British beautician in Bali hospital faces losing her arm after truck smashes into scooter

A British woman is in hospital in Bali and may lose a limb following a horror crash[1] which saw her run over by a lorry. Beautician Charlene Morrissey was riding her scooter on the Indonesian island[2] on July 21 when she was knocked onto the road in a collision with a lorry before the massive vehicle drove over her arm. Charlene, from Coatbridge in North Lanarkshire, was rushed to a nearby hospital[3], where she received multiple blood transfusions and underwent several surgeries.

However, the business owner is still facing many more operations as medics battle to save her arm. As it stands, Charlene's insurance company has refused to pay out over the accident and now her family have been hit with a hospital bill amounting to GBP50,000. A GoFundMe has been set up by family friends in a desperate bid to bring her home.

A statement on the online fundraiser reads: "We are reaching out to you on behalf of Charlene and her family in the hope of urgently raising funds to cover Charlene's mounting medical expenses following a very serious road accident in Bali. The main concern now is to keep infection levels to a minimum and to get Charlene a critical surgery that might save her arm, although the outcomes remain uncertain.

"The most recent procedure Charlene has undergone involved a huge skin graft, however, the surgeons are not confident it has been successful as there were large amounts of necrotic skin that had to be removed from the elbow down. The chances of finger amputation remain high at this stage and the surgeon is unable to proceed with the critical surgery with her fingers in their current state."

Medics have decided to wait one week before operating on Charlene again in the hope that her fingers can be saved, the Daily Record reports[4]. After that, she will be expected to undergo Pedicle Flap Surgery - a crucial procedure that involves attaching Charlene's arm and hand to her abdomen in an attempt to regrow the skin and avoid amputation. It means she will be expected to remain at the Bali hospital for another four weeks.

The statement continued: "This complex surgery will require Charlene to remain in the hospital in Bali for at least another four weeks, with costs continually rising each day.

In only a few days since the accident, her family have already received medical bills in excess of GBP50,000 and unfortunately, Charlene's insurance company have refused to cover any costs. "Charlene is in a race against time to have these urgent procedures and her family are being left to face these continually increasing medical bills. "It is incredibly important to us to give Charlene the best chance at recovery and to bring her home to her loved ones.

Your support will make a profound difference in her journey toward healing." The fundraiser hopes to cover the costs of Charlene's immediate and ongoing medical procedures, her care and treatment and transport back to Scotland[5]. In the meantime, Charlene's sister, Alana Crofton, has travelled to Bali alongside their mum so the pair can be by her bedside.

Writing on Facebook[6], Alana said: "I thought it right to share an update regarding my sister Charlene who was involved in a terrible accident at the weekend. Main thing is she is stable. "She had been riding her scooter when sadly she came off it at speed and collided with another vehicle.

The injuries to my sister were extremely severe and at a later date she can share the extent of these injuries if she wishes, I just don't want rumours to fly. "She has a long road ahead of her in terms of surgeries and recovery. Myself and my family are thankful to the medical team looking after her and to the team that got to her on time at the scene.

Had it been a few minutes later this could be a much heavier burden to write out. "We really appreciate the well wishes that have come through so far from friends and family it means a lot. Myself and my mum are now travelling to Bali to be with Charlene and help in any way we can.

"As sadly, the medical expenses are not being covered via her insurance company.

We want to find out next steps and get Charlene home safe to her family where she can begin to recover."

To donate, visit here[7].

References

1. ^ horror crash (www.miror.co.uk)
2. ^ Indonesian island (www.miror.co.uk)
3. ^ hospital (www.miror.co.uk)
4. ^ Daily Record reports (www.dailyrecord.co.uk)
5. ^ Scotland (www.mirror.co.uk)
6. ^ Facebook (www.mirror.co.uk)
7. ^ here (www.gofundme.com)