Placeholder Content Image

Qld woman faces leg amputation in Thailand as desperate family tries to bring her home

<p>The family of a Queensland woman are desperately trying to raise enough money to bring her home from Thailand, after a horrific scooter accident left her hospitalised and staring down the barrel of potential leg amputation.  </p> <p>Stacey Liddle was celebrating her 30th birthday in Thailand with friend Sinead Markham, when the pair decided to rent scooters, before disaster struck.</p> <p><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2F7NewsBrisbane%2Fposts%2F1703684856311026&amp;width=500" width="500" height="731" style="border: none; overflow: hidden;" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></p> <p>“We were riding along in Chalong and I heard beeping and I saw Stacey get dragged underneath the bus and the wheels went straight over the top of her,” Ms Markham told the <em>Courier Mail</em>.</p> <p>“She wasn’t breathing when she first got hit and I thought she was dead and then she started moaning and woke up and we both just started screaming, it was so horrific.”</p> <p>Ms Liddle was taken to hospital suffering severe leg injuries and a punctured lung, where she was operated on without anaesthesia and doctors removed her calf muscle.</p> <p>“(The bus) completely tore her leg apart, her bone were exposed and her calf muscle was lying on the ground,” Ms Markham said.</p> <p>“They pulled her skin around and stitched it up but where they’ve stitched it the skin is going grey and starting to die and it’s all infected.</p> <p>“She’s lost so much blood that she’s had 10 blood transfusions but at one point she was just so white I thought, ‘Oh my god my friend is going to die’”.</p> <p>To make matters worse, Ms Liddle’s friends and family have discovered that the pair weren’t insured to go on the scooter. To avoid amputation in the Thai hospital, Ms Liddle’s friends have to raise enough money to bring her home.</p> <p>“We’re doing everything we can to get a medical flight to get her home to a hospital in Australia and give her the best possible chance… and stop her leg from being amputated and make sure she survives this,” Ms Markham said.</p> <p>“She has ants crawling all over her in the hospital. It’s absolutely disgusting and the beds are rusting and she has to lie in her own sweat and blood.”</p> <p>Ms Liddle’s family has started a fundraising page, you can <a href="https://www.gofundme.com/please-help-stacey-liddle-get-home" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>visit here</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>What are your thoughts?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a></span> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p>

International Travel

Placeholder Content Image

This city has banned pedestrians from texting

<p>A city in the US has become the first place in world to ban pedestrians from texting while crossing the road, with the law coming into effect tomorrow.</p> <p>Honolulu, the capital city of Hawaii, will issue pedestrians $US35 for, “viewing electronic devices while crossing streets in the city and surrounding county”.</p> <p>Other areas in the US have tried to enforce similar bans, but the Honolulu law is reportedly the first time this regulation has been enforceable by a fine.</p> <p>“This is really milestone legislation that sets the bar high for safety,” Brandon Elefante, the City Council member who proposed the bill, told <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2017/10/23/business/honolulu-walking-and-texting-fine.html?smid=tw-nytimes&amp;smtyp=cur" target="_blank">the New York Times</a></strong></em></span>.</p> <p>Police in some Australian states can issue pedestrians fines if they are deemed to be walking “without consideration to other roads users”, but there is currently no legislation relating to the use of mobile phones and electronic devices.</p> <p>Pedestrians crossing the road without paying attention is becoming a growing problem, according to a report by the World Health Organisation, which found pedestrians who text and walk are almost four times as likely to “engage in at least one dangerous action”. Distracted people also take 18 per cent more time to cross a road.</p> <p>What are your thoughts? Should we install a similar law in Australia?</p> <p><em><strong>Have you arranged your travel insurance yet? Save money with Over60 Travel Insurance. <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><a href="https://elevate.agatravelinsurance.com.au/oversixty?utm_source=over60&amp;utm_medium=content&amp;utm_content=link1&amp;utm_campaign=travel-insurance" target="_blank">To arrange a quote, click here.</a></span> Or for more information, call 1800 622 966.</strong></em></p>

Travel Insurance

Placeholder Content Image

Best and worst health insurers revealed

<p>The best and worst-value private health insurance policies in Australia have been revealed in a new report from the Australian Medical Association.</p> <p>The <a href="https://ama.com.au/ama-private-health-insurance-report-card-2016" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>A</strong><strong>MA Private Health Insurance Report Card</strong></span></a> reveals what health insurers are currently paying for 22 common procedures, giving consumers an opportunity to easily compare between funds. And in some instances it turns out there is quite a disparity.</p> <p>The AMA Private Health Insurance Report Card found that HBF provided the best value for members, paying the most for nine of the 22 procedures listed, while MDHF and GMHBA paid the lowest amount for 19 of the 22 procedures that were compared.</p> <p>Because insurers set the amount they pay for a medical service and different doctors charge different amounts, people often find themselves having to make a “gap” payment.</p> <p>The analysis in the AMA Private Health Insurance Report Card can help consumers compare policies ahead of the <a href="/finance/insurance/2016/03/private-health-insurance-premium-rise/"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>premium rises scheduled for April 1</strong></span></a>.</p> <p>AMA president, Professor Brian Owler told <em>The Sydney Morning Herald</em>, "The AMA wants Australians to know their insurance product – and know it thoroughly."</p> <p>"With the cost of private health insurance constantly rising, and with private health insurers regularly changing what is covered and not covered by their products, the AMA believes it is important that families and individuals are better informed about the health insurance cover they are purchasing."</p> <p>To access the <a href="https://ama.com.au/ama-private-health-insurance-report-card-2016" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>AMA Private Health Insurance Report Card</strong></span></a> and find out how your fund stacks up, <a href="https://ama.com.au/ama-private-health-insurance-report-card-2016" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong>click here</strong></span></a>.</p> <p><strong>Related links:</strong></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><a href="/news/news/2016/03/jackie-kennedy-granddaughter-looks-just-like-her/"><strong>Jackie Kennedy’s granddaughter looks just like her</strong></a></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/03/penguin-5000-miles-reunite-71-year-old-man/">Penguin swims 5,000 miles every year to reunite with 71-year-old man</a></strong></em></span></p> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><em><strong><a href="/news/news/2016/03/85-year-old-man-finds-lost-wallet-71-years-later/">85-year-old man finds lost wallet, 71 years later</a></strong></em></span></p>

News

Our Partners