Fundraising set up for Phuket expat injured in road accident

PHUKET: An appeal has been launched to raise funds to pay for medical expenses for well-known Phuket expat Richard Valentine who remains in hospital care after a hit-and-run road accident in Phuket.

Richard Valentine remains in hospital after a Phuket road accident on Mar 31. Photo: Eleanor Wolff / Weeboon.com

Phuket businessman and active member of the island’s expat community Richard Valentine remains in hospital following a hit-and-run road accident on Mar 31, which left him with multiple injuries including his right leg broken in four spots.

Mr Valentine’s ordeal became public knowledge only on Apr 10, when an urgent appeal for Rh-negative blood was posted on his Facebook page. Neither the Brit himself, nor his friends asked for money at that time.

Yet they have to ask now as hospital bills tend to go beyond the limits of Mr Valentine’s insurance coverage and personal savings.

“I am still confined to a bed in a Thai Government Hospital which offers a great service but is not free like would be the case in my home country of UK. Four operations later, the insurance money has run out and there are a further two operations required, one of which will be tomorrow,” Mr Valentine wrote on Facebook yesterday (Apr 27).

“I am asking for any monetary help that can be given through the money funding link below. In addition to paying for the operations, I am going to need to pay for physiotherapy sessions to see if I can walk properly again and if not what quality of life I can have after that,” he added.

The link provided by Mr Valentine leads to a page on Weboon, a Thai crowdfunding platform allowing people to make donations via SiamPay, including through a credit or a debit card, online banking and LINE Pay.

The page was created by Eleanor Wolff on Apr 27. Ms Wolff today (Apr 28) confirmed that donations can also be sent through Wise.

“If anyone wants to avoid using the crowdfunding site, they can also send directly to me from most countries using https://wise.com/ which has super low fees. My wise account is set up against ellymorleywolff@gmail.com. Good luck with your operation today,” she said in a comment under Mr Valentine’s most recent publication.

“Richard is a well known staple of the Phuket Expat community and his business was hit hard during COVID as he was a key supplier to the hospitality sector. Those who know Richard will attest to his many contributions to the Phuket and Thailand community. It’s time to give back. Please help us raise the money to pay for his surgery so he can return to the fold! Thank you so much in advance,” Ms Wolff wrote in her appeal on Weboon.

Hi, I am Richard 's sister & of course am trying to help in any way I can, but also have my own financial limitations. To tell you a little about Richard - he did his first fundraising at 14 - a "fun run " to help out a friend. He then joined Rotaract( junior Rotary) & has spent the last 40 years helping others! Instead of going on holidays, he went abroad & helped bui...

well known long time resident and yet he cannot afford a proper insurance? a part that i never hear of.. he should know better... hit & run is very unlucky for him..however .. i wont give a penny for him, that is family look after him and that it..

When I got wiped out by a drunk woman driver on an Australian road, the DWD's station wagon was unregistered & uninsured. Within 1 week, a gov approved CTP insurer that had 22% of the gov's CTP business was legelly liable to pay for everything, including all medical expenses. Everybody has to pay this same compulsory ins when re or registering a vehicle on a Thai Road.

Is the RTP task(To serve and to protect. Remember?)to catch hit and run culprit. That person should be convicted in criminal court. After that mr Valentine can lay financial Civile Court claim. Of course, when culprit is a Thai, RTP will not spend much energy to catch him/her, because victim is just a foreigner. TIT. Help of Phuket Ombudsman and viral publicity is eminent.

Many of us in expat community who are many years integrated, help often Thai friends/people in need around us, simply because much of the time Thai government is not doing it. But to contribute in medical bills for a expat who didn't insure himself not enough? Was hit- and run. How about that person to be found and lay through civile court the financial claim with him?

i've heard and see only bad things about him., like the donation scam in covid times where he raised more than 100k to donate food, but give only 175 small rice meals out, worth each 40 baht. and that happened multiple times. so... sometimes karma is a b!tch.

Well known staple of the Phuket expat community?? I've never heard of him in 30 years of being part of the expat community here. He should up his insurance level in future and stop expecting others to pay his bills. Unbelievable!

Fundraising set up for Phuket expat injured in road accident

Fundraising set up for Phuket expat injured in road accident

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