British tourist is stranded in hospital with £40,000 bill due to insurance technicality after getting knocked off motorbike three hours after arriving in Sri Lanka

By TARYN KAUR PEDLER, FOREIGN NEWS REPORTER Published: 09:16, 14 April 2026 | Updated: 09:24, 14 April 2026 A British tourist has been left stranded in a Sri Lankan hospital with a £40,000 medical bill after a horrific motorbike crash just three hours into his holiday.  Alex Muncey travelled to Colombo on March 30 for a ten-week 'trip of a lifetime' and, while travelling from the airport to his hostel, was knocked off his bike. Just three hours after he touched down, Alex was allegedly hit by a lorry overtaking on a blind bend. The 33-year-old suffered a bleed on the brain, three fractures in his right arm, and four fractures in his right leg. Shocking photos show the self-employed builder in a hospital bed, his limbs wrapped in bandages, and with metal pins screwed into his leg. Alex's partner, 31-year-old Helen Garrod, said he had travel insurance but was devastated to learn it only covered motorbikes up to 125cc, not the 250cc he rented. Helen and Alex's family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help cover the medical bills of up to £40,000 and get him safely back home. Helen, from Ely, Cambridgeshire, said: 'He had been planning a lifetime adventure trip. He was out there for three hours; it's so devastating. Alex Muncey travelled to Colombo, Sri Lanka, on March 30 for a ten-week 'trip of a lifetime' and, while travelling from the airport to his hostel, was knocked off his bike Helen and Alex's family have set up a GoFundMe page to raise funds to help cover the medical bills of up to £40,000 and get him safely back home Alex's partner, 31-year-old Helen Garrod (right), said he had travel insurance but was devastated to learn it only covered motorbikes up to 125cc, not the 250cc he rented 'He landed on Monday, picked up his bike and was on his way down the coast when a lorry or a van overtook on a blind corner and smashed into him. 'I rang his hostel and found out that he never arrived, which obviously made me really, really worried'. Helen went on to explain that when she was on the phone with Alex, he could barely speak, and he was mixing up his words. 'That was a really horrible, heart-wrenching phone call to get,' she added. 'I know that it's been his dream for such a long time to have such a big adventure, and he's such an outgoing, adventurous, can't-sit-still type of guy. 'It makes me so sad that he's planned this and hasn't experienced it.' Alex has an external fixator pinning his leg together and is due to have a skin and muscle graft in the future. Helen said: 'He was under the impression that his insurance covered any activity and that being on a motorbike would be covered. 'He has a full motorbike license and has ridden for nine years, so he's a very sensible driver. 'He's having to pay for everything. 'We don't actually know a specific number yet, but a medically staffed flight for him to come home is about £30,000 to £40,000, and that's without all of his surgery.' No comments have so far been submitted. Why not be the first to send us your thoughts, or debate this issue live on our message boards. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. You can choose on each post whether you would like it to be posted to Facebook. Your details from Facebook will be used to provide you with tailored content, marketing and ads in line with our Privacy Policy.