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Restaurateur critically injured in Thai bike crash

Sarah Turnnidge
BBC News, Bristol
Handout A man lies in a hospital bed, covered with a white blanket. His face is very bruised and there are a number of drips and monitors visible in the background. A man holds a compress to his head. A woman is bending down to look at him, holding one of his hands. Handout
Ricky Eury, surrounded by family, is being treated at a specialist hospital in Phuket, Thailand

A restaurant owner has been left in critical condition after being hit by a motorbike in Thailand.

Ricky Eury, 39, from Hanham in Bristol, was crossing a road in the city of Phuket when he was struck by the vehicle, sustaining serious head injuries as well as fractures to his nose and ribs.

A keen Muay Thai fighter, Mr Eury was in the country to train and to find new inspiration and ingredients for his business Gorilla Thai Kitchen, which has two sites in Bristol.

A fundraiser to help meet the large medical bills now facing his family has raised more than £20,000 in a matter of days.

Handout Mr Eury, pictured in what appears to be an airport. He is wearing a white T-shirt with a black cross-body bag strap, and glasses on his head. He has very dark curly hair and dark stubble. Handout
Mr Eury was in Phuket for Muay Thai training and restaurant inspiration

"It's been really heart-warming to see all of our friends and even people that we don't know coming together," Mr Wilkinson said.

"He's one of those people – he just has friends everywhere. He's lived in London, lived in Bristol, comes from Devon, so everywhere he goes there's always someone he knows.

"[He has] a really lovely community, which Bristol is known for, and he's just the kind of person who, if a friend was in trouble or something like this were to happen then he would drop everything and do everything he could to help out."

Long-time friend of Mr Eury, Solomon Wilkinson, told the BBC he had set up the fundraiser to remove "a level of stress and pressure" from his family, who rushed out to Thailand after the incident on Saturday, not knowing if he would survive while they were travelling.

Handout Mr Eury looks down at a dog, which he is holding in his arms while lying down on a blue sofa or bed. Only their faces are visible. Handout
Mr Eury was crossing a road when he was hit by a motorbike

Mr Wilkinson said the family had received a bill of around £10,000 for Mr Eury's treatment on Monday, with new bills expected every day.

While Mr Eury's condition has improved and he has regained consciousness, he remains heavily sedated and his head trauma means he is unable to fully communicate with family and friends.

This means his family are unable to access information about any insurance cover he may have, leaving them with the possibility of having to pay themselves.

"I think it raises a wider concern about about being safe when you're far away from home," Mr Wilkinson said.

"You never know what's going to happen and it's really important to let your friends and family know you have a plan in case something happens."

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