UK beautician may never walk again after falling in Thailand

A 21-year-old British beautician suffered devastating injuries when she fell from a resort balcony during a vacation in Thailand – and has been told she may never walk again.

Maddi Neale-Shankster, of Coventry, suffered spinal fractures when she took the tumble on the party island of Ko Pha-Ngan during her three-week dream trip, Metro reported.

The striking blonde reportedly needs drains to remove blood and fluid from her chest before surgeons will try and repair the damage from the tragic fall.

“The prognosis isn’t good as she has fractures to her spine and there’s a chance she may never walk again. It’s devastating,” her mom Karen Moseley-Neale told Metro.

“The pictures we have of the balcony where she fell are outrageous, you would never get away with that in the UK,” the mother said after flying into Thailand on Sunday.

“Maddi had been working hard to move into her own premises in the spring and had a bright and promising year ahead of her,” Karen added.

Her daughter had been in Thailand with her partner to ring in the new year when she fell from the second-floor balcony.

“It was supposed to be the trip of a lifetime until Maddi fell from the balcony,” Karen, who runs The Venue beauty salon in Coventry, told Metro. “I’d ask anyone who knows her to keep her in your thoughts and prayers.”

She said it took an ambulance 30 to 40 minutes to reach the scene.

“To make things worse, Maddi was pickpocketed on the night of the accident and lost all of her cards and money,” Karen said.

“She had been carrying her valuables because the security in their room was horrendous, it was a clasp with a flimsy lock on it,” she told the outlet.

“Maddi’s partner hasn’t left her side and has been given two plastic chairs to sleep on. They’ve got no belongings with them, it’s horrific,” Karen added.

She said Maddi doesn’t remember anything from the accident.

“A friend who is with them woke up to Maddi’s screams as they put the neck brace on. All I know is that she was on the phone to me only an hour before it happened and all seemed well,” Karen said.

Maddi has been transferred from a local hospital to Surat Thani International Hospital on the mainland in a harrowing three-hour boat ride and an hour-long drive, Metro reported.

“We’re waiting to hear back from the British Embassy and we’re trying to keep everyone updated as best as we can,” her mom said.

A spokesperson for the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office told Metro it is providing assistance to the family.