By Tim Wetzel
LAWRENCEBURG, Tenn. - A Lawrence County family is desperately trying to get their injured loved one home from South Korea.
Wes Putman, 26, is lucky be alive after he was hit by a taxicab in Seoul. But now it will cost hundreds of thousands of dollars to bring him home.
Putman was living in South Korea and working as an English teacher. He suffered severe brain injuries when he was hit by the cab on his way home in the spring. Doctors said he will recover better back home in the U.S.
"Wes' best chance for recovery is in familiar surroundings," said Melissa Brazier, Putman's aunt. "He needs to be around people he is familiar with, familiar voices and smells."
Putman's mother is with him at the hospital in Korea. He is responding to family but can't talk and can barely move.
In order to get him home, the family will have to pay for an air ambulance which could cost around $130,000. Putman's Korean insurance doesn't cover the trip and since it happened outside the U.S., and they have been unable to get government help.
"It's the hardest thing our family has ever had to go through," said Nicole Powell, Putman's aunt. "We can't get a straight answer from anybody, we've talked to Senators, Representatives, we've even called the White House -- nobody will help us."
The family was able to raise $50,000 in donations this past weekend with a 5K run and fundraiser. A fund has been set up to accept donations at the First Farmers and Merchant's Bank in Lawrenceburg. It's called the "Wes Putman Benefit Account".
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