An Ontario man is fighting for his life in Mexico after a hit-and-run boating incident.
As someone who battled with drug addiction for years, Adam Moss has had multiple brushes with death. However, this time may have been one of his closest encounters.
Moss and his life partner Naailah Auladin consider themselves ‘nomads,’ travelling from country to country making a living by helping those battling with their mental health.
The pair arrived in Playa del Carmen, Mexico in October with plans to stay for six months. On Sunday, Auladin and Moss went to a local beach.
“We were just playing and swimming in the water, when all of a sudden, we saw this boat hauling and we could see Adam holding on to it and we had no idea what had happened,” Auladin told Global News.
Auladin says Moss got caught under the propeller of a boat, leaving him with large, deep cuts.
“I saw things that I should have never seen in a human being.”
Auladin says the boat that hit Moss didn’t remain on the scene. The 32-year-old victim told his partner he almost drowned twice trying to swim to safety, with the painful cuts on his body stinging from the saltwater.
Yet somehow, the 32-year-old was able to cling to the side of another boat and was eventually brought to shore.
“I said, ‘Adam, I cannot fathom what happened between the time you got hit by that boat until the other boat found you and you got back to the beach,'” Auladin said.
“He said ‘I only had one thing. I am not going to die.'”
Moss is in a Mexican hospital with a broken hip, pelvis and arm, in addition to other injuries. He’s had four blood transfusions and has no insurance to cover heaping medical bills.
“It is an extremely traumatic experience for him I can only imagine,” said personal injury lawyer Rajiv Haté.
“That is exactly the risk when you travel without insurance.”
Travel expert Natalie Preddie also advises all Canadians travelling abroad to ensure they obtain insurance before stepping foot in another country.
“Especially right now, with all of the changing travel conditions, people are getting stranded with COVID, with other issues. Now is the time to ensure you do have insurance,” Preddie says.
She adds people should read the fine print of any plan to confirm they are covered for injuries.
Global Affairs Canada told Global News it is “aware” of Moss’s situation.
“Consular officials in Mexico are in contact with a friend of the affected individual and are providing consular assistance. To protect the privacy of the individual concerned, further details of this case cannot be released,” a spokesperson said Tuesday.
Canadians injured abroad without health insurance have limited options when it comes to support offered by the Canadian government.
“They cannot offer medical help. They cannot pay for you to get back to Canada to get help. They cannot pay for your hospital bills,” Preddie said.
With medical bills continuing to pile up, an online fundraiser has been launched for Moss, who will likely require months in hospital and extensive rehabilitation and other procedures. Auladin said Moss is in dire need of a critical surgery.
“He’s come from a lot of adversity and he’s always been there for everybody, so we really need everyone right now,” Auladin said.
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