
John said: “It (the GoFundMe) was originally for Lewis’s repatriation, but his partner has flown out and it’s also to help cover her accommodation and travel expenses. I have even considered cashing in my pension but it was going to take three weeks.
“This is all about his immediate care, not long term care. I just want him to be okay.”
The 60 year old says he hopes to travel back home together with Lewis, though he currently has no idea when that might be possible. For now, he is making sure he remains close to the hospital where Lewis is being treated, but that brings its own set of challenges.
He concluded: “I would like to fly home with Lewis. We’re between apartments as we’ve not have a tenancy for more than two nights, high season is approaching and I’m worried I won’t have a bed; it’s all very, very stressful.”
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You can donate to the fundraiser by clicking here.