Wayne and Debra Murphy have visited Thailand countless times. It took one slip on an ice cream cone to turn their most recent visit to Phuket upside down. Read their real life example about how one small thing can trip up your travels- and what to do to set things right.
The Murphy family enjoying their time in Phuket before Wayne's accident
As longtime visitors to Thailand, Wayne and Debra Murphy have never had to make a travel insurance claim before. However, in January, the NSW couple’s idyllic family holiday to Phuket would take a wild turn, just a day before they were due to return home.
The pair had been enjoying the remainder of their trip when Wayne, aged 66, slipped on some melted ice cream while walking through Patong.
"I was actually getting a tattoo, and he was coming to meet me when he slipped on some chocolate ice cream on the footpath,” says Debra, 66. “It was just bad luck."
Debra says that the severity of Wayne’s fall was far worse than the pair initially thought.
“He was in a lot of pain. It was such a bad break that the bit that goes into your kneecap shattered and the bone and then the femur broke as well above that too.”
After Wayne was taken by ambulance to the nearest local hospital, Debra got in touch with 1Cover.
“I had a copy of my insurance policy on my phone, and I just got the number off that and rang and they were really good. They didn't muck around. They took the basic details, got all my details and said, look, leave it with us. We'll contact the hospital.”
Airlift to Singapore
Wayne and Debra being airlifted to Singapore after his accident.
After consulting with both the hospital staff and 1Cover, the decision was made to transfer Wayne to the largest nearby hospital, the Bangkok Phuket. The Murphy’s were then informed that Wayne would need to be airlifted overseas for surgery due to the hospital’s limited blood supply.
Wayne's injuries both pre and post surgery
“We asked to be flown back home but they said no, the leg was too badly done to travel all the way back.”
Days later, the Murphy’s were airlifted to Singapore on a small plane, along with a doctor and two nurses.
Despite her anxiety over the experience, Deb says the service far surpassed her expectations.
“It was just done so well. There was a doctor and two nurses, and the ambulance was there on arrival and everything. Everything went so smoothly.”
Wayne recovering back at home in Australia
Following Wayne’s intricate knee surgery, it would take another three weeks recovering in hospital before he was given the medical clearance to return home.
“When they gave him the OK to come back, that was all organised for us. The nurse came over from Melbourne and stayed the night. She was with us when we got the ambulance to the airport and when we came back. We also came back via business class with Qantas, so that was a bit of a treat.”
Debra says that while Wayne’s recovery has been slower than expected, she credits his medical team for their concern and professionalism.
“He only came home from hospital three weeks ago and it's still not healed. But the doctors in Singapore were absolutely brilliant. The doctor, the anesthetist, the blood lady, and the endocrinologist came in every day to see him and talk to him. They were really, really good.”
Debra says that the experience has firmly reinforced the importance of travel insurance.
“We've been using 1Cover ever since we started travelling — our whole family uses it. I’m on a lot of Facebook cruise groups and people say, ‘do you need insurance’ and I’m always saying ‘yes, you definitely need it.’”
Natalie Ball, COO of 1Cover, says that the Murphy’s story once again highlights the significance of travel insurance for all travellers.
“In total, the Murphys' claim — covering medical expenses, airfares, medical repatriation and accommodation — came to around $400,000. Without travel insurance, the financial and emotional toll of an incident like this would have been immense. Once again, this is a powerful reminder of just how essential travel insurance is for every traveller.”
Debra says that while future trips are now on hold, she intends to visit Thailand again, ensuring they are covered.
“We will definitely go back. We have a lot of friends over there and what happened was just bad luck.”
And in terms of travel insurance, Debra says that it’s clear which brand they’d choose.
“We were very impressed and happy with the way we were looked after. We’d definitely use 1Cover again.”
1Cover ® is a registered trademark of 1Cover Pty Ltd. 1Cover Pty Ltd ABN 91 105 954 265, is an authorised representative of Coffre-Fort Pty Limited ABN 66 125 358 518, AFS Licence No. 472457. Before you buy, please read the Product Disclosure Statement and Target Market Determination. Any information contained on this website is general advice only and has been prepared without taking into account your objectives, financial situation or needs. You should consider these having regard to the Product Disclosure Statement (‘PDS’). Before you purchase, please note in particular, the eligibility criteria, travel warnings in place and limitations to claim under multiple policy sections.
This insurance is underwritten by HDI Global Specialty SE – Australia.
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