British man hit with £30,000 bill while on holiday in Spain over simple mistake
A British dad has been hit with a hefty bill following his travels in Spain over a simple mistake he made before setting off.
Like many other Brits, Kevin Turner had booked himself a summer holiday to Alicante with his partner Joy but he could now face a medical bill of around £30k after being hospitalised during his stay.
The 63-year-old had been struggling with a chest infection in the week before his trip was planned and things took a turn for the worse after he arrived for his holiday.
He felt 'off' when the plane first landed but it wasn't until his chest pains worsened the next day that Joy called an ambulance, with Kevin placed into intensive care where he discovered that he was suffering from a pierced lung and pneumonia.
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While he and Joy had health insurance for their trip, failing to mention his chest infection on the form could now land the retired painter into some serious financial trouble after he was treated extensively during his time in Spain.
Kevin's daughters Sam Turner, 44, and Natalie Fowell, 40, have set up a GoFundMe to help pay his medical bills and get him home to the UK.
Sam, from Winsford, Cheshire, said: "It was really, really scary because obviously you're helpless. You're over here and you don't know what's going on.
"He did have an existing chest infection that he had visited the doctor for that week and had been given antibiotics and steroids.
"He did also say that he was due to go on holiday and there were no warnings or concerns around that [from the GP] so he thought he was good to go.
"They just gave him enough medication for the fact that he was going away and that was it.
"He'd arrived at midnight, had something to eat and drink and gone to bed, feeling a bit off but just put it down to travel.
"It got progressively worse from there.
"By the next day the pains were just so much that in hindsight he probably already had pneumonia when he got on the flight, but he wasn't aware.
"Joy rang me from the hotel and said 'I've had to call him an ambulance, he's not good' and we were like 'right, ok get him to the hospital', trying to get updates all the time.
"They [doctors] said he had a pierced lung and chest and stomach pain where it's believed air and gases had built up and had to be drained."
The GoFundMe, which you can donate to here, has already raised close to its £5.5k target but as Kevin remains in intensive care, his medical bills are only set to increase further.
He had been reassured by GPs that he was 'good to go' despite his chest infection but is now fighting for his life following a number of setbacks during his time in hospital.
Sam concluded: "It very much looks like it's a case of, the small print says if there are any significant health changes up to the date of travel then you must notify them.
"He's still in intensive care and we're trying to find out what the prognosis is.
"He hasn't been out of bed, he hasn't used his legs or feet and he's just really worried because he's lost all feeling in them.
"The insurance took about two weeks for them to decide that they weren't going to pay out. It involved a lot of chasing from us.
"I would always say read the small print of the insurance document, make sure you go with a reputable company and look at their reviews."
James Moorhouse