A British nursing student who was trapped under a quad bike after it plunged off a cliff in Corfu is warning tourists to stay away from 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 a day into the trip, on her birthday.
The 24-year-old was knocked unconscious when she veered off the side of a cliff and fell nearly 10 feet before the rental bike landed on top of them, knocking her unconscious.
The nursing student, who lives near Manchester, says she has no idea why the vehicle suddenly veered off the track, blaming either mechanical failure or uneven terrain.
“I thought I was going to die,” he said in a stark warning to others. “I had visions of people I loved as I fell.”
Maddy fractured her scapula and was left battered and bruised after the accident on her birthday.
The 24-year-old was knocked unconscious when she swerved off the side of a cliff.
Maddy shared the severity of her injuries after the bike veered off a cliff and landed on her.
Maddy Morris said she was with a friend on her birthday when the rental bike crashed.
Following the incident, Maddy and her friend were picked up on 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 young people to stay away from quad bikes over the holidays.
Maddy said: ‘We were only going 20mph so we weren’t going fast or anything.
‘I was driving and my friend was in the back.
“The day of the accident was actually my birthday,” he said.
‘We had been going for about an hour and a half and were quite high, but far from the edge.
He said the road was quite busy so they kept a slow pace.
“Suddenly we fell off the edge of the cliff. Luckily, we landed on a ledge as the cliff sloped down to the sea.”
Maddy said she had ridden a quad bike before and knew how to drive.
“It was very unexpected,” he said.
‘We went flying and fell down a 2-metre cliff, and then the quad ended up on top of both of us.
‘We don’t know if it was a faulty bike, uneven terrain or if he lost control of the steering.
Maddy and her friend were trapped under the quad for a few minutes until some passersby managed to lift the vehicle off of them.
Maddy said: ‘You never think something like this is going to happen to you. I must have fainted because I remember waking up on the floor. It was very scary.
‘The wheels were still spinning when he was on top of us, so I think that’s why I had so many injuries on my left side.
“I managed to get out through a gap, as we were both trapped underneath. We were trapped for a few minutes.
“Luckily, there were people driving behind us who were able to push the quad so it wouldn’t fall on top of us. We could easily have fallen further.
“I’m so glad I wore a helmet.”
Maddy was left battered and bruised after the accident, suffering a fractured scapula and other superficial injuries.
Now the student is warning others to stay away from quad biking 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 as a warning to other tourists
“You never think something like this is going to happen to you,” Maddy said after the accident.
Maddy and her friend were trapped under the quad for a few minutes.
Maddy said she had ridden a quad bike before and knew how to drive.
“We were only going 20 mph, so we weren’t going fast or anything,” he said.
Maddy said: ‘I thought I had broken the whole left side of my body because I couldn’t feel anything.
‘I didn’t have insurance, so I learned my lesson: we had to pay for the treatment.
‘We loaded ourselves because we wanted to enjoy the rest of the week. He had ruined my birthday.
“I will never ride a quad again. I thought it would be okay because I’d been on quads before, and it’s normal there, everyone drives one. I thought I was safe.
“I wouldn’t recommend anyone to rent a quad bike. They are death traps. My helmet definitely saved my life.”