Devastated mum refuses to fly overseas ever once more after whopping £28k vacation invoice
A British mum has vowed never to travel abroad again after being hit with a huge £28,000 air ambulance bill following a quad bike crash in Greece
Diane Steadman has vowed to avoid foreign getaways forever after a nightmare trip to Greece(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
A devastated mum has vowed to avoid foreign getaways forever after a nightmare trip ended with a eye-watering £28,000 bill. Diane Steadman, 61, was enjoying a sun-soaked break on the Greek island of Skiathos on September 11 when her getaway spiralled into horror.
She and partner Mick Raftery had shelled out £2,200 for the trip and decided to hire quad bikes to travel between local beaches. But disaster struck during a quick ride along the coast when the pair claim a local driver ploughed into the back of them.
The devastating rear-end collision flung both of them off the road. Mick managed to scramble away with minor cuts and bruises, but Diane hit the deck with horrific force, shattering two vertebrae in her spine, reports the Mirror.
Diane suffered two broken vertebrae in her spine after a quadbike crash(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
Recalling the agonising moment, Diane said: “I felt a jump in my back and I don’t remember anything else.”
She added: “All I remember is waking up on the road. He [the car diver] wasn’t watching the road and didn’t have time to slow down. I was in and out of consciousness, I didn’t have the energy to speak to anybody when I woke up. I tried to be strong but I’m so frightened, I feel like I’m going to die.
After being moved by ambulance to a local medical centre Diane, a mother-of-two, was rushed to the mainland for further treatment, all under the belief the whole incident would be covered by her travel insurance.
Diane and partner Mick Raftery had shelled out £2,200 for the trip(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
However, she was shocked to find out that quadbikes weren’t covered by her policy.
What’s more, although she was under intense pain relief, she was unable to afford a £40,000 operation, so had to borrow a massive £28,000 to fly back to the UK via air ambulance on September 30.
As she waits for an operation to fix her back, Diane has paid tribute to her partner but also admitted she does not intend to go abroad again.
Diane was shocked to find out that quadbikes weren’t covered by her policy(Image: Kennedy News and Media)
She said: “It’s just been one thing after another, I will not be going abroad again, no way. Mick has been brave and tried to put a smile on my face. I’m scared of the operation, everyone is telling me it’s going to be okay.”
Meanwhile Mick has issued a warning of his own pleading with people to make sure they check the small print of their insurance policies so they know what is and isn’t covered to avoid something similar happening to him and Diane.
He added: “Check your insurance before you rent a quad bike. We were mistaken in thinking insurance covered quad bikes too.”
As well as asking people to check their policies, Mick has also set up a GoFundMe to help him and Diane cover some of their costs following the disaster.
