When a Thai holiday turned into a fight for survival — and for a hospital bed. Twenty-seven-year-old Belgian Jeremy Bartholomeus is at the center of a wrenching story of a severe motorcycle crash, a staggering hospital bill and an insurance dispute that left his family scrambling to keep him alive and cared for thousands of miles from home.
According to a fundraising page launched by Jeremy’s 16-year-old sister, Julie Hecquet, the ordeal began during what should have been a routine holiday in Thailand. Jeremy says he had parked his motorcycle at the side of the road when another rider, allegedly travelling at more than 100 km/h, ploughed into him. CCTV footage posted by the family, they say, backs up their version of events — but Thai authorities reportedly reached a different conclusion. Details about any official investigation or legal action have not been disclosed by the family.
The physical price Jeremy paid was severe. His injuries reportedly include a shattered pelvis, damage to the right acetabulum, a ruptured pubic symphysis, a subluxated left sacroiliac joint, fractures to the right superior and inferior pubic rami, blood in the urine, lower limb fractures, multiple abrasions and internal bleeding. In short: catastrophic trauma that required urgent, long-term medical treatment and rehabilitation.
Jeremy says he travelled with travel insurance. But the insurer has refused to pay, citing alleged fraud — an accusation the family says was never explained. The result: an unpaid hospital bill approaching 1.9 million baht (roughly 50,000–60,000 euros depending on conversion), and overall expenses the family pegs at about 90,000 euros (around 3.3 million baht) when you include third-party costs and related fees.
Julie launched a Steunactie crowdfunding campaign with a modest and urgent target: 60,000 euros to help cover her brother’s mounting medical costs. At the time of reporting, the campaign had reached roughly 55% of that goal. The family says Jeremy has managed to pay only about 20,000 euros (some 730,000 baht), which exhausted his resources and left him at the mercy of the hospital’s billing decisions.
It’s here that the story becomes both medical and deeply human. Jeremy claims that once the payment dispute intensified, his care was scaled back: fewer medications, less frequent dressing changes, reduced rehabilitation and little to no supervised physiotherapy. “I’m alone in a room, without any real medical care, rehabilitation, regular dressing changes, or a proper diet,” he says. “Where I used to take twenty to thirty medications a day, I now sometimes receive only one, or even none at all. I’m severely physically impaired and can only move very partially, exercising alone in a wheelchair, without medical supervision.”
The family has shared photos and updates via the fundraising page, hoping to mobilize support and pressure stakeholders — the insurer, the hospital and possibly Thai authorities — to resolve the dispute. Belgian media outlets have also begun covering the case, amplifying the family’s plea.
Online reaction in Thailand split quickly. Some netizens speculated that Jeremy may have been riding without an international driving licence — a factor that could, in some cases, be used by insurers to deny claims. Others in the Thai medical community pushed back, suggesting that reduced visible care might reflect genuine clinical improvement or a change in treatment approach rather than deliberate neglect.
Meanwhile, critics say it’s impossible to ignore the financial shadow that hangs over emergency care in many parts of the world. Hospitals frequently balance patient needs against unpaid bills, and foreign visitors face extra vulnerability when an insurance claim collapses or is contested. For Jeremy and his family, that tension has become painfully visible: the difference between receiving full, continuous treatment and being left to manage complicated, debilitating injuries largely on one’s own.
The family’s fundraising target aims to cover immediate treatment and rehabilitation costs, but it’s also a bid to buy time while the insurance dispute — and any legal questions about fault in the crash — play out. The page offers regular updates, photos and detailed descriptions of Jeremy’s injuries and current condition, and it’s where sympathizers are pooling funds to try to close the gap.
This is a story about miles and money: a Belgian national injured abroad, hundreds of thousands of euros in medical bills, a denied insurance claim attributed to an unexplained allegation of fraud, and a young sister trying to keep her brother’s recovery on track with a crowdfunding drive. It’s also a reminder that travel insurance — and the fine print that comes with it — can be as crucial as a passport when accidents happen far from home.
As the family waits for clarity on the insurance refusal and for the rest of the fundraising target to come in, their timeline for recovery remains uncertain. For now, supporters are being asked to share the campaign and contribute what they can to help Jeremy get the continuous care and rehabilitation his injuries demand.
If nothing else, Jeremy’s case highlights a pressing need: better transparency from insurers, clearer communication when claims are denied, and robust protections for travellers who suffer catastrophic injuries abroad. Until then, families like Jeremy’s may continue to rely on public generosity to bridge the gap between an emergency room bed and a fair outcome.
This insurer is despicable — they’re basically sentencing him to worse disability by denying care. A vague ‘fraud’ allegation without explanation is shady and cruel. Who’s going to hold these companies and hospitals accountable?
Maybe he didn’t have the right license, and that can void many policies. People need to read the fine print before hopping on a scooter abroad.
Blaming a crash victim in a hospital bed is cruel; even if there was a paperwork issue, accusing him of fraud requires clear evidence. The insurer should explain themselves before cutting treatment.
Insurers dodge payouts all the time, it’s a systemic problem.
Asking the obvious: did he have an international driving licence? That’s often the difference between coverage and denial.
Here in Thailand many tourists ride without paperwork and hospitals still treat them. But authorities sometimes close files quickly and CCTV clips can be interpreted different ways. The legal angle is murky, not as black-and-white as some commenters imply.
I get that, but insurance companies need clear policies, not vague ‘fraud’ claims. If an international licence is required, insurers should warn customers before they travel.
This reads like a cover for hospital profiteering. Crowdfunding to pay a bill that should be insured is a failing system. Maybe host countries need stronger laws to stop hospitals from throttling care.
Crowdfunding shouldn’t be the safety net for catastrophic medical bills, especially when insurance exists. I worry about emotionally charged campaigns that escape scrutiny, but this family clearly needs urgent help. Where are the regulators when insurers act like this?
People lie online and on fundraisers, it’s sad but true. ‘Fraud’ allegation by the insurer may have merit we don’t see.
Even if fraud sometimes occurs, insurers must be transparent and not weaponise the term to avoid payouts. Families deserve clear, prompt reasons before care is scaled back.
Demand documents and an independent audit; it’s easy to shout ‘fraud’ but hard to prove without evidence. Meanwhile the patient suffers and time is lost.
Medically, his injuries appear catastrophic and demand continuous multidisciplinary rehabilitation. Abruptly stopping medications and physiotherapy risks permanent disability and secondary complications. Hospitals should have clear continuity protocols while disputes are settled.
That’s so sad, he needs his meds to get better!
Agreed, even children understand basic fairness. It’s also a public health issue because untreated complications create greater burdens later.
Sometimes reduced visible care reflects discharge planning or resource constraints, not necessarily malicious neglect. Still, communication with the patient and family must be transparent and humane.
If the insurer alleges fraud they should initiate a formal investigation and provide the claimant with detailed reasons. Denial without explanation may trigger regulatory scrutiny in many EU jurisdictions. The family may have remedies in Belgium and possibly under Thai consumer protection law depending on policy wording.
Lawyers cost money though, so what’s realistic for a family already crushed by bills? Crowdfunding to fund litigation is a bleak choice.
Sometimes pro bono firms or consumer groups take on high-profile cross-border cases when media attention exists. But time is crucial — evidence preservation and swift legal steps matter.
My heart goes out to him; being alone in a foreign hospital fighting insurers is a nightmare. We blame insurance, but the hospital also has a duty of care and should not cut essentials during a billing dispute. This should be a wake-up call to improve travel protections.
I’m his sister; we posted the footage and have been asking for explanations every day. Please share our campaign and help keep him alive.
Thanks for speaking up, Julie — stay strong and keep evidence public. Pressure sometimes forces transparency and quicker action.
I donated and will share, but we need systemic change, not just one-off appeals. Governments and insurers must be held accountable so other families don’t go through this.
Hospitals in tourist hotspots know how to leverage unpaid bills and push families to pay up fast. This isn’t about one family — it’s an industry tactic to extract emergency payments.
That’s cynical but true in many places; international patients can be a huge revenue stream. Still, painting all hospitals as villains ignores the frontline staff who often care but are constrained by institutional billing policies.
I know staff try, but institutions set the rules. When an insurer denies claims with vague excuses, it creates moral hazard and human suffering.
This story shows why reading travel insurance fine print matters — coverage exclusions can be brutal and unexpected. But insurers also must be required to prove deliberate deception before slapping a ‘fraud’ label on a claim. Denials like this erode public trust in the entire industry.
Insurance companies profit by minimizing payouts; ‘fraud’ is their favorite get-out clause when they don’t want to pay. Regulation lags behind industry tactics and consumers pay the price.
True, consumers share some responsibility to know their policies but the onus should be on insurers to communicate clearly. Also, embassies can do more to protect nationals abroad.
Belgian media coverage may pressure the insurer into explaining themselves. Meanwhile, the human cost is immediate and devastating.