Yorkshire woman, 23, in induced coma after horrifying skiing accident in Bulgaria

Olivia Corbiere, 23, underwent a four hour emergency surgery on Tuesday (Mar 19) after falling around 15ft from a ski path into a ravine in Bansko, Bulgaria on Sunday (Mar 17). She was pulled from the water by her friends before being rushed to hospital in the nation's capital Sofia.

Surgeons removed part part of her skull removed to reduce bleeding on her brain and remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Her heartbroken mother Linzi - who has jetted out to be near her - said surgeons told her they'd 'never seen' a head injury like hers. Olivia, a kitchen designer from Aston, near Rotherham, also suffered three fractured vertebrae, a broken pelvis, broken eye socket and broken nose in the fall.

Speaking from a hotel in Sofia, Linzi, 46, said: "Olivia has just come out of surgery and the surgeon says they've never seen a head injury like it. The next few hours are critical and they're going to wake her up tomorrow. They're very strict in Bulgaria and we're not able to sit by the bed or visit.

"But they did allow me to and see her yesterday and I was able to speak to her and tell her we're here for her. Her eyelashes flickered, so I know she heard me."

Olivia, who celebrated her birthday last Tuesday, flew out to the resort of Chalin Valog with a group of friends including her sister Phoebe, 19, on Friday, but disaster struck on Sunday when she came off the ski path and fell into a ravine, despite being an experienced skier.

She was rushed to hospital and panicked mum Linzi, a train dispatcher for East Midlands Railway, flew out to the country on Monday morning. Her husband Seb, 51, a train manager with the same firm, flew out last night to join her. Olivia's younger brother, Morgan, 22, is expected to fly out later too.

Linzi, who has been staying at a nearby hotel and using translators provided by the ski resort, added: "She's not paralysed, they've assured us of that, because she was moving her limbs too much. That's why they had to put her in an induced coma.

"We've just got to wait and see if they'll let me be there when they wake her up tomorrow. I flew out yesterday morning and my husband flew out last night. The girls have been great, they've been shopping for us and made sure we had things we needed.

"We just flung a few things in a suitcase and flew out, we didn't really know what to pack. I'm just sitting in a hotel, I need a translator to help me and we need to translate all the medical records into English for the insurance company."

A fundraising appeal has been launched to help Linzi and her family cover the costs of travel, accommodation and other expenses.

More than £13,000 has already been donated since the appeal was launched on Monday, but as much as possible is needed to support Olivia through her recovery. Click here to donate.