A BRITISH man, who has been a property owner in Yesilkent for 12 years, revealed how his Apple Watch alerted his family to him being in an accident – which prompted an overwhelming response of help.

John McLaughlin, from Wakefield, was involved in a nasty motorcycle accident on Tuesday June 21 on his way back from Söke to Didim. He broke his collarbone, five ribs, and punctured a lung.

He told Voices: “As I was knocked unconscious, I wasn’t really aware of what happened. Luckily I was wearing an Apple Watch which recognized my fall and notified my wife and two boys who were back in the UK at the time.

“As they didn’t know what was going on, they rang my mobile which the ambulance medics answered and passed the phone to me. At the time I didn’t know what had happened nor did I know where they were taking me so all I could do was try to reassure her I was okay, in a lot of pain, but okay!”

He asked her to contact their good friend Harun Olguner, from GO2 Altinkum Services, to see if he could help. Harun was able to speak to the ambulance medics who told him what had happened and that he was being taken to Söke Devlet Hospital for a CT scan.

John added that Harun jumped in his car and drove from Didim to the hospital to try to help. He spoke to the doctors for me and kept John’s wife updated at every juncture.

He added: “He then came up to the ward with me and sat with me for quite a few hours. As I was on my own and my wife couldn’t get a flight until the following day, he arranged for one or his English speaking staff to sit with me all night and the following day until my wife arrived. He arranged my wife’s transfer and got the driver to bring her up to my ward.”

Harun then arranged for John’s wife to have a car so she could commute between their villa to the hospital. He arranged for a driver to collect her from the hospital and take her to his office so she could complete the paperwork and give her the keys to the vehicle.

John, who runs a Facebook group, called Travel Bug, helping people who travel by road between the UK and Turkey, said: “Harun has been at the end of the phone, day or night, if we needed him to translate anything from the doctors. He is also helping us sort out a private operation I need for my collarbone. All of this he has done for me on top of all the work he has to do as part of his job at this very busy holiday period.

“The man is a saint. There is no way I’m ever going to be able to repay the kindness he has shown my wife and I. I can’t thank him enough for the help and support he has shown Kirsty and I during this dreadful ordeal.”

John, who is now convalescing at their Yesilkent villa, said of the accident: “The RTA happened on the Söke to Didim road, at the traffic lights near the turn off for Akköy. I was at the lights on the inside lane.

“The road had recently been resurfaced so as I pulled away, I realized I was slightly too far to the right where the road hadn’t been resurfaced. I tried to get back onto the resurfaced road, hit a bump and that’s all I remember as I was knocked unconscious. Luckily I had my crash helmet on!”

He thanked everyone who has since visited and wished him well for the future.