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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
National
Kate Lally

Mum may be disabled for life after booking trip on TUI holiday

A mum has said she may be permanently disabled after suffering horrific injuries when her dune buggy plunged off a cliff in Turkey.

Rebekka Kelly, 30, needs round-the-clock care after she was left with a broken back, pelvis and permanent nerve damage after the holiday horror crash in Antalya. She 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, due to steering problems, Rebekka was flung off the side of the 164ft (50m) cliff. She was rushed to a private hospital in Turkey where she was treated for over three weeks, had two surgeries on her spine and had to have her lungs drained.

READ MORE: Jet2 flight to Manchester Airport forced to divert after 'serious medical situation'

Rebekka, from Birkenhead, has also fractured six of her vertebrae, fractured her pelvis, had internal bleeding and permanent nerve damage in her lower back. The support worker is now being treated in a hospital in Liverpool, but there is a chance she could be permanently disabled due to her injuries.

Doctors have told Rebekka that she may be permanently disabled for the rest of her life, and may also develop arthritis. She will also need around the clock care from her family and may have to live with her brother Rocky, as she can't do simple things such as walking and bending down.

She said: "I'm going to be really cautious and I'm going to have to walk with a walking frame for some time. The extent of my injuries will not be known until I've had X-Rays over here and the specialists have looked at it.

"It's just a waiting game. I've got a lot of family and friends who are willing to help me.

"I'm a support worker so I'm going to have to be off work for a long time and I'm going to need help with the kids because I'm not going to be able to bend down to the oven or to the washing machine."

Rebekka's medical bills totalled around £44,000 and she has said that the extent of TUI’s help was to make a small donation to a GoFundMe page.

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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