Leeds man rages at 'sneaky' insurance company that refused to pay out after motorbike accident in Zante, Greece

Mark Jepson and his wife Carol, both 60, of Allerton Bywater, were involved in a crash on July 27 while holidaying in Zante. He remains in hospital on the Greek island 19 days on from the accident after suffering a punctured lung, several broken ribs and a fractured scapula.

Mark, a die-hard Leeds United fan, said that two days after arriving in hospital the doctor advised that he approach his insurance company about arranging an air ambulance back to the UK, but was told that they couldn’t help as the insurance policy did not cover accidents on motorbikes with engines over 125cc.

Thousands of pounds has since been raised by Mark’s friends and family to try and get the couple back home and Mark has urged others to be aware of what their holiday insurance does and doesn’t cover.

Holiday Extras has responded saying that it can only accept claims “that are within the parameters of the policy purchased”.

Mark, who owns a number of motorbikes and has been riding them for over 40 years, said that he and Carol were riding through the mountains on the morning of July 27 when they stopped off to visit an old monastery.

He said: “Whenever we go away we tend to hire a bike so we can go exploring.

"We were driving away from this monastery and after about half a kilometre we were going round this sweeping bend and because I’m used to riding bikes I’m always looking for potholes and hazards. I didn’t see anything but suddenly the front end tucked and we were off in a matter of milliseconds. It was surreal.”

Mark said that the adrenaline kicked in and he was able to move the bike to the side of the road before the pain kicked in and he felt he was about to pass out.

Others stopped to help and Mark said he realised he was in “agony” when a couple tried to help him lie down. A car pulled up and two Americans got out who happened to be a paramedic and nurse. They assessed Mark and decided he needed to get to a hospital as soon as possible.

The two women drove the Jepsons to a hospital 35 minutes away. Mark said: “I was in the back and she just kept saying ‘keep breathing’. My wife then told them that my neck was swelling up on the left hand side. It felt like I was being strangled.”

Mark said he later found out that this was due to the air from his punctured lung gathering in other parts of his body such as his neck, saying: “If I had stayed by the side of the road it would have got bigger and I would have died. This girl – Winter from Minnesota – saved my life.”

Fortunately Carol’s injuries were far less serious but Mark said that for the first week in hospital he was a “proper mess”. He said that the company he flew with were “useless” and “didn’t help or want to know”

On his second day in hospital he said that the doctor – who was “brilliant” – advised that he look to arrange an air ambulance to fly him home through his insurance.

He said: “This was great news. Then on the third day we thought that everything was in motion. We found that the insurance company – Holiday Extras – covered for injuries and repatriation for up to £15,000,000.

"But then they said the policy was vetoed because on page 81 it said you can only claim on a bike up to 125cc.

"I passed my test in 1983 and we got a bike at 200cc because there was two of us on it and we needed that to get around the mountains. It’s just outrageous.

"It’s annoying because we’ve been going on holidays all these years thinking we’re covered when we’re not.

"It also turns out that there’s loads of things that people do on holiday like jet skiing that they are not covered for.

"It’s yet another sneaky insurance scam. They need to make these things prominent rather than hiding it in the small print. They are just sneaky, slimy you-know-whats.”

Mark’s family and friends have set up a GoFundMe page to raise money to bring him and Carol home and pay for additional costs incurred such as Carol’s extra time at the hotel while they were stuck on the island.

The fundraiser, which you can view here, has so far received over £20,000 from the many people Mark has made friends with over the years through working as a window cleaner and playing in bands.

He said: “My eldest son set up the page at 10 o’clock one night and in two days it had four or five thousand pounds. I was in bits. My wife was reading people’s names out who had donated and I was crying.

"Some mates in Rothwell held a fundraiser that made £1,200 and that set me off as well.”

Mark said that he is still having his condition assessed but hopes to be able to travel back to England in the coming week or so.

A spokesperson for Holiday Extras said: “Whilst we were very sorry to hear of Mr & Mrs Jepson’s accident, our insurers are only able to accept claims that are within the parameters of the policy purchased. Throughout this process the emergency medical team have remained in contact with Mrs Jepson to assist her in making private arrangements, until she confirmed that no further help was needed.”

Mark denied the statement, saying: "From informing me that the underwriter had declined the cover and we were not entitled to any form of payment, they have not been in touch since."