A man was left with left with life-changing injuries after a 'critical error' on a lads' holiday saw him pronounced dead.
In 2018, Adam Elnekaveh flew to Thailand with a friend to enjoy a getaway in the Southeast Asian country. Aged 28 at the time, Elnekaveh was a popular fitness influencer and planning to launch his own lifestyle app.
However, his life would take a dramatic turn when he was involved in a horrific motorbike accident while in the country.
Elnekaveh and his friend had been riding motorbikes when they were pulled over by police for not wearing helmets, something which is a legal requirement for both riders and passengers.
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But as an experienced motorcyclist and noticing that several locals shunned the safety requirement, Elnekaveh decided that he too would refuse to wear a helmet and ignored police instructions.
After stubbornly paying the $14 fine given to him by police, he once again took off his helmet and sped off.
This would be his fatal mistake.
Recalling his memories of the life-changing moment in an interview with The Sun, Adam said he'd been a confident rider and took over using his friend's bike after he reported having issues with it.
"In the end, we don’t know what happened - whether I slipped or something hit me. But the bike gave out and I fell off," he said.
The accident would see Elnekaveh become a cautionary tale about the importance of wearing a helmet while riding, as the fitness enthusiast's head cracked wide open with the force that it hit the ground.
Gasoline made its way into his brain while some of his grey matter, an important part of the brain's information processing centre, splattered across the road.
His injuries were severe, with Adam's family being told their son would not survive the ordeal.
"My family was told I would probably remain in a vegetative state,” he told the outlet. "I was pronounced dead."
Despite the grim odds, he was determined to live, saying that he was determined not to die. "You should always believe in yourself... I wanted to live my life again," the now 34-year-old said.
Adam was rushed to hospital and underwent emergency surgery, which saw 15 percent of his brain removed due to oil contamination.
Recalling the odds given to his parents, Adam said: "They gave them so many scenarios - one was that I’d be [incapacitated] for the rest of my life, and in the best-case scenario, I would be paralysed."
However, Elnekaveh was able to surprise everyone when he woke up from surgery 10 days later.
Despite being 'very stunned and discombobulated', Adam was alive – and at the start of a gruelling recovery journey.
The former bodybuilder now had to relearn how to walk and talk. He was also dealing with memory loss and told he was unlikely to be able to live independently again.
Due to the damage to the right hemisphere of his brain, the left side of Adam's body no longer functions as it used to. He was also left with 'guilt' from the accident, being diagnosed with PTSD.
Despite the odds, Adam has rebuilt his life in the six years since and is now motivational speaker and published author.
"I have a house, I have a car, I’m dating, and I have my own business, I’m travelling," he said. "I’m still getting things done because, in part, my parents never stopped believing in me."
Topics: Health, Travel, Mental Health, World News
Brenna Cooper