Mum-of-two disabled after tragic buggy accident sends her tumbling off cliff
A single mum-of-two could be disabled for life after a tragic "dune buggy accident" sent her tumbling off a Turkish cliff.
The British holiday-maker was left in a coma after suffering horrific injuries, leaving her requiring round-the-clock care.
Rebekka Kelly was left with a broken back, pelvis and permanent nerve damage after the holiday horror crash in Antalya.
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The 30-year-old was halfway through her trip with eldest son Sonny, 10, when she decided to book a £75, two-hour safari buggy tour through a TUI rep.
However, after claiming to be unable to turn her steering wheel when on high ground she was flung off the side of the 164ft (50m) cliff. TUI has since conducted an investigation and said there were no faults with the equipment.
She was rushed to a private hospital in Turkey where she was treated for over three weeks, had two surgeries on her spine and her lungs drained.
Rebekka has also fractured six of her vertebrates and pelvis, and had internal bleeding and permanent nerve damage in her lower back.
She is now being treated in a hospital in Liverpool, but there is a chance she could be permanently disabled due to her injuries, and may develop arthritis.
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Speaking from her hospital bed, Rebekka said when booking the buggy safari she saw all the pictures were on flat ground and assumed the same would apply for her trip.
"We went round the track a few times and it was just a normal, flat ground and everything was fine," she said.
"We started on the trail and started going up cliffs, which was a shock to me given how dangerous it was so soon after driving only on flat ground.
"When I was on high ground my steering wheel wouldn’t turn and so me and Sonny went over the edge of a cliff."
She said she is going to have to walk with a walking frame for some time, will be off work for a long time and require help from her children.
Rebekka added the extent of her injuries will not be known until specialists have looked at x-rays.
Her medical bills totalled to around £44,000 and she all TUI did was to make a small donation to a Go Fund Me page.
She said: "My lawyer, Anthony Mckeever of Havard Law, provided an independent English expert report to TUI which outlined my injuries and what I required in respect of the flight home, which formed part of my package holiday.
"Disappointingly, TUI refused to engage at all – even though it controls a fleet of aircraft."
Anthony said: ‘’I must say that TUI’s refusal to engage with me to facilitate a safe flight home for Rebekka was probably one of the strangest legal decisions that I have ever encountered from any party in a civil litigation.
"My arguments fell on deaf ears."
A TUI spokesperson said: "We’re really sorry to hear about Ms Kelly’s experience following her unfortunate accident in Turkey.
"Our resort team provided immediate support to Ms Kelly after the accident and our reps have been visiting her daily in hospital.
"We can confirm that following the accident, a full investigation of this excursion was conducted, and no faults were found with the equipment.
"We always encourage customers to check that they have adequate valid travel insurance to cover them for their entire holiday.
"Our teams will continue to support Ms Kelly as much as possible and we’ll be providing her with a contribution which can go towards her medical costs."
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