A DAD-OF-TWO from York who was severely injured in a crash in Thailand has begun to speak to his family 21 weeks after the accident.

Chris Moulds, 39, has been in hospital since his accident near Pattaya and is now recovering in a Yorkshire ward where he is visited daily by his wife Alice, 28, and their two children Nicholas, five, and 21-month-old Isabel.

Chris has now begun to respond in conversation and sip drinks, which the family has said is significant progress.

Sandra Harper, Chris’ mum who is from Driffield, said: “The staff had been saying he was actually speaking but we hadn’t seen it. Then Alice said she had heard him saying a few things, really in answer to questions.

“He responds to the children and Alice, and the other positive thing is they have started giving him fluids.”

Chris is being cared for at Castle Hill Hospital in the East Riding.

He was born at Westow Croft outside Malton and lived in Huby near Easingwold, then Copmanthorpe, and attended Tadcaster Grammar School.

Before moving to Thailand he lived in China, where he met Alice, whom he married six years ago.

His friends, family and well-wishers raised £33,000 to help fly him home from Thailand where he was in hospital for eight weeks following the accident.

In June, Sandra wrote on their Facebook appeal page they were thinking of ways to try and help others in similar positions and to “try to warn people of the dangers before it happens”.

She wrote: “There are two other men in the same ward as Christopher, who are in similar situations from accidents in Thailand, that’s two people in one little ward in one little hospital in the UK, what must the figures be worldwide... thank you very much for all you have done. I cannot imagine, nor do I want to, where we would be with out the help we have had.”