Bali traveller hit with $400,000 medical bill after moped accident

An Australian man must cover $400,000 in medical bills following an accident in Bali, after skipping a travel insurance add-on that would have cost around $7.

Adelaide man Blake Gibbs is facing medical fees of almost half a million dollars after sustaining a traumatic brain injury on Lembongan Island in Indonesia.

The costs would have been covered by his travel insurance policy, had Gibbs not skipped one small add-on, which would have cost around $7.50.

Gibbs was on holiday with two friends on July 20 when they decided to take a scooter excursion. During the ride, he missed a right turn and crashed into a cement wall, resulting in several skull fractures.

He slipped into a coma and received emergency surgery at Bali’s International Medical Centre. Once stable enough to fly, he was flown home in a medivac for further treatment.

Gibbs was loaned the money to cover medical expenses by his travel insurance company, Freely by Cover-More, 7NEWS.com.au reported. However, the company now want the money repaid as Gibbs did not pay for motorcycle cover, which could have cost between A$7-14 per day.

Gibbs’ mother, Rosslyn Gibbs, said she always made sure her family had travel insurance to cover accidents like this, but now wondered why she had bothered.

“They informed us [four] days ago that his claims were denied,” Rosslyn wrote on a GoFundMe page she created to raise money for the medical bills.

“Each day, Blake is making a little progress, but he has a long road ahead,” she wrote three days ago, adding that he was receiving facial reconstruction surgery this week.

The family have been told recovery will take several months.

So far, 558 people have donated a total of A$46,997. In the comments section, many people claimed they had endured similar experiences with family and friends, where treatment for accidents overseas or at home had not been covered due to the fine print.

Given the risk of riding a motorbike, many insurance companies do require additional payment to cover accidents related to motorbikes, which many travellers may not be aware of before heading to destinations such as Bali, where mopeds are the vehicle of choice.