Australian Tourist Left Fighting For His Life After Bali Moped Crash

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An Australian father of two has been left fighting for his life after a moped crash in Bali.

24-year-old Kevin Malligan from Sydney was riding as a passenger on a moped when he was thrown from the bike, resulting in catastrophic injuries. 

Malligan was on holiday in Bali with friends when the driver of a moped he was riding as a passenger on hit a pot-hole and was thrown to the ground.

He is now battling against serious injuries and is on life support at the BIMC Hospital in Nusa Dua.

Malligan has experienced a bleed on the brain, and a neck fracture. He has already undergone one surgery to help stop the bleeding, but there is still a long way to recover. 

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Malligan’s wife, Leah, who is 32 weeks pregnant has flown to Bali to be by his side. She is now accompanied by Kevin’s brother and father.

The couple’s 2-year-old, Ivy, is being cared for by my family back in Sydney. Leah told Australia’s 7News, “It’s something that you just see in movies, and you hear of, but you just never think you’re going to be in that situation.”

Despite having insurance the provider is not prepared to cover this kind of incident which is leaving the Malliagn family to pay out of pocket for Kevin’s medical expenses which have quickly risen to over AUD 100,000. 

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Malligan has been given medical clearance for an emergency flight back to Sydney where he will continue to receive intensive medical support.

The family has set up an emergency GoFundMe page to help clear the rising medical bills. Leah Malligan told reporters, “I never thought I’d be in this situation, and I’ve never been the type of person to ask for money or ask for help.”

He added, “But after seeing the condition he’s in and knowing I’m going to be giving birth in five or so weeks…it’s so important that he’s at home.”

Leah is due to give birth in February, so far over 980 donations have been contributed raising over AUD 87,000 or a target of AUD 100,000. 

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Malligan’s story is an all too traumatic reminder for tourists to ensure that they have comprehensive insurance policies in place that cover every eventuality before heading to Bali.

It is vitally important that tourists understand what is and isn’t covered by their policy provider in the event of a traffic collision abroad.

There are so many tiny details in insurance policies that can be easily overlooked, resulting in massive medical bills. 

In fact, tourists are being urged to consider the safety of driving a moped or car in Bali full stop. The province has seen a 100% increase in the number of reports of traffic collisions in 2023.

Yet, with minimal public transport available, tourists have little to no choice but to use private drivers, taxis, or drive themselves. 

Bali, closely followed by East Kalimantan is the worst province in Indonesia for traffic collisions at this time.

Speaking to reporters, the Bali Police Chief Inspector General Ida Bagus Kade Putra Narendra revealed shocking statistics about the conditions on Bali’s roads. 

Police Chief Inspector Narendra said “Throughout 2023, there have been 7,224 traffic accidents. This number has increased by 100% compared to 3,602 incidents in 2022.”

Shockingly there has been a huge increase in the number of fatalities on the roads too. Both tourists and local people are dying on the roads of catastrophic injuries that are highly distressing for loved ones to live with the memory of.

Narendra continued “the number of victims who died due to traffic accidents in 2023 was 632 people, an increase of 25.89% from the number of victims who died in 2022, which was 502 people.”

Driving a moped is disproportionally dangerous compared to driving a car in Bali, with 87% of all reported collisions involving a motorcycle in 2023.