Schoolies nightmare: parents’ bid to bring home Laswon Rankin after scooter accident in Bali
Lawson Rankin, 18, remains in a critical condition in intensive care in a Bali hospital after he fell from his scooter on November 30 and almost drowned.
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The parents of a Newcastle Teenager are urgently hoping to bring him home, after he almost died while on a schoolies trip in Bali.
Lawson Rankin, 18, remains in a critical condition in intensive care in a Bali hospital after he fell from his scooter on November 30 and almost drowned.
The St Francis Xavier’s College student and well-known local rugby league player and member of the Newcastle Knights touch football team, was celebrating HSC graduation.
He was enjoying a break with friends after travelling to Indonesia.
When trailing two friends on a scooter, a passenger on one of the scooters was using Google Maps to navigate, when their phone was snatched by a local driver.
Mr Rankin sped up to try to catch them but tragically crashed, his scooter lodged deep inside a concrete drain filled with water.
His friends rushed to his aid to find Mr Rankin unconscious, facedown drowning in the sewer, his helmet split and his head covered in lacerations.
Immediately they lifted him out and started performing CPR and were able to save his life before locals called an ambulance.
“We are eternally grateful for the heroic actions of these young men,” said Lawson’s family.
Lawson is yet to wake up - he has a brain haemorrhage, an infection from the water that got into his lungs and 20 stitches for his head wound. He remains in a critical, but stable condition.
“This is the most devastating thing a parent can go through, to see our beautiful son in this state in a foreign country is extremely horrific,” Lawson’s family added.
“The support this week has been so overwhelming, we are so thankful for the boys who saved his life, and the love and the support for our son streaming from Newcastle and beyond.”
Despite having travel insurance Mr Rankin did not hold an International License required to ride a motorbike, which means the family will not receive any cover for their extensive medical costs.
To ensure he gets the best care possible his family urgently want to bring him home on his road to recover.
“The bills are already over $30,000 for a few days in an international hospital and he may not be able to travel for weeks, so this will continue to rise,” his family said.
“Once there is clearance to get him onto a plane, it’s expected a Medevac flight to Sydney and transfers to Newcastle could be more than $100,000.
“Once home Lawson is likely to have a long journey of rehabilitation.”
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been set up to support the 18-year-old and his family, who have rushed to Indonesia to be by his side at the Bali International Medical Centre.
So far more than $107,000 has been raised in less than 24 hours, with a target of $140,000.
To help go to: https://www.gofundme.com/f/bring-lawson-home?member= & utm_medium=email & utm_source=customer & utm_campaign=p_email+invitesupporters