Thailand balcony fall: Plea to bring teacher back to UK

Jill Dodds' insurance for treatment in Thailand is limited and her family want to bring her back to the UK

The family of a teacher who was seriously injured when she fell from a balcony in Thailand have launched an appeal to bring her home.

Jill Dodds, 47, was taking selfies on 18 December when the balcony gave way and she plunged 20ft (6m), sustaining spinal injuries.

Her sister Katie Breeze, 39, of Morpeth, Northumberland, said Ms Dodds' insurance for treatment was limited.

She said her sister could hardly move and needed around-the-clock care.

Jill Dodds was taking selfies with a friend at an end-of-term party when the balcony gave way

Ms Breeze said her sister, who moved from Northumberland to Thailand six years ago, was taking selfies with a friend at an end-of-term party when she fell and landed on a skip.

The fall left her with a crushed vertebrae and no movement below her hips.

"She's bedbound but slowly regaining movement in her arms. She doesn't have any grip and can't hold anything. She can't independently use her legs," said Ms Breeze.

"We just want to get her home so she can be with her family and recuperate and get physiotherapy."

Ms Breeze said a fundraising appeal to pay to fly her sister home with a doctor or a nurse had so far raised more than £17,600 of a target of £20,000.

"She's in a Thai government hospital as she doesn't have sufficient insurance and is only covered for treatment up to a point," Ms Breeze said.

"The fundraising took off really quickly, the support has been overwhelming - it's like a testament to how well Jill's thought of."