Injured Brit Trapped in Croatian Hospital as Insurance Refuses to Pay for Repatriation

On October 27, 2025, a 65-year-old British man named Brian Ackroyd suffered a devastating accident while on vacation in Dubrovnik, Croatia. Ackroyd, who lives in Lancashire, fell and fractured his neck, skull, and suffered multiple brain bleeds. He was rushed to the local hospital and spent days in intensive care before being transferred to a neurology ward.

However, Ackroyd's nightmare was far from over. Doctors in Dubrovnik informed his family that they could no longer provide the intensive treatment he required and that he needed to be repatriated to the UK. But this is where the trouble began. Ackroyd's travel insurance with Admiral had been deemed "null and void" after the company discovered he had failed to disclose a recent visit to his GP and his type 2 diabetes diagnosis.

Ackroyd's son, Richard, explained that his 65-year-old father was not very tech-savvy and had struggled to properly input his medical details online. Despite the accident having no relation to these undisclosed conditions, the insurance company refused to cover the estimated £35,000-£40,000 cost of a medical flight to bring Ackroyd back to the UK. The family has been left scrambling to raise funds through a GoFundMe page to get Ackroyd the urgent care he needs.

As of November 14, 2025, Ackroyd remains trapped in the Dubrovnik hospital, unable to receive the intensive rehabilitation he requires. His family is desperate to bring him home, but the insurance company's decision has left them in a nightmarish situation.