The man is still in a hospital bed and his family have been unable to find his travel insurance details
A six-week holiday in Thailand has turned sour for Langley, BC man Zsombor Toth after a near-fatal accident.
In late January, Toth got into a motorcycle mishap that left him comatose with a severe head injury, according to CBC News. He underwent four operations, during the course of which a piece of his brain had to be removed. While he is now conscious, he is still in critical condition.
“There's no reflex,” said Toth’s father Stefan. “He's not moving. He's able to move his eye ... just his left eye a little bit.”
Before leaving for Thailand, Toth told his father that he had bought travel insurance. Unfortunately, he did not say the location of the policy or its associated policy number. His family hasn’t found it even after weeks of searching. They have sought help from a lawyer to access his bank account and credit card details to confirm whether he actually bought insurance.
The Toths’ current predicament is one that many Canadian tourists find themselves in every year, according to Will McAleer, president of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada.
“Whatever types of activities you plan, you want to make sure those types of activities are also going to be covered under your travel insurance policy,” he said.
He added that making copies of travel insurance policies for loved ones to refer to is important for all tourists.
“For typical travellers, you want to make copies and keep them with you in your personal effects as well so you have those numbers when you need them the most,” he said. “Your travel documents, the contact numbers for your assistance company … I would rank that up there as being right along the same parallel as your passport.”
The estimated cost of flying Toth home after he’s discharged is in the hundreds of thousands. Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that it is extending assistance to his family.
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In late January, Toth got into a motorcycle mishap that left him comatose with a severe head injury, according to CBC News. He underwent four operations, during the course of which a piece of his brain had to be removed. While he is now conscious, he is still in critical condition.
“There's no reflex,” said Toth’s father Stefan. “He's not moving. He's able to move his eye ... just his left eye a little bit.”
Before leaving for Thailand, Toth told his father that he had bought travel insurance. Unfortunately, he did not say the location of the policy or its associated policy number. His family hasn’t found it even after weeks of searching. They have sought help from a lawyer to access his bank account and credit card details to confirm whether he actually bought insurance.
The Toths’ current predicament is one that many Canadian tourists find themselves in every year, according to Will McAleer, president of the Travel Health Insurance Association of Canada.
“Whatever types of activities you plan, you want to make sure those types of activities are also going to be covered under your travel insurance policy,” he said.
He added that making copies of travel insurance policies for loved ones to refer to is important for all tourists.
“For typical travellers, you want to make copies and keep them with you in your personal effects as well so you have those numbers when you need them the most,” he said. “Your travel documents, the contact numbers for your assistance company … I would rank that up there as being right along the same parallel as your passport.”
The estimated cost of flying Toth home after he’s discharged is in the hundreds of thousands. Global Affairs Canada has confirmed that it is extending assistance to his family.
Related stories:
Brokerage firm offers numerous insurance services to aid seniors
Manitoba man, expecting provincial coverage, faces huge US medical bill
