Race to raise money for young British couple in intensive care in Bali after moped collision

ITV News Central Correspondent Peter Bearne reports


A young couple are in intensive care in Bali after being critically injured in a moped crash while on holiday.

Their families are now desperately trying to raise money to cover their medical expenses for surgery, despite the pair having travel insurance for their trip to Indonesia.

Joella Senior, 27, from Loughborough and 28-year-old Alex Hoyle, from Keyworth in Nottinghamshire, were riding a moped when a car pulled out in front of them last Sunday (12 June).

Since the accident they have both been in intensive care, and need treatment costing thousands of pounds.

In an interview with ITV News Central, Joella's mother Jeni Hall described getting the phone call explaining what had happened from a Canadian woman who witnessed the crash.

"At first it didn't make any sense and then I wondered if it was somebody trying to get money out of me, but it very quickly became apparent to me that this was very real.

"I still feel very numb, and not really in touch with my emotions or anything. I am just functioning."

The couple are in separate rooms at the hospital, and this led Joella to believe the worst had happened to her partner.

Joella and Alex are in critical condition in hospital after a collision in Bali over the weekend Credit: BPM Media

Ms Hall said: "They've been in rooms next to each other and she still wasn't allowed to know anything about him.

"She thought for quite a while that she was going to die and because she hadn't seen or heard anything about Alex, she thought he had already died."

Joella is now conscious after undergoing surgery on her spine, rib cage, lungs and broken arms.

Alex had six hours of surgery on Thursday to stabilise his condition and to repair damage to his liver and diaphragm, as well as multiple rib fractures.

He remains unconscious on a ventilator and still requires surgery for serious fractures to his jaw, cheekbones and temporal bones.

Their families are now facing huge medical bills as some issues have developed with the insurance policy, with negotiations ongoing with the provider.

Joella's family have already had to pay £34,000 up-front for her treatment.

Joella Senior and Alex Alex Hoyle Credit: Family handout

Alex's family are already at his bedside in Bali with Joella's father travelling over tomorrow. Her mother will do so as soon as she has a new passport.

Friends have set up a CrowdFunding page to raise £100,000 and so far they have received more than £50,000 in donations.

Both families say they have been blown away by the love and support they've received.

In a statement, a spokesman for the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office said: "We are providing support to the families of two British nationals involved in a road accident in Bali and are in touch with the local authorities."


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