Crash victim stranded by DVT fear

Noel Willbourne need a first-class ticket

A badly-injured Welsh adventurer is stranded 12,000 miles from home because doctors fear he could be struck by deep vein thrombosis on the flight back from New Zealand.

Noel Willbourne, 20, suffered serious injuries in a motorcycle smash while on a working holiday in Auckland.

His parents Norman and Jackie used their life savings to fly to New Zealand to be at his bedside.

Worried grandfather Charlie Willbourne

Now they are desperate to get Noel home to Newport, Gwent, for Christmas, but doctors say he must only fly first class to give him extra space.

The medics fear he could suffer from a fatal attack of deep vein thrombosis or DVT - known as "economy-class syndrome" - if he is cramped in a small seat for the 25-hour flight.

Noel's return ticket with Singapore Airlines is economy class - and his travel insurance company is refusing to pay £2,000 to upgrade him.

His grandfather Charlie Willbourne, who is 79, said: "The hospital won't let him fly economy because if he is cramped up in a tiny seat for 25 hours it could cause DVT.

"Noel took out travel insurance before he went but the company say they can't help.

Noel's parents Norman and Jackie

"The silly boy got a bigger motorcycle than he was entitled to drive."

"It is one of those things. I don't suppose he gave it a thought."

Noel was coming to the end of a 12-month working holiday on a New Zealand sheep farm when he suffered a broken spine and head injuries in the road accident near Auckland.

His 250cc motorbike was in collision with a camper van being driven by an Austrian tourist but Noel was found to be not at fault.

He faces lengthy hospital treatment when he returns home.

A spokesman for London-based Club Direct Travel Insurance said it was a regrettable case but Noel's policy only covered him to ride machines up to 125cc.

The British High Commission in New Zealand has been called in to help Noel and his parents.

Law suits

Deep vein thrombosis affects an estimated 2,000 people each year.

Clots develop in blood vessels deep in the legs when circulation slows - when people remain seated for long periods, for example.

The clots can prove fatal if they break off and are carried to the lungs, blocking the flow of blood.

Several medical reports have claimed a link between DVT and air travel.

It is the subject of a number of lawsuits against British airlines.

A number of long-haul airline passengers from Wales have died from DVT clots, including Emma Christoffersen, from Newport, Susan Mavir-Ross from Llay in Wrexham, Thomas Lamb, 68, from Cardiff, and 30-year-old police officer John Thomas from Cowbridge.

Ms Christoffersen's mother Ruth is now part of an action campaign to highlight awareness of the risks from DVT.