A dad-of-two is fighting for his life in hospital after being thrown from a quad bike in the Scottish Borders while on holiday with pals. Phil Brown suffered serious head injuries following the crash near Abbey St Bathans on Wednesday, March 1, and was airlifted to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
The 34-year-old’s wife Kate and two children, Betsy and Ted, are holding a bedside vigil for the dad, who remains in a critical condition. More than £31,000 has been raised to support the family, who are from Kent, while police continue to investigate the circumstances of the horror crash.
Family friend Adam Bond told the Daily Record that self-employed Phil had travelled to Scotland with friends just days after a family trip to Ireland. He said: “We don’t have all the details of the accident, however we understand that Phil was a passenger on a quad bike, and that tragically, having tried to correct a wrong turn, Phil was flung from the bike and hit a tree.
“The crash has left Phil with major head injuries and he now remains in a medically induced coma. We’re still praying that Phil will make a recovery but whatever that recovery may be will inevitably be a long one. As such, we’re continuing to fundraise to allow his family to remain by his side.
“We set up the GoFundMe page on Friday evening in the hope that we could make a small contribution to supporting his wife Kate and his two small children. We originally set a target of £10,000 knowing that any financial contribution would remove a small amount of stress while Phil fights for his life in hospital.
“We’ve been blown away by the response, and in just a few days we’ve raised over £30,000 from more more than 600 people.” He added: “Phil is 6ft 6, large in stature and personality. He’s a huge character in any room.
“The reaction we’ve seen just shows how much we and many others love him and want him to return home with his family. They’re obviously based in Kent and have commitments here but have a need and desire to be in Scotland by Phil’s side for as long as necessary.”
Police Scotland have launched an investigation into the serious crash, which happened at around 2.30pm close to Edin Hall Broch car park, on an unclassified road which links the A6112 with Abbey St Bathans. It involved a Yamaha Grizzly 550 quad bike.
The driver of the vehicle was uninjured. Sergeant Dave Waddell said: “Our enquiries continue to establish the full circumstances of this crash and I am appealing to anyone who was in the area at the time that may have witnessed the incident to come forward.
“If you have dash-cam footage that could help with our investigation or saw what happened then please get in touch via 101, quoting incident number 1946 of Wednesday, 1 March, 2023.”
To donate to the fundraiser for Phil, please click here.
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