‘Bring My Son Home’: Metro Atlanta Man in Coma After Moped Crash in Bali
ATLANTA, Ga. — A Forsyth County family is desperately trying to bring their loved one home after a moped crash in Bali left him in a medically induced coma more than a week ago.
Dream Trip Turns Into Nightmare
34-year-old Mark Moczarski, a Georgia native and South Forsyth High School graduate, had been living out his dream of traveling through Indonesia when tragedy struck. On September 27, he crashed the moped he was riding, suffering severe head and chest injuries.
“The past 10 days have been an absolute nightmare. I still feel like we’re in a dream. It doesn’t feel real,” said Candace Moczarski, his sister-in-law.
Doctors in Bali performed emergency brain surgery, but his family says the procedure was delayed for 12 hours while the hospital awaited both consent and payment.
Family’s Plea for Help
Mark’s father has since flown to Bali to stay by his bedside, while the rest of the family remains in contact through FaceTime. His brother, Mike Moczarski, said Mark is still nonresponsive and struggling to recover.
“It’s horrible,” Mike said. “My brother is pretty much nonresponsive, and he’s halfway around the world.”
His mother, Jonna Moczarski, expressed her heartbreak from Georgia. “Please, God, bring my son home,” she said. “All the time I cry, all the time.”
Family Appeals for U.S. Assistance
The Moczarski family has reached out to the U.S. Consulate in Bali, Georgia’s two U.S. senators, and even the White House, seeking government help to arrange a medical evacuation flight.
“We need government assistance,” Candace said. “We need help from our government and get him home to our hospital systems.”
Community Support Growing
The family has launched a GoFundMe campaign called “Bring Mark Home”, which has already raised over $52,000 toward the estimated $250,000 cost of a medical transport flight back to the United States.
Despite the distance, the family says their faith is keeping them strong. “We’re very religious in the family here, and so is he,” said Mike. “The main part is, we want everybody to pray for Mark.”
The Saluda Standard-Sentinel invites readers to send messages of support or contribute to verified family fundraisers helping bring stranded Americans home. Visit SaludaStandard-Sentinel.com for updates on this developing story.
