NEWS

Family of UK woman hit by speedboat in Rhodes seeks help

The family of an English woman who is in a medically induced coma in an Athens hospital after being hit by a speedboat on the southeastern Aegean island of Rhodes on Tuesday, has launched a campaign to raise some 35,000 euros needed for life-saving surgery.

The BBC reported on Monday that 49-year-old Holly Anne Schofield, originally from the southern England town of Hove, suffered a punctured lung, broken ribs and pelvis, a fractured spine and an aneurysm in her aorta, after being run over by speedboat ferrying passengers to and from a yacht anchored off the coast of Rhodes.

She was airlifted to an Athens hospital following the accident, where she has been put into a medically induced coma pending surgery.

Her niece, Charlie Maybank, told the BBC that the family is now trying to raise the money for the surgery or for a transfer to the UK, which is not covered by her insurance. They have launched a campaign on social networking website Facebook and have managed to raise a part of the funds so far.

Maybank also said that the driver of the speedboat rescued her aunt from the water.

“He’s been up the hospital every day… he’s absolutely devastated,” she told the BBC.

Brighton-born Schofield left the city has lived in Rhodes for the past 18 months, working as a masseuse, local UK website The Argus reported.

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