Teen injured in bike crash clings to life

Terrell Tulloch had plans for his 19th birthday last Saturday, June 11, including hanging out with his loved ones before going on a boat ride in Ocho Rios, St Ann – but that was not to be.

Instead, the teenager is clinging to life at Hospiten, a private hospital in Montego Bay, St James, following a bike crash in Negril on June 19. His family is reaching out to the public for financial assistance as medical bills continue to soar.

“So far he has done two surgeries and one of the bones in his head was removed and placed on a refrigerator. He is supposed to do another surgery to put it back in. People may wonder why we choose a private hospital but the public ones are full. We tried our best to get him a space in one, but we just couldn’t. We would readily take a space at KPH if we get the chance, because so far, we have spent over $13 million and the bill is climbing. We would appreciate every dollar that a person can contribute,” said Alicia Gilpin, Tulloch’s aunt.

Gilpin, who spoke on behalf of the family, said her nephew was thrown from his motorcycle on his way to Negril.

“One of his neighbours asked him to take him to Negril suh him come out the house and left his helmet on the dresser and went to take him. On the way, a car driver crashed into them. The driver told me he didn’t see them. Terrell drop a good distance from where he was hit off the bike and he lost consciousness immediately,” Gilpin said.

Tulloch was transported to the Savanna La Mar Public General Hospital where examinations revealed that he had suffered severe brain injuries.

“The first scan we did came to almost $300,000 as we had to get it done privately. The hospital said they do not have the resources to take care of him. We tried to get him transferred but all of the public hospitals are full. Hospiten offered to accept him but they said we needed to give them $2.6 million before they do anything for him due to how severe his injuries were,” she said.

“The hospital bill goes up daily. Thankfully, we were able to hold fundraisers and persons contribute and we are so grateful. We also have a GoFundMe. We know he has a long way to recovery and we are asking anyone who is not in a position to offer monetary donation to just pray for Terrell. He is young and has his entire life ahead of him and we just want to get him back to the person he was,” Gilpin added.

A relative said Tulloch is currently communicating by hand gestures, however he remains in the intensive care unit as he still has some swelling on the brain.

Persons wishing to assist Terrell Tulloch may make contributions to his aunt Alicia Gilpin’s Scotiabank checking account, #92825, Negril branch. Contributions may also be made to Kvon Gilpin’s NCB savings account, #604422655, Negril branch. Donations may also be made at https://www.gofundme.com/f/urgent-support-for-terrells-recovery