A young Aussie woman has been left fighting for her life after a horrifying quad bike accident left her with a traumatic brain injury while holidaying in the Mediterranean.
Sydney woman Michelle Bui had been on a quad bike when it ended up in a ditch and pinned her underneath while touring the Greek island of Ios.
She had been wearing a helmet at the time of the accident; however, it appeared to have come loose, as her head was unprotected when she was freed.
She was rushed in a helicopter to Thriasio Hospital in Athens, where a CT scan revealed bleeding on the brain and a neck fracture.
She is now in an intensive care unit with surgeons performing an emergency craniotomy, a procedure where part of the skull is removed to treat a brain bleed or hematoma.
Ms Bui’s devastated friend Ella Weinzettel has kickstarted a GoFundMe and raised $78,000 so far to help ease the financial burden.
‘The hematoma was successfully evacuated and the skull was placed back,’ Ms Weinzettel said.
‘This is a good sign as it tells us that she does not need to have her skull to be removed for a period of time to decompress any additional pressure in her brain.
‘She now has a drain inserted in her brain to drain out any excess bleeding.’
Ms Weinzettel said her friend also sustained rib fractures and a hemothorax in the accident.
‘She has been deeply sedated and ventilated for the past few days and is in safe hands in the intensive care unit,’ she said.
‘She has been covered by insurance who we have been in close contact with over the length of her admission however we are not entirely sure if her injuries are covered entirely.
‘I cannot begin to imagine the financial burden that it will place on Michelle and her family.’