Cork man suffers ‘catastrophic injuries’ in Vietnam motorbike crash

49-year-old Damien Horgan, originally from Doneraile, is in an induced coma in Chợ Ray Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam, after suffering life-threatening injuries in a crash on April 26.

His sister Fiona said he is in critical condition and had to have further emergency surgery on a collapsed lung earlier this week.

“He catastrophically damaged the left side of his body. He has eleven badly displaced ribs; had a ruptured spleen which he needed to have removed; a broken collar bone and shoulder and he had a ruptured bronchus and several other tears to his left lung.

“He had a collapsed lung which would not reinflate, so he had to undergo more life-saving surgery for that in the last few days . . . he will need further surgery to stabilise his rib fractures once he is well enough.

“He had to be transferred by ambulance from a provincial hospital as they could not cater for his medical needs, they had limited equipment and staff, it was like something you would see out in a war zone . . . there were babies being born in the same room.

“Thankfully he was able to be transferred to Chợ Ray Hospital which is the top hospital in Vietnam and they have been so proactive in his care.

“He is still critical, is ventilated on life support; on an ECMO machine to replace the function of his lungs and heart and is on dialysis for kidney damage, as he is so unwell.

“He has received multiple units of blood, IV antibiotics, everything is itemised and charged for, said Fiona, who works as a nurse in Cork.

“The language barrier was also a major issue, but his friends and the Irish Embassy have been so helpful with translating and supporting us,” she said.

Damien has been living in Vietnam for the past four years and was working as an English language teacher. Fiona explained that he was due to start a new job and his insurance was linked to the previous job – the family has already spent more than €30,000 on medical treatment in the past fortnight and has pleaded for the public’s help with the bills.

“Unfortunately, he was in the process of getting a new job teaching English around the time of his accident and his medical insurance was linked to his old job, so he has no medical cover at all – so every single thing has to be paid for.

“We as a family have been trying to cover the cost of his treatment. His stay in the ICU alone costs approximately €1,000 a day; we had to give an advance payment of €7,800 for the surgery to apply the ECMO machine and for its usage for however many days he will need it and his surgeries are costing thousands of euro each time.”

She added that because Damien is still unconscious, a family member is needed to stay near the hospital to consent to any medical procedures on his behalf, so there is the additional cost of flights and accommodation.

“Any donation big or small would make a massive difference to us. We, as a family, were hoping to cover the cost ourselves but it is just unsustainable as his recovery will take several months and we have already paid about €30,000 in the space of two weeks,” said Fiona.

She described Damien as “a gentle soul and very kind, who would give you his last penny”.

“He loves traveling and had spent nine years in South Korea and some years in China also teaching English and he was fascinated by their different cultures. He has made many friends around the globe.”

She also praised Damien’s friends in Vietnam who have been “unbelievably supportive”.

“They have covered the cost of some medical bills and have been an absolutely massive support to Damien and our family since his accident. They have adopted us as their own, wiped away out tears, given much needed hugs, food and have translated for us also, we will never be able to do enough to show how appreciative we are.

“And also thank you to the amazing medical staff who have worked tirelessly to keep him alive and give him the best chance of life against so many odds,” said Fiona.

Anyone who would like to donate, can do so via the Damien’s Fight For Life GoFundMe page.