Aussie tourist’s horror boat injury highlights ‘extremely common’ travel issue
Tourist Angela Piva said the incident has make her reconsider taking overseas boat tours again.
An Aussie tourist has described the moment her tropical island holiday took a tragic turn with a "scary" boating injury leaving her crying out in pain and unable to move for weeks.
Angela Piva, from Queensland's Sunshine Coast, travelled to Thailand with her husband Greg in August to celebrate her 46th birthday. While there, they booked a speed boat ride to visit the country's famous and picturesque islands, including the popular Koh Phi Phi.
But the "rough seas" were too much to contend with — a common complaint among travellers — and the bumpy ride landed her in hospital. The 46-year-old has had "nightmares" since the incident, she told Yahoo News Australia.
Now back home, she's still bound by a back brace five weeks later. The pair were returning from the full-day island tour and heading back to the Phuket pier when the incident occurred on August 28th.
"We took off and the first waves splashed us in our faces but then the waves seemed to get bigger and bigger," she recalled. "We would go up and then come back down with a thump" landing on the bottom.
"A few times I felt a pain in my back, the waves kept getting bigger," she said. "There were two waves back to back and I felt it as soon as I came down on the last wave."
Moment traveller 'knew something wasn't right'
Piva said she "knew something wasn't right" after feeling "an instant sharp pain in my back" so she signalled to the boat driver. Meanwhile, "all I could see was people all around me throwing up" — an experience common among many tourists.
"The pain I was feeling was intense. I felt it up my spine and towards the right side of my back. It was a 12/10, it hurt so much," she explained. "The only way I could cope was to close my eyes and try to breathe."
An ambulance was called and arranged to meet them at the pier. "I was strapped to the stretcher and I remember thinking 'please don't drop me'. They took me in the ambulance to hospital where I was finally given pain relief."
Once there, X-rays showed that Piva had a burst fracture in her T11 vertebrae. It's considered "burst" if a vertebra is crushed in all directions — so they're more severe than compression fractures. She was quickly deemed unfit to fly.
Couple thankful for travel insurance after missed flight home
They were forced to miss their planned flight home, which was booked for two days after the incident. She spent four nights in hospital in total. They were "very lucky" to have had full travel insurance which covered their new flights plus all hospital expenses.
"The only way they would let me fly home was business class. It was $9,000 for two tickets home back to Queensland. That plus the hospital bill was up there as well," she said.
As a result of the injury, Piva has been unable to work and is therefore without an income. "I have to wear the brace 24/7. Even sleep in it," she said.
"I am able to get around the house but still limited to daily chores. If I do too much my back definitely lets me know as the pain gets worse."
While she admits she was one of the unlucky ones, with the other 40-odd passengers walking away without injury, she will be "thinking twice before booking any more tours while overseas, especially where there is a language barrier".
Bali tourists warn of 'horrendous' boat trip: 'Didn't think I'd make it'
Aussies warned to 'reconsider' travelling to popular holiday island
Similar boating experiences 'common' in Thailand and Bali
Similar experiences have also been reported by tourists visiting Bali. In fact, Natalie Smith, head travel expert for 1Cover, told Yahoo it's "extremely common".
Smith said poor weather and rough seas are expected and so any injuries or illnesses as a result are usually covered by travel insurance
"Travel isn’t always straightforward and turbulent, rough seas are often an unexpected part of boat transfers," she said. "It can make for an unpleasant and even hazardous experience."
