A father left with a £25,000 bill after his son was injured in Vietnam has issued a warning to other gap-year travellers. Jeremy Skidmore reports.
A father has warned gap year students and their parents to scrutinise the small print of insurance policies after he was left with a £25,000 bill when his son was injured in a scooter accident in Vietnam.
James Pinnington, 19, from Wimbledon, south-west London, hit an electricity pylon while riding in a remote area of Nha Trang in Vietnam last month, four months into a gap year holiday. He broke both legs, fractured his vertebra and suffering internal bleeding.
James's father, Chris, flew out straight away. Unhappy with the treatment on offer in the local hospital, he organised for his son to be transferred by air ambulance to Ho Chi Minh City and then on to Bangkok. James was then flown home on a Thai Airways jet, lying across economy seats and accompanied by a doctor and nurse. The total bill came to £25,000.
Mr Pinnington had bought an insurance policy for his son from Boots, because it included extreme activities and appeared to offer the most comprehensive cover - up to £10 million for medical claims and repatriation expenses.
However, Boots said James was not covered because, although he was wearing a helmet, he did not have a full UK motorcycle licence. This exclusion is on page 14 of a 50-page document.
Boots recommended its own repatriation service to help Mr Pinnington, and quoted a fee of £85,000 to fly James home.
"I even read a copy of the policy before I bought it because I am very careful, and I thought it was very comprehensive," said Mr Pinnington. "But, of course, when disaster strikes, they happily find a small-print loophole. Most children on gap years in Asia at some point rent a moped, because that's how they get around. But I bet only a tiny percentage of them have a full UK motorcycle licence.
"I'm not expecting to get my money back from Boots now. I just want to warn people to check their policies very carefully, so they don't have the same experience as us."
Insurance companies specialising in gap year insurance offer different levels of cover. Many state that scooter riders must wear a helmet and have a full UK motorcycle licence. Others, such as Real Gap Insurance and Ace Traveller, insist only that riders wear a helmet.
James has now been operated on in Britain and is expected to make a full recovery. He is hoping to be well enough to take up a place at Bristol University in October.
Tom Griffiths, the founder of Gapyear.com, an advice and social networking site, said: "Our research shows that 25 per cent of [gap year] students are either not insured or under-insured. It's no exaggeration to say they are putting their parents' homes at risk. We hear of costs of between £50,000 and £100,000 to cover medical bills, and some people have had to remortgage or sell their home to pay. There is no consistency between policies, so you must make sure you get the right one and telephone the company to talk about the cover if you are not sure."
In a statement, Boots said: "Boots have investigated Mr Pinnington's claim. Our Gap Year Insurance policy wording clearly states that a claim will not be paid 'arising from using a two-wheeled motor vehicle as a driver or passenger if you are not wearing a crash helmet and the driver is not a holder of a full UK category A motorcycle licence'.
"Boots and the insurance underwriters of the policy AIG UK will continue to liaise with Mr Pinnington about his complaint."
The company is investigating the discrepancy between the two quotes for the cost of repatriation.
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