Scots tourist's lip left 'hanging off' after horror scooter crash on Thailand trip

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A Scots tourist's volunteering trip to help sick animals in Thailand turned into a nightmare when he was involved in a horror scooter accident that left his upper lip "hanging off". On Monday, November 11, Paul McDonald was riding to a supermarket in Koh Phangan, Thailand, when he was sent flying over the handlebars in a smash with another scooter.

The 33-year-old claims the other vehicle "came out of nowhere", with the crash knocking him unconscious. Paul was rushed to hospital for treatment, which saw two of his teeth removed and stitches put in his upper lip to stop it "hanging off".

He claims he was forced to pay the other driver nearly £700 in damages and compensation, even though he maintains that the accident wasn't his fault and that the scooter's brakes were "broken". He also had to cough up around £800 in medical bills that weren't covered by his insurance.

The bills mean the former care worker has "nothing left" and has had to borrow money from his sister. Paul had arrived in Thailand just two weeks before the crash and spent around £1,500 in just one week, despite hoping it would fund his entire two-month trip.

He captured the crash on a TikTok live while his phone was in the holder. The video shows him riding the scooter before shrieking as he and the phone plummet to the ground. Other clips and pictures show a despairing Paul in hospital covered in bandages with a heavily cut face as he waits for further dental and wound treatment.

According to the dog lover, he hoped that helping at an animal shelter would ease the pain of losing his cherished 13-year-old Staffordshire Bull Terrier, Lola. However, the skint tourist says that after his treatment is over, he will have to cut his stay short.

Paul, from Edinburgh, still has to visit the hospital daily to get his wounds cleaned and has vowed never to ride a scooter in Thailand again. He said: "It was meant to be a dream trip and I was planning to stay for two months but I've had to pay all my money out so I haven't got anything left.

"Just 30 seconds ruined the whole trip. It's so bad, honestly. I was actually live on TikTok when it happened because there was a phone holder on the scooter. I was on that and just going to the shop then the next thing I knew I was flying over the handlebars. I don't really remember it but a scooter came out of nowhere and I crashed into it. It was really scary.

"I was knocked out for a minute, they called an ambulance and then I rocked up in hospital. I was there for a couple of hours and got all bandaged up. I had to get stitches in my lip because it was hanging off and there were grazes around my hand, feet and knees. I've got a foot infection now too.

"Two days later I had to go to the hospital and have two teeth removed. All my teeth were cracked and they've still got to give me fillings. I was at the dentist on Monday because I've got a splint on my teeth and I need to get it removed in two weeks. I need to get my stitches out too.

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"I had to go to the police station and negotiate with the people that crashed into me and the people who owned the scooter. It's costing a fortune because it adds up so quickly. It's devastating. I've had to get my sister to send me some money to actually pay for things. I came out here to the cat and dog rescue centres to volunteer, that was my plan.

"I'd just lost the dog I'd had for 13 years so it was heartbreaking being in the house and her not being there. I thought I just needed to go away and sort myself out so this is just one thing after the next."

Paul says that, along with the hefty medical costs, he was forced to pay the owner of the scooter, who had his passport, and another driver in the crash.

Paul said: "I had to pay lots of money for the bike and stuff but the damage wasn't even that bad. I was trying to haggle with them but there was nothing I could do. I thought, 'if I don't give them that, they won't give me my passport and I'll probably go to jail'."

Paul says he contacted the scooter owner about his vehicle's "squeaky" and "broken" brakes but was reassured the noise was caused by the rain and that he could return it the next day.

He added: "I regret getting on the scooter now because it was broken and the brakes were all squeaky. You just don't expect it to be you but you can't just rely on it being you or someone else because they could be coming from anywhere. The roads are quite dangerous and people just don't really care so there should be more safety precautions in place.

"I'm trying to get myself a bit healed first before I can figure out where I'm going. I would like to prolong [my trip] once I've healed but I wouldn't be going back on a scooter."

Tourist Police Thailand has been contacted for comment.

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