Horror holiday: Kiwi woman in ICU faces big hospital bill after scooter claim not covered by insurance

The family of a Kiwi woman hospitalised in Indonesia with serious head and lung injuries says her insurance will not cover her treatment because she was hurt in a scooter crash.

Christchurch real estate agent Amanda Blair had emergency surgery at Siloam Hospital in Mataram after the accident in Lombok a week ago.

Blair was on her way to get dinner when she was thrown from her hired scooter, suffering broken ribs, a punctured lung, head injuries and serious lacerations to the right side of her body.

Her sister, Ashleigh Sergent, said the hospital bill was more than $18,000 already. Her partner, Cameron Mitchell, said he only realised after the crash that their 1CoverNZ insurance policy only covered moped claims involving bikes with engines of 50cc and under.

Amanda Blair and partner Cameron Mitchell were having a great time in Indonesia before the accident.

The couple did not realise the mopeds they had hired were 125cc.

“We don’t know all the details because Cam wasn’t with her but he was told she was thrown from the scooter,” Sergent said.

“Her lung was punctured by a rib, she is lacerated right down the right side of her body and she has a head injury. She’s a mess.”

Blair, who owns Ray White Marshlands in Christchurch, had emergency surgery and is in intensive care.

“She has a breathing pump connected to her lungs to keep her alive,” her sister said.

Mitchell, her partner, told the Herald he was getting by on three hours of sleep a night.

Cameron Mitchell is by Amanda Blair's side as she recovers in an Indonesian hospital after the scooter crash.

Blair’s son Josh, 24, and Mitchell’s mother were on the way to Indonesia to help with her care.

“Cam is a real mess, he’s under a lot of stress,” Sergent said.

“It’s a struggle with the language barrier to know exactly what is happening.”

Sergent said there were a lot of unknowns including how long her sister would need to stay in hospital.

“She is still on the breathing pump so we don’t know how she will go and what the healing time will be.

“Even when she is eventually out of hospital we don’t know when she will be able to fly or if she will be able to go on a normal flight.”

She had set up a Givealittle page to help with the hospital costs and ongoing treatment.

1CoverNZ confirmed it would accept claims if riders or passengers were on a moped 50cc and under. If the claim involved a more powerful moped the driver would have to hold a valid motorcycle licence to be insured.

Mitchell said they were unaware of the rule before they hired the bikes.

“I wish in Indonesia that they banned anything over 50cc for tourists.”

He said they didn’t realise the requirement of a motorcycle licence for anything over 50cc.

The couple are not the first to be caught out by fine print that excludes scooter claims. Last year an Australian man faced a bill of $400,000 after not ticking a box for motorcycle cover for an extra $7.50. He then had a moped accident.

Amanda Blair is well-known in Christchurch as the owner of Ray White Marshlands. Photo / Supplied

“I feel so bad for them because Amanda is always all go and doing things for other people. This was the one time she had booked time for herself and was relaxing and enjoying herself.

“This has destroyed their holiday.”

Mitchell had managed to send the family a 10-second audio clip of his partner talking.

“She’s pretty drowsy and she doesn’t sound great but we are just so glad she is even able to communicate,” Sergent said.

“Now we just want her home safe.”

Kirsty Wynn is an Auckland-based journalist with more than 20 years’ experience in New Zealand newsrooms. She has covered everything from crime and social issues to the property market and consumer affairs.