logo
Bristol restaurateur critically injured in Thai motorbike crash

Bristol restaurateur critically injured in Thai motorbike crash

BBC News19-03-2025
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.
"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.
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."
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Nurses punched in face at Swindon hospital violent children's unit
Nurses punched in face at Swindon hospital violent children's unit

BBC News

time2 hours ago

  • BBC News

Nurses punched in face at Swindon hospital violent children's unit

Nurses have been assaulted and "punched in the face" amid violent behavioural problems at a hospital's children's unit, staff have told the April, nurses at the Great Western Hospital (GWH) in Swindon say a series of troubled teenagers have assaulted nurses, hit another child and verbally abused very young patients and their incidents have included a patient who "ripped a TV" from a wall and broke a sink. Numerous staff are now taking sick leave.A spokesperson for the GWH said: "Our children's ward is often the only place available locally for vulnerable children and young people up to the age of 18 with complex medical and mental health needs." Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership closed the Riverside adolescent mental health unit as a "temporary measure" in February its continued closure means GWH has to do its best to cope with teenagers suffering form psychiatric conditions. The unit provides care to children up to the age of 18 and the hospitals does not have an adolescent mental health ward as an alternative. Statistics obtained by the BBC show that in the spring there were around 20 incidents relating to the behaviour of inpatients that involved harming themselves or that time, 10 staff, other patients or family members were assaulted. 'Nothing has changed' The BBC has spoken to several nurses from the unit who say up to 15 members of staff have been off work because of said one nurse who remains off work was left seriously injured after being assaulted two years ago and has suffered ever since with hearing loss and PTSD. The nurses all want to remain said: "We kept saying what is it going to take? Still nothing has changed."Is it going to take for a child to get hurt. We then had a child hurt on the ward."The nurse added that the stats were likely lower than the real number because staff find it difficult to find time to report them. The nurse described how she felt some incidents were not being dealt with seriously enough."It is often put to us these children are unwell so in terms of reporting to the police we are made to feel we are doing wrong against the child."We are a secure ward and have to buzz people in and out."It's restrictions like that and some of the mental health patients we have to remove ligatures such as a hoody they then don't like because we are stopping them from hurting themselves."The biggest trouble is we do go up to 18. Most children's wards go to 16. it almost feels like people run scared because it is children." 'Punched in face' Another nurse said: "A lot of children are medically fit to go home. No one wants to take them because of their escalating behaviour. "It has caused a lot of holes in walls, damaged pipes and lots of staff being hit with people being punched in face."The nurse went on to describe how four registered mental health nurses were unable to restrain one teenage girl who was also verbally abusing staff."It is having a massive impact on patients and parents."She added: "One of my colleagues went off sick as this girl was smacking her head against the wall. The registered mental health nurses were just nurse said they have an "assessment unit for children to be assessed" which was then closed. This has left the hospital unit dealing with these cases."One teenager was ripping TVs off the wall, she broke a sink. The whole wall has had to be replaced it has ... led to probably at least 15 staff being off sick," the nurse nurse said that managers had done very little to address the situation apart from introducing a 'safe room' which has not been opened yet. Another nurse said: "We had a young person who was with us because she had taken an overdose and her behaviour escalated to the point that she was being looked after by three registered mental health agency nurses . "Her behaviour escalated and she assaulted nurses and security staff. She punched quite a few people." An NHS report in 2024 highlighted the difficulties of nursing teenagers on hospital wards alongside younger South West director of the Royal College of Nursing, Susan Masters, said it is a national problem, adding: "This trust (GWH) is the local provision. There isn't another provision anywhere else for these young people to go which is why its very difficult here."Children with physical health difficulties, young people with illnesses and procedures need a bright, distracting fun environment."Children and young people with mental health distress need the opposite-very calming very sombre. The other issue of course is specialist nursing staff."So currently these children are being cared for in an acute unit with children's' nurses that are not necessarily trained in specialist mental health services."A statement from GWH trust said: "We have individual rooms providing privacy and division between age groups, alongside two dedicated rooms for patients experiencing a mental health crisis."Many of the children and young people we care for need specialised care and we are planning to recruit specialist mental health nurses so that we have the expertise to better support children and young people with severe mental health needs."It's unacceptable that NHS staff face violence and abuse and we do all we can to keep our staff, patients and visitors safe."This is a national issue, however these incidents can be extremely distressing, and we offer a package of mental health support to our staff, which includes de-briefing sessions and counselling services."Our Never OK campaign, in partnership with Wiltshire Police, encourages staff to report all incidents and the police regularly visit the hospital and support our own security team."

Tributes paid to 'legend' James Whale after death aged 74
Tributes paid to 'legend' James Whale after death aged 74

South Wales Guardian

time14 hours ago

  • South Wales Guardian

Tributes paid to 'legend' James Whale after death aged 74

Whale had fought a long battle with kidney cancer, having been first diagnosed in 2000, with doctors predicting he had three months to live. However, he had surgery to remove one of his kidneys and six years later, he launched the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer to fund research and raise awareness of the disease. His cancer returned in 2020, and it was revealed that it had also spread to his spine, brain and lungs. We are sad to announce that James Whale MBE died earlier today aged 74, following a lengthy battle with cancer. As a broadcasting legend for over 50-years, James will be missed by so many at TALK and the wider News UK family. The broadcaster's final column was published just hours before he passed away, in which he revealed he's "happy to go now and feels at peace" after moving into a hospice. He is survived by his wife Nadine and his two sons James and Peter. Whale first came to prominence in the 1980s as the host of The James Whale Radio Show on Radio Aire in Leeds. From 1995 to 2008, he hosted a night-time radio show on talkSPORT (Talk Radio 1995–2000), followed by stints on LBC 97.3 and various BBC radio stations. He covered shows on talkRADIO from October 2016, including James Whale Unleashed. Very sad to learn of the passing of broadcasting legend @THEJamesWhale after his long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed. Honoured to record his final interview just weeks ago. Quite a few people within the media industry paid tribute to Whale following the news of his death. MP and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was among those who had some warm words to share about the presenter. He posted on X (formerly known as Twitter): "James Whale was a broadcasting pioneer, legend and the king of late night talk radio. But most importantly, he was a friend who will be missed." James Whale was a broadcasting pioneer, legend and the king of late night talk radio. But most importantly, he was a friend who will be missed. Programme editor at Talk TV, Christian Mitchell, said: "Very said to learn of the passing of broadcasting legend @THEJamesWhale after his long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed. "Honoured to record his final interview just weeks ago." Fellow Talk TV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer wrote: "So sad that my amazing, wonderful @TalkTV colleague James Whale has died. Recommended reading: Ex-Celebrity Big Brother 'legend' James Whale dies aged 74 Zoe Ball set for new TV role just weeks after returning to BBC Radio 2 BBC presenter and comedian Romesh Ranganathan 'taking a step back' from career "He was a legend both on air and off air. It was a pleasure and an honour to know him. Sending Nadine and his family all my love xxxx". Journalist and broadcaster Dawn Neesom shared: "So sad to hear that James has gone. God bless you Whaley, at peace & free of pain. Thoughts with the amazing @nadine_lamont & James family." Media commentator and columnist Charlie Mullens posted: "This morning I heard the sad news of the passing of the broadcasting legend and my dear friend - the one and only James Whale MBE James mate rest in peace now."

Tributes paid to 'legend' James Whale after death aged 74
Tributes paid to 'legend' James Whale after death aged 74

North Wales Chronicle

time17 hours ago

  • North Wales Chronicle

Tributes paid to 'legend' James Whale after death aged 74

Whale had fought a long battle with kidney cancer, having been first diagnosed in 2000, with doctors predicting he had three months to live. However, he had surgery to remove one of his kidneys and six years later, he launched the James Whale Fund for Kidney Cancer to fund research and raise awareness of the disease. His cancer returned in 2020, and it was revealed that it had also spread to his spine, brain and lungs. We are sad to announce that James Whale MBE died earlier today aged 74, following a lengthy battle with cancer. As a broadcasting legend for over 50-years, James will be missed by so many at TALK and the wider News UK family. The broadcaster's final column was published just hours before he passed away, in which he revealed he's "happy to go now and feels at peace" after moving into a hospice. He is survived by his wife Nadine and his two sons James and Peter. Whale first came to prominence in the 1980s as the host of The James Whale Radio Show on Radio Aire in Leeds. From 1995 to 2008, he hosted a night-time radio show on talkSPORT (Talk Radio 1995–2000), followed by stints on LBC 97.3 and various BBC radio stations. He covered shows on talkRADIO from October 2016, including James Whale Unleashed. Very sad to learn of the passing of broadcasting legend @THEJamesWhale after his long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed. Honoured to record his final interview just weeks ago. Quite a few people within the media industry paid tribute to Whale following the news of his death. MP and Reform UK leader Nigel Farage was among those who had some warm words to share about the presenter. He posted on X (formerly known as Twitter): "James Whale was a broadcasting pioneer, legend and the king of late night talk radio. But most importantly, he was a friend who will be missed." James Whale was a broadcasting pioneer, legend and the king of late night talk radio. But most importantly, he was a friend who will be missed. Programme editor at Talk TV, Christian Mitchell, said: "Very said to learn of the passing of broadcasting legend @THEJamesWhale after his long battle with cancer. He will be greatly missed. "Honoured to record his final interview just weeks ago." Fellow Talk TV presenter Julia Hartley-Brewer wrote: "So sad that my amazing, wonderful @TalkTV colleague James Whale has died. Recommended reading: Ex-Celebrity Big Brother 'legend' James Whale dies aged 74 Zoe Ball set for new TV role just weeks after returning to BBC Radio 2 BBC presenter and comedian Romesh Ranganathan 'taking a step back' from career "He was a legend both on air and off air. It was a pleasure and an honour to know him. Sending Nadine and his family all my love xxxx". Journalist and broadcaster Dawn Neesom shared: "So sad to hear that James has gone. God bless you Whaley, at peace & free of pain. Thoughts with the amazing @nadine_lamont & James family." Media commentator and columnist Charlie Mullens posted: "This morning I heard the sad news of the passing of the broadcasting legend and my dear friend - the one and only James Whale MBE James mate rest in peace now."

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store