A young girl had her dream holiday turn into a nightmare after a quad bike crash left her in hospital.
Courtney Leanne Boylan was holidaying in Greece when the quad bike she was riding hit a fence, sending her hurtling down a 13-foot drop, with the vehicle then landing on top of her.
The 22-year-old from Monsall, north Manchester, is currently in intensive care with serious injuries in an Athens hospital.
Her “distraught” mum Debbie said that Courtney, who was on her dream backpacking trip in Naxos, had met up with friends who were hiking when she decided to join one of the girls on the back of the quad bike she had rented.
Courtney had saved up for her dream solo trip around Greece
Reliving the moment of the collision, Debbie said: “They were only out for a short time and the roads became very narrow, so as a car was coming round, her friend pulled over to let the car pass.
“After the car had gone, her friend went to turn the handle bars to pull out slowly and I can only presume pulled too hard on the revs, which sent them into a fence. They hit the gate and then went over the embankment.”
“Courtney fell off the back and rolled down the ravine and ended with the quad on top of her. She got up and fell back over because she couldn’t breathe. They both wore helmets or they would have been dead.”
A local man is then thought to have climbed down to the area while emergency crews were called. Courtney was first hoisted to a hospital in Naxos, and was given a drain to her chest, before being airlifted to Athens General Hospital.
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Courtney Leanne Boylan in a hospital in Athens
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She added that her injuries have left her with pleural effusion, a split liver, a torn spleen and severe internal bleeding.
Debbie said: “They said she was stable but had an oxygen mask and internal bleeding, so we booked the first flight out…we reached Athens hospital and Courtney’s first words were ‘I thought I was gonna have to die alone’ – this was heartbreaking.”
“We’re on day six now and Courtney is getting stronger. She has two chest drains for pleural effusions, she has fluid on her tummy from the damage to her liver and spleen and X-rays have just shown she has clouding on her lungs.
“We’re all distraught, I have panic attacks when I have to leave and need to gather myself to be strong. The doctors and locals have all been amazing.”
Debbie said that although Courtney’s friend was insured to drive the quad bike, locals said that the roads are “dangerous” and that the vehicles are “lethal” to drive in the area.
They are now fundraising for support in order to be able to bring her home to continue treatment in hospitals in the UK. You can donate to the fundraiser here.
