Olivia Corbiere, 23, was placed in an induced coma on Tuesday after falling around 15ft from a ski path into a ravine (Pictures: SWNS)
A young British woman is fighting for life after suffering horrific injuries during a skiing accident abroad.
Olivia Corbiere, 23, was placed in an induced coma on Tuesday after falling around 15ft from a ski path into a ravine in Bansko, Bulgaria, on Sunday.
She was pulled from the water by her friends before being rushed to hospital in the nation’s capital Sofia.
Surgeons underwent a four-hour operation to remove part of her skull to reduce bleeding on her brain and remains in a critical condition in hospital.
Her heartbroken mum Linzi said surgeons told her they’d ‘never seen’ a head injury like hers.
Olivia, a kitchen designer from Aston, near Rotherham, South Yorkshire, also suffered three fractured vertebrae, a broken pelvis, broken eye socket and broken nose in the fall.
Speaking from a hotel in Sofia, Linzi, 46, said: ‘Olivia has just come out of surgery and the surgeon says they’ve never seen a head injury like it.
‘The next few hours are critical and they’re going to wake her up tomorrow.
‘They’re very strict in Bulgaria and we’re not able to sit by the bed or visit.
‘But they did allow me to and see her yesterday and I was able to speak to her and tell her we’re here for her.
‘Her eyelashes flickered, so I know she heard me.’
Olivia is fighting for life and has been placed in an induced coma after suffering horrific injuries during a skiiing accident abroad (Picture: Linzi Corbiere/SWNS)
Olivia, right, with sister Phoebe (Picture: Linzi Corbiere/SWNS)
Olivia, who celebrated her birthday last Tuesday, flew out to the resort of Chalin Valog with a group of friends including her sister Phoebe, 19, on Friday.
But disaster struck on Sunday when she came off the ski path and fell into a ravine, despite being an experienced skier.
She was rushed to hospital and panicked mum Linzi, a train dispatcher for East Midlands Railway, flew out to the country on Monday morning.
Her husband Seb, 51, a train manager with the same firm, flew out last night to join her.
Olivia’s younger brother, Morgan, 22, is expected to fly out later too.
Olivia, left, with brother Morgan, who is expected to fly out to join relatives at her bedside (Picture: Linzi Corbiere/SWNS)
Linzi said: ‘She’s not paralysed, they’ve assured us of that, because she was moving her limbs too much. That’s why they had to put her in an induced coma.
‘We’ve just got to wait and see if they’ll let me be there when they wake her up tomorrow.
‘I flew out yesterday morning and my husband flew out last night.
‘The girls have been great, they’ve been shopping for us and made sure we had things we needed.
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‘We just flung a few things in a suitcase and flew out, we didn’t really know what to pack.
‘I’m just sitting in a hotel, I need a translator to help me and we need to translate all the medical records into English for the insurance company.’
A fundraising appeal has been launched to help Linzi and her family cover the costs of travel, accommodation and other expenses.
More than £13,000 has already been donated since the appeal was launched on Monday, but as much as possible is needed to support Olivia through her recovery.
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