aboutWILL

 

On the 27th November 2008 Kelly and I were booked in to spend one night at the Taj Mahal Hotel in Mumbai. Unfortunately, that happened to be the same night that terrorists embarked upon a rampage, killing crowds of innocent people and injuring many more. I was one of eight British people to sustain injuries and as a result, I will spend the rest of my life in a wheel chair.

The reason for this website is because I am not eligible for any compensation; not from my travel insurance, not from the Indian Government and not from the British Government. The Will Pike Mumbai Appeal, is going to help cover all the necessary costs of living with a spinal injury, from home adaptations to physiotherapy. We will also be using this space to campaign for change, because this could happen to anybody who is a victim of terrorism abroad.

Thank you for taking the time to help

 

Will Pike

 

 

theINCIDENT

 

On Wednesday 26 November 2008 Will Pike, a 28 year old freelance film maker from London and his girlfriend, Kelly Doyle, were on the last 24 hours of their holiday in India.   They had spent two weeks in Goa and were due to fly out of Mumbai the following day. As an end of holiday treat they had booked themselves into the Taj Hotel, a Mumbai landmark.

 

They were changing before dinner.  The gunshots that they first heard didn’t sound like gunshots. More like firecrackers. Curious they went to the atrium overlooking the reception area. It was deserted.  Returning to their room they phoned reception, then the concierge. But there was no one there. It was the beginning of the siege at the Taj Hotel.

 

Six hours later, hiding terrified in their third floor bedroom, they decided that they had to put their only escape option into action. There had been gunshots in their corridor, a succession of explosions and their part of the hotel was now ablaze. Smoke was coming in under the door. The knots in the rope that they made out of curtains and sheets did not hold. Will fell 50 feet to the ground below.

 

 

theINJURY

 

Just over a week later he left India, and was admitted to UCH in London where he needed to have further surgery on his arms and pelvis.

After eight weeks he was transferred to the Spinal Injuries Unit at The National Orthopaedic Hospital at Stanmore: after two months on his back he was finally able to sit in a wheelchair and a long term prognosis could be made.

 

Following eight operations his arms are mending, but they are still unable to bear any significant weight and he will have restricted movement in the future. His pelvis has  repaired well. A fracture in his left leg, discovered almost three months after leaving Mumbai, is now being attended to. But crucially his spinal cord was injured at the moment of impact and Will has only limited sensation and functionality below the waist. He is unlikely to be able to walk again.

 

 

theFUTURE

 

Will and Kelly are now getting on with their new life. Kelly has been back at work since February. They have had to move flats. Their new one is considerably more expensive to rent and they now only have one income. The new flat is rented and not adapted for wheelchair use. Will is busy doing physio regularly and considering what options he has for working in the future. He has recently completed a disability driving assessment involving hand controls, and soon they hope to be able to get a car adapted.

 

They are both brave, resourceful, and energetic young people. And they deserve support for their future.