Michael McGuinne has been in intensive care in La Ribera Hospital in Alzira in eastern Spain since a motorcycle crash two weeks ago left him with a shattered pelvis, cracked vertebrae, a broken femur and other injuries.

His insurance company is refusing to fly him home, saying that Michael wasn't covered to ride a motorbike as powerful as the one he was on at the time of the crash.

His family have been told it will cost 20,000 to get Michael back to Ireland in an air ambulance.

"We're trying to raise the funds to just get him home, " explained Michael's stepfather, Joe Reilly.

"He's in a bad way in the hospital."

"The stress of it has been very hard on the whole family, " said Lorraine, Michael's sister. "We've been in touch with the Irish embassy in Spain but we're still no closer to getting him home."

Michael's family have set up an appeal to raise money for an air ambulance to bring him back to Ireland. Donations can be made to account number 4551 7091, sort code 93-33-17 to the AIB in Tallaght.