Ernie & Victoria's $230k motorbike accident

​​​​Travelling on a self-guided ride through rural Vietnam doing the Sapa to Ha Giang Loop with friends, Ernie and Victoria Harvey had already endured extreme weather, including a typhoon and flooding. But on what Ernie describes as “the perfect day, best weather, best roads, hardly any traffic,” disaster struck. A truck suddenly pulled out in front of him on a remote stretch of road, leaving him with seconds to react.

“I had to choose, hit the truck or veer off the road. Then everything just disappeared,” Ernie recalls.

He jumped from the bike to avoid a direct collision, but the impact was devastating. The handlebars struck his pelvis, leaving him with a severe pelvic fracture and intense pain. Victoria, riding behind him and still connected to Ernie through their helmet earpieces, heard the accident unfold in real time.
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"I could hear everything. His breathing, the impact. It’s the sounds that stayed with me more than what I saw."

Ernie and Victoria on their motorbike tour, prior to his disastrous fall

​​​​​Victoria immediately knew the injury was serious.

“I was just yelling for someone to get an ambulance, but we were too remote. They told us one wouldn’t come,” she says.

With no emergency services available and a significant language barrier, locals helped transport Ernie by car to the nearest hospital. Victoria was forced into rapid decision-making, trying to manage Ernie’s pain and keep him stable with little information and no clear idea as to what would happen next. After scans confirmed the severity of his injuries, Ernie was transferred on a five-and-a-half-hour ambulance journey to a private hospital in Hanoi.

“I was just so relieved when we finally arrived. I knew he was safe then,” Victoria says.

But before treatment could begin, Victoria was asked to pay thousands of dollars upfront, with Ernie admitted to intensive care for internal bleeding, which came as a financial shock.

“I just kept thinking, how are we going to manage this?” she says.

Ernie's discarded bike, by the roadside.

 However, Victoria's fears were alleviated after contacting 1Cover Travel Insurance.

“Within two hours they called back and told us the claim was accepted,” she says.

“From that point on, I wasn’t doing this alone.”

As Ernie underwent critical surgery and intensive care treatment, 1Cover coordinated directly with the hospital and checked in daily. Importantly, they checked in on Victoria too.

“They always asked, ‘How are you?’” she says. “Not just about Ernie. About me. Every person we spoke to was empathetic. I felt like I was talking to friends back home.”

After Ernie was discharged from intensive care, 1Cover remained a constant presence. The couple spoke almost daily with their case manager, Callum, who guided Victoria through every step, from ongoing treatment to planning their return to Australia.

“Every call was clear. When we hung up, there were no unanswered questions,” she says. “That clarity was incredibly comforting.”

Ernie on his way to hospital in Hanoi

"If we didn't have insurance we would have been in serious trouble."

Because Ernie could not sit, a commercial flight home was not an option. 1Cover organised a private medical flight with a doctor and nurse on board, coordinating hospital transfers, ambulances and specialist care across Vietnam and Australia.

“They could have sent us home cheaper,” Victoria says. “But they did what was medically right.”

Back in Australia, Ernie was transferred to a major trauma unit in Melbourne for further surgery. While his medical care continued under Medicare, 1Cover covered Victoria’s accommodation so she could stay nearby as his recovery continued.

“They told us, ‘Don’t stress. Keep the receipts. We’ll sort it out later,’” she says.

Even when receipts were missing due to the chaos of the accident overseas, 1Cover continued to support the Harvey’s, covering unexpected costs and expenses the couple had not even realised they were entitled to.

Ernie's pelvic x-ray, post surgery, showing nails and screws

"I expected it to be very business-like,” Victoria says.“But every single person genuinely cared. We never felt alone.”​​​​​

Now recovering at home, Ernie is rebuilding strength and mobility, while both acknowledge the emotional impact lingers.

“Some days are easier than others,” Victoria says. “The trauma doesn’t just disappear.”

For Ernie, an experienced rider who has travelled the world on motorbikes, the experience reinforced a sobering lesson.

“We’ve been riding for years,” he says. “But if we didn’t have insurance, we would have been in serious trouble. We will always be eternally grateful to 1Cover and all your amazing staff and medical team - not all super heroes wear capes!”

Ernie's private medical flight back home to Australia