A British student nurse who became trapped under a quad bike after driving off a cliff in Corfu is warning holidaymakers to steer clear of the ‘death trap’ vehicles.
Maddy Morris was visiting family on the Greek island last month when she and her friend suffered a horrific accident just one day into the trip, on her birthday.
The 24-year-old was knocked unconscious when she veered off the side of a cliff and tumbled nearly 10 feet before the rental bike landed on them, knocking her out.
The student nurse, who lives near Manchester, says she has no idea why the vehicle suddenly deviated off-track – blaming a mechanical fault or uneven terrain.
‘I thought I was going to die,’ she said in a stark warning to others. ‘I was seeing visions of people I loved as I was falling.’
Maddy fractured her scapula and was left battered and bruised after the crash on her birthday
The 24-year-old was knocked unconscious when she veered off the side of a cliff
Maddy shared the extent of her injuries after the bike veered off a cliff and landed on her
Maddy Morris said she was out with a friend on her birthday when the rental bike crashed
After the incident, Maddy and her friend were picked up off the side of the road by passers-by and rushed to hospital with multiple injuries.
Maddy said she feels ‘lucky to be alive’ after the accident – and is urging other youngsters to steer clear of quad bikes on holiday.
Maddy said: ‘We were only driving 20mph so we weren’t going fast or anything.
‘I was driving and my friend was on the back.
‘The day of the accident was actually my birthday,’ she said.
‘We were around an hour and a half into the drive and were up quite high, but far away from the edge.
She said the road was fairly busy so they kept at a slow pace.
‘We just unexpectedly went off the edge of the cliff. Luckily we landed on a ledge as the cliff went down to the sea.’
Maddy said she had used a quad bike before and knew how to drive.
‘It was very unexpected,’ she said.
‘We were flown off and went down a 7ft drop then the quad bike ended up on top of us both.
‘We don’t know if it was a faulty bike or dodgy terrain or lost control of the steering.
Maddy and her friend were pinned underneath the quad bike for a few minutes until some passers-by were able to lift the vehicle from on top of them.
Maddy said: ‘You never think something like this is going to happen to you. I must’ve blacked out because I remember waking up on the ground – it was very scary.
‘The wheels were still running when it was on top of us so I think that’s why I got so many injuries on my left side.
‘I managed to squeeze out a bit through a gap as we were both pinned underneath it. We were pinned for a few minutes.
‘Luckily there were people driving behind us who were able to push the quad bike from on top of us. We could’ve easily fallen further.
‘I’m so glad I was wearing my helmet.’
Maddy was left battered and bruised after the accident – suffering a fractured scapula as well as other superficial injuries.
Now, the student is warning others to stay away from quad bikes after nearly losing her life last month.
The 24-year-old was on holiday with her friend and family in Corfu before the accident
Maddy shared a video of the severity of her injuries in a warning to other holidaymakers
‘You never think something like this is going to happen to you,’ Maddy said after the crash
Maddy and her friend were pinned underneath the quad bike for a few minutes
Maddy said she had used a quad bike before and knew how to drive
‘We were only driving 20mph so we weren’t going fast or anything,’ she said
Maddy said: ‘I thought I’d broken the whole left side of my body because I couldn’t feel anything.
‘I didn’t have insurance so I’ve learned my lesson there – we had to pay for treatment.
‘We self-charged because we wanted to enjoy the rest of the week. It had ruined my birthday.
‘I’ll never go on a quad bike again. I thought I would be fine because I’d been on quad bikes before – and it’s just the norm out there, everyone drives one. I thought I was safe.
‘I wouldn’t advise renting a quad bike to anyone. They’re deathtraps. My helmet definitely saved my life.’