Brit woman given 5% chance of survival after horror ski fall makes miracle recovery
- 10 days ago
A young British woman given just a five per cent chance of survival after a horror skiing accident has bravely spoken about making a “miracle” recovery.
Olivia Corbiere, 23, suffered a brain bleed, lung damage, a broken pelvis and three fractured vertebrae when she fell 15ft (4.5m) down a ravine in Bansko, Bulgaria, in March.
Doctors who first tended to the stricken kitchen designer told her mum Linzi, 46, she had a limited chance of pulling through - and might never talk again if she did.
But remarkably, after Olivia was flown to Britain for treatment and spent a total of six weeks in hospital, she has been allowed to come home.
She still has some hearing loss and nerve damage on the right side of her face - affecting her eyelid movement - along with a wound at the back of her head.
But Olivia has now thanked her doting sister Phoebe Corbiere, 19, and five close friends who were with her when she had the accident for saving her life.
Speaking from her home in Aston, near Rotherham, South Yorks, she said: “The actions of my sister and my friends that day are the reason why I’m here.
“Three of them jumped into the ravine and helped get me out, and then the other ones called the emergency services.
“They didn’t even think for a second not to jump in, and they could have hurt themselves. They are incredible. They’re fabulous, they’re amazing.
“When I was in hospital I thanked them for doing what they did because they saved my life with how they reacted."
Linzi said she was stunned at Olivia’s progress since the accident – and praised the doctors in Britain and Bulgaria who had treated her girl.
She said: “It absolutely feels like a miracle.
“Don’t get me wrong, the Bulgarian neurosurgeon saved Olivia’s life, but the care back in England is second to none. They’ve checked up on her constantly.
“We were told she had a five per cent chance of living and may not speak, but she’s done all that, she’s proved them wrong, she’s getting stronger every day.
“Now, she can laugh and joke about herself and things like that – that’s really, really good. We’re absolutely over the moon."
Olivia had gone on the five-day spring ski trip with her sister and pals Laura Howe, 23, Charlotte Howe, 20, Georgia Cooke, 23, Ellise Cowley, 23, and Anastasia Griffith 23.
And on March 17, she had gone up to the top of the mountain range, in Western Bulgaria, early to maximize her time on the slopes.
But after lunch, as she was heading along a ski path, she tumbled down a ravine while going over some slushy snow.
Olivia said: “We met about 10am, and we were having a conversation about where we were going to eat. That was one of the last things I remember before my accident.
“My right ski crossed over my left ski, and that made me lose control. I then went into the ravine.
"Because there’s such a big drop, and because it was warmer weather and it had melted, I couldn’t turn out of it like I normally would."
Olivia Corbiere, 23, suffered a brain bleed, lung damage, a broken pelvis and three fractured vertebrae when she fell 15ft (4.5m) down a ravine in Bansko, Bulgaria, in March.
Doctors who first tended to the stricken kitchen designer told her mum Linzi, 46, she had a limited chance of pulling through - and might never talk again if she did.
But remarkably, after Olivia was flown to Britain for treatment and spent a total of six weeks in hospital, she has been allowed to come home.
She still has some hearing loss and nerve damage on the right side of her face - affecting her eyelid movement - along with a wound at the back of her head.
But Olivia has now thanked her doting sister Phoebe Corbiere, 19, and five close friends who were with her when she had the accident for saving her life.
Speaking from her home in Aston, near Rotherham, South Yorks, she said: “The actions of my sister and my friends that day are the reason why I’m here.
“Three of them jumped into the ravine and helped get me out, and then the other ones called the emergency services.
“They didn’t even think for a second not to jump in, and they could have hurt themselves. They are incredible. They’re fabulous, they’re amazing.
“When I was in hospital I thanked them for doing what they did because they saved my life with how they reacted."
Linzi said she was stunned at Olivia’s progress since the accident – and praised the doctors in Britain and Bulgaria who had treated her girl.
She said: “It absolutely feels like a miracle.
“Don’t get me wrong, the Bulgarian neurosurgeon saved Olivia’s life, but the care back in England is second to none. They’ve checked up on her constantly.
“We were told she had a five per cent chance of living and may not speak, but she’s done all that, she’s proved them wrong, she’s getting stronger every day.
“Now, she can laugh and joke about herself and things like that – that’s really, really good. We’re absolutely over the moon."
Olivia had gone on the five-day spring ski trip with her sister and pals Laura Howe, 23, Charlotte Howe, 20, Georgia Cooke, 23, Ellise Cowley, 23, and Anastasia Griffith 23.
And on March 17, she had gone up to the top of the mountain range, in Western Bulgaria, early to maximize her time on the slopes.
But after lunch, as she was heading along a ski path, she tumbled down a ravine while going over some slushy snow.
Olivia said: “We met about 10am, and we were having a conversation about where we were going to eat. That was one of the last things I remember before my accident.
“My right ski crossed over my left ski, and that made me lose control. I then went into the ravine.
"Because there’s such a big drop, and because it was warmer weather and it had melted, I couldn’t turn out of it like I normally would."