THE victim of a motorbike horror crash in Bali three years ago has returned to Derbyshire and continues to recover at home, after receiving help from a specialist unit in Northampton.
Hundreds of people rallied to help Mathew Taylor get back to the UK after he suffered brain damage in the collision on the Indonesian island in July 2011.
The 33-year-old did not have medical insurance at the time and his family had to spend hundreds of thousands of pounds on his care while he was abroad.
Money was also needed to fly him back home to the UK.
Mathew – a former Derby College lecturer – remained in a coma in the Royal Derby Hospital for months after the incident.
As he recovered, he could not leave his bed and was unable to speak.
He was sent to Derby's King's Lodge unit – which provides rehabilitation to patients with complex neurological disabilities.
But, by January last year, he was no longer being spoon-fed, could get about his hospital ward in his wheelchair and could speak to his family and fellow patients.
His condition continued to improve and he spent several months in a long-term care unit – run by mental health organisation St Andrew's Healthcare – based in Northampton.
It specialises in people suffering from brain injuries and aims to "provide a link between care and independent living".
He has since moved to live with family in Overseal while he continues his recovery and his father, Darrell, of Trowels Lane, Derby, said he was still really pleased with his son's progress.
He said: "His speech is quite good now and there is no problem understanding him.
"He complains about having no social life and says he's lost everything.
"I remind him how lucky he is to be alive.
"He continues to receive treatment as an outpatient and, longer term, I would like him to reach the point where he can live independently again."
