Brit father-of-five, 32, dies five weeks after he was knocked off his motorbike in Thailand: Horrified girlfriend heard the crash on the phone
- Jay Bridgehouse, 32, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of February 26
- He suffered a collision with a truck while riding his bike on Koh Samui in Thailand
- The father-of-five fell into a coma and finally succumbed to injuries on March 18
A British father-of-five has died weeks after suffering a horrific collision with a truck while riding a motorbike in Thailand.
Jay Bridgehouse, 32, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of February 26 after being knocked off his motorbike by the oncoming vehicle on the island of Koh Samui.
He had just finished a call with girlfriend Naomi moments earlier but had not hung up the phone – meaning she was still on the line and heard the sickening impact of the truck colliding with her partner’s bike.
Jay, from Stockport in Manchester, was shuttled straight into emergency surgery at Koh Samui international hospital having sustained multiple skull fractures in the absence of a helmet.
The operation was deemed a success and he was expected to regain consciousness within hours of emerging from the operating room.
Unfortunately, the extent of Jay’s injuries was such that he instead slipped into a coma following a brain bleed.
He eventually succumbed to his injuries on March 18 after he suffered a second brain haemorrhage and contracted pneumonia and sepsis.
Jay Bridgehouse (pictured), 32, was rushed to hospital in the early hours of February 26 after being knocked off his motorbike by the oncoming vehicle. A GoFundMe page set up by Jay’s younger sister Abbie has so far raised £27,000 towards a £50,000 goal
Jay is pictured in a hospital bed in Thailand connected to a ventilator following his horror smash with a truck on Koh Samui
Jay’s devastated family are now trying to raise funds to cover the costs of their son’s medical care, repatriating his body and his funeral.
Speaking to the Manchester Evening News, mum Tracey and dad Dean said: ‘Jay was still in the coma, and then his kidney and liver functions started to decrease. His organs were shutting down and his immune system wasn’t strong enough to fight the pneumonia.
‘From then he just rapidly declined. We were all with him by his bedside and watched him slip away.’
The family claimed they had taken out multiple credit cards to fly from Stockport to Thailand on short notice in the days after learning about the crash.
A GoFundMe page set up by Jay’s younger sister Abbie has so far raised £27,000 towards a £50,000 goal.
Paying tribute to her big brother, Abbie wrote: ‘Jay was in Thailand chasing his dreams for the future. Jay is a much loved, fun loving, and often teasing, big brother.
‘He is an avid #ManchesterUnited fan and watched the games whenever he could. He has been known to blast out an out of tune version of #TomJones ‘Delilah’ on the karaoke whenever he had the chance.
‘Jay is Manchester born and bred, still very connected with home… He was in contact with home often and always ended his calls with ‘I’ love you all the world big sausages” and ”I miss you”.
‘We are a hard-working family. We have borrowed and maxed out credit cards to be here with Jay, but we have nowhere else to turn, other than to beg for the generosity and kindness of family, friends and strangers to help us save our Jay.’
Jay, from Stockport in Manchester, was shuttled straight into emergency surgery at Koh Samui international hospital (pictured)
Jay, who has four children aged 13, nine, eight and six, and was also looking after a step-daughter aged two, was in Thailand looking for work after taking a trip to the country and deciding he wanted to live there.
His family told Manchester Evening News: ‘Jay was such a character. He was life loving, fun loving and family loving. He was a wonderful dad and son and was loved by everybody. He was boisterous and a little mischievous and was always the first to turn up the music at a party. He was always up for a laugh.’
Mum Tracey said: ‘When he was a teenager and out with his mates in Stockport, if he saw me he would always give me a kiss and tell you he loved you in front of all his friends. He would never end a phone call without telling you how much he loved and missed you.
‘We have been overwhelmed by all the messages of support and how many people donated to the funding page. We have had so many messages from people we don’t even know.’
Jay’s body remains in Thailand as his family continue to liaise with Thai health authorities and an international funeral company in an attempt to organise his repatriation.
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