Injured Bali boy back home on mercy flight
An eight-year old Australian boy who was left fighting for life following a horror quad bike accident in Bali has returned home to Australia.
Joshua Schuetz, from Perth, was on holiday with his family for a football tournament he was scheduled to compete in this weekend.
The family were on a quad bike tour when the young boy had the “most unimaginable accident” on Wednesday.
The West Australian reports Joshua was a passenger on a bike that was being driven by his older brother when it flipped.
Joshua became trapped under the bike and had to be freed by his brother, sustaining critical injuries in the accident.
Family friend Bernice Ariasa said the eight-year-old had suffered a fractured skull and brain bleed.
On Friday the boy landed in Perth on a mercy flight along with Perth doctors.
He is set to undergo treatment at the Perth Children’s Hospital.
He’s been in an induced coma after undergoing surgery in Denpasar hospital, with Ms Ariasa setting up a fundraiser to help alleviate financial stress for Joshua’s family.
“They had to pay a further $10,000 deposit for a blood transfusion,” she wrote.
“So far the bill is $60,000 but climbing (every) hour he is in hospital there.
“(Joshua) had surgery and the cost of this is unknown, he is in stable condition but in a coma.
“A team of Australian doctors and nurses are on their way to air lift Joshua back to the Perth Children’s Hospital where he will be looked after the best he can get.”
