'She got up and fell back over because she couldn’t breathe. They both wore helmets or they would of been dead.'
A holidaymaker thought she was going to die after being thrown off a quad bike down a 13ft drop in Greece.
Courtney Leanne Boylan saved up for her dream holiday but those dreams were shattered when the quad bike she was riding with a friend hit a fence and sent her hurtling down a steep drop.
She was airlifted to hospital in Athens on June 28 and is still in intensive care, having suffered a pleural effusion, a split liver, a torn spleen and severe internal bleeding.
The 22-year-old, from Monsall in Manchester, was backpacking solo in Naxos when she met up with friends and climbed on the back of a rented quad bike.
They were riding along a narrow road when her friend pulled in to let a car pass, hitting a fence and sending Courtney flying down a ravine before the bike crashed on top of her.
Her mum Debbie told Manchester Evening News: ‘Courtney had a plan from high school; she knew what she wanted study then travel. After university she got a job, saved hard and and booked her backpacking trip to Greece.
‘Her plan was to continue education or work in the field she studied once she got back. She loves history and wanted to go at it alone because she can make friends in an empty room.
‘I dropped her off at Manchester Airport with a one way ticket on June 6, and she headed to Rhodes and met lots of lovely people and friends.
‘She was attacked by a random girl and had to go to to A&E the next day for X-ray. Courtney is the most polite, kindest person you will ever meet, so this knocked her confidence and she stayed indoors for a few days.
‘She then went on her travels to Kos and Mykonos; I persuaded her to not let one person stop her plans.
‘She met up with some lovely friends in Naxos and they had a ball. One morning, two girls were going for a hike and Courtney and her friend didn’t want to, so they planned to sightsee on a quad.
‘Her friend had a licence and booked a quad bike – Courtney rode on the back.’
Describing the crash, Debbie added: ‘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 of been dead.’
Courtney left a voicemail revealing she had been in an accident, so Debbie called the embassy as they were ‘going out of their minds’ with worry.
After a terrifying call from the hospital, she flew straight out to be with her daughter.
‘They said she was stable but had ab oxygen mask and internal bleeding, so we booked the first flight out,’ Debbie said.
‘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.
The family are now desperate to fly Courtney back for treatment however have been told that a private air ambulance will cost upwards of £36,000. A flight sitting by herself with assistance from medical teams would also cost around £5,000.
They are now fundraising for support in order to be able to bring her home to continue treatment in hospitals in the UK.
This isn’t the only quad bike crash in recent weeks, as another British tourist was hospitalised after a crash on the Greek island of Zakynthos last month.
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