Distraught family need to raise £50,000 for woman's medical bills after Thailand scooter crash

Jo Hoffman smashed every bone in her face and broke her spine in four places during the crash and now desperately needs £50,000 to pay for vital treatment needed to recover.

The 28-year-old's frantic family back home can only wait for sporadic updates about Jo's health as she lies in agony in her hospital bed wondering if there will be enough money for her next procedure.

Geneva Hoffman, from the Merry Hill area of the city, has launched a Gofundme page to raise money for the spiralling medical bills after her sister's travel insurance was deemed invalid.

She told the Express & Star: "The whole family is so upset, my parents are really struggling not being able to see Jo and knowing she is suffering so far away.

"She will be in hospital for Christmas and we don't know when she will be getting back home because she might have to stay until the medical bills are paid off, it is a nightmare."

She said: "Jo has been looking forward to this holiday for so long, she has taken time away from her career for the first time ever and was going to New Zealand after Thailand.

"She was so excited before she left but she also is sensible and organised, so she got travel insurance so for it to be classed as invalid is a massive blow, we are not the kind of family who have £50,000 lying around."

However, family, friends, former and current colleagues and acquaintances have all rallied to support the former Wolverhampton Grammar School pupil in her time of need.

Geneva, aged 24, said: "We only put the fundraising page up a couple of days ago and we have already nearly raised £10,000. There has been a massive outpouring of support since the news about her came out, which we, and I'm sure she is very grateful for.

"I spoke to her for a short while a couple of days ago, we just have to wait for updates when they came, it was heartbreaking to tell the rest of the family what had happened. Jo is a real family girl she has got two sisters, one brother, lots of nieces and nephews and her parents who all love her to bits."

Jo travelled to the island of Ko Sanui with her boyfriend and was enjoying exploring the temples, fishing villages and beaches before her accident.

She was the passenger on a scooter when it skidded on sand, catapulting her into the air before landing on her face on the concrete road. Reliving the moment Jo said her face "felt like a mosh pit" and when she caught sight of herself "there was no distinguishable shapes or features, just chunks of bone and flesh protruding from every angle".

After being rushed to hospital Jo received the devastating extent of her injuries and then the traumatising news her travel insurance would not cover any medical bills.

She said: "After what felt like hours of being strapped to every scanner and X-ray machine imaginable, we were very solemnly informed that I had fractured nearly every bone in my face, fractured four disks in my spinal chord, caused ligament damage to my left arm and was covered in cuts and gashes just waiting for an infection to set in.

"The doctors huddled and recommended emergency facial reconstruction be the first step in my long list of treatments, and advised that my jaw may need to be wired shut."

She added: "In my delicate state I could do nothing but lie there and wait for a decision to be made but time just ticked on as they vigorously checked travel insurance documents whilst I lay there waiting for treatment in agony.

"My heart shattered when we were told that our insurance policies were invalid and my Amex card did not offer the protections I thought it did. I admit that I’m lucky to be alive but the mounting medical bills presented to me on a daily basis fill my heart with dread and fear."

To donate to Jo's medical bills visit gofundme.com/f/help-jo-recover-from-her-crash-and-get-home?qid=731089534f1b8aa0b4aa4b74698bbb0e.