A mother has warned holidaymakers to check their travel insurance after a quad bike crash in Greece left her with a £28,000 loan and a vow never to travel abroad again. Diane Steadman and her partner Mick Raferty were on the island of Skiathos when a car struck them from behind while they were riding hired quadbikes between beaches.
The couple were in the final days of their £2,200 holiday when the incident happened on September 11. Mick escaped with cuts and bruising, but Diane suffered two fractured vertebrae in her spine and said she believed she was "going to die".
Insurance gap leaves couple with huge bill
Diane and Mick assumed their travel insurance would cover the treatment, but discovered it did not cover quad bike accidents. Facing a £40,000 surgery bill, carer Diane, a mother of two, took out a £28,000 loan to pay for an air ambulance flight home on September 30.
Mick said: "Check your insurance before you rent a quad bike. We were mistaken in thinking insurance covered quad bikes too."
Recalling the crash and its aftermath
Diane, who was taken by ambulance and then helicopter to mainland Greece, recalled: "All I remember is waking up on the road. He [the car driver] 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."
Still awaiting surgery to repair her back, Diane 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."
GoFundMe launched to ease financial strain
Alongside urging holidaymakers to review their travel insurance before departure, Mick has set up a GoFundMe page to help with the financial burden caused by the crash.
During peak holiday periods, insurers routinely advise British tourists to ensure they have sufficient cover for unexpected events.
