A woman who was run over by a bus while on holiday celebrating her 30th birthday has relived the aftermath of the horrific accident and seeing her leg in ‘bits and pieces’.
Stacey Liddle was riding a scooter through Thailand with her best friend when the vehicle ploughed into the Queensland resident, dragging her underneath and running her over.
‘I remember looking down and thinking I might as well have not had a leg,’ Ms Liddle told Nine News.
Stacey Liddle (pictured) was riding a scooter through Thailand with her friend when a bus ploughed into the Queensland resident, dragging her underneath before running her over
Ms Liddle has relived the aftermath of the horrific accident and first seeing her leg in ‘bits and pieces’
‘I remember looking down and thinking I might as well have not had a leg,’ Ms Liddle told Nine News
The incident occurred in Chalong, south of Phuket, on October 26. Ms Liddle and Sinead Markham were just three days into their trip.
‘It is probably something I will relive every time I close my eyes,’ she said.
‘When I realised how serious it was I just went blank and started screaming.’
She remains in a Phuket hospital, which her family have described as being full of ants, people sleeping on floors, rusted beds and staff who are upsetting patients.
‘At one stage they were mistreating her and slapping her… they would slap her on the leg and just laugh,’ Ms Liddle’s cousin Katrina told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It’s a nightmare.’
Despite local surgeons working around the clock to save the limb, they hold little hope. Ms Liddle hopes she can raise enough money through her Kickstarter to be transported back to Queensland and have Australian doctors attempt to rescue the leg.
She remains in a Phuket hospital, which her family have described as being full of ants, people sleeping on floors, rusted beds and staff who are mistreating patients
CCTV footage captured just moments before the incident shows the Brisbane woman riding along the road, thankfully wearing a helmet
Moments later, the bus smashes into her, in scenes her best friend thought had claimed her life
‘I saw Stacey being dragged under the bus and the back wheels of the bus drove over her,’ Ms Markham said
CCTV footage captured just moments before the incident shows the Brisbane woman riding along the road, thankfully wearing a helmet.
Moments later, the bus smashes into her, in scenes her best friend thought had claimed her life.
‘I saw Stacey being dragged under the bus and the back wheels of the bus drove over her,’ Ms Markham told Daily Mail Australia.
‘It was completely torn apart, her knee and shin bone was fully exposed and her flesh and calf muscle was lying on the road.’
Speaking through her cousin, Ms Liddle told Daily Mail Australia of the initial shock at seeing her leg.
‘I was trying to pick up my calf up and put it back on … trying to mend my leg back together,’ Stacey told her cousin from a hospital bed.
Stacey Liddle and Sinead Markham were riding scooters in Thailand when a bus collided with Stacey on October 26, leaving her with serious leg injuries (pictured)
The horrific accident took place just three days after arriving in the country to celebrate Stacey’s (pictured) 30th birthday
Stacey, who turned 30 in her hospital bed on October 30, has had at least 10 blood transfusions, has an infection in her leg and still can’t feel below her knee.
‘The first day I was there her bed sheets were covered in sweat and blood, they gave her a bed bath on these same sheets and didn’t change them for a few hours afterwards,’ Sinead said.
Stacey’s mother, Leanne, and Katrina arrived in Thailand on October 29, to be with the 30-year-old.
While Ms Liddle and Ms Markham were meant to arrive back in Australia on November 1, Katrina said they needed to raise at least $30,000 to cover the medical flight in a bid to save Stacey’s leg.
‘We just want her home so she can get the right treatment,’ she said.
Ms Markahm told Daily Mail Australia they had been in contact with the Australian Consulate, who has helped with translations daily, but they told her they do not cover medical bills.
‘We came to Thailand to celebrate her birthday and it’s turned into a holiday from hell,’ Ms Markham said.
‘We just want her home so she can get the right treatment,’ Katrina said (Stacey pictured on her first day in Thailand)
The young woman needs at least $35,000 for the medical flight home to escape the grim hospital conditions (pictured) and save her leg
The young woman needs at least $35,000 for the medical flight home, with thousands more to cover medical bills and have started a GoFundMe page to help with costs.
While the two young women both had Covermore Travel Insurance, Ms Markham said the company refused to help financially, instead helping find prices of medical flights back to Australia.
Despite the horrific experience, Stacey told her cousin that she was happy she was ‘alive and grateful’ and instead was focusing on her breathing as she suffers a punctured lung and asthma.
‘She’s not too bothered about losing her leg, if it has to go it has to go,’ Katrina said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia they had been ‘providing consular assistance to an Australian woman injured in Thailand’.
‘For privacy reasons we are unable to provide further details,’ the spokesperson said.
Daily Mail Australia contacted Covermore Travel Insurance for comment.