British woman injured in quad bike shows improvement

A 22-year-old British woman who was in a coma after a quad bike accident in Ayia Napa, appeared to be showing signs of improvement on Monday.

“She has woken up,” her mother exclaimed in a Facebook post.

Ellie Horrocks, from Westhoughton is currently being treated at Nicosia general hospital after suffering from serious head injuries and a broken spine in the accident where her quad bike overturned last week.

Her family since started a GoFundMe page appealing for funds to fly Horrocks to Manchester, where she can be treated in a specialist neurology hospital.

“The cost of repatriation from Nicosia hospital in Cyprus to the UK is significant and not covered by Ellie’s insurance and this has meant we have had to reach out for help,” her mother Leanne Horrocks, said in the appeal.

By Monday afternoon, over £68,000 were raised.

Ellie’s mother is believed to be staying near the hospital in Nicosia but is only allowed to visit her for an hour a day.

In a Facebook post late on Sunday evening, her mother said Ellie was doing better and had been responsive to requests to squeeze her hand.

“She had been breathing on her own with no ventilator, responding to commands, squeezing our hand when we asked her to.

“No speech but she is definitely understanding us when we say things to her! Emotional is an understatement!”

Leanne described the visit as incredibly positive. “It’s almost unbelievable and a complete shock! She was taken off sedation meds this morning as part of her daily routine to allow her to wake up. This was Day 5. She has woken up!”

More of Ellie’s relatives were set to arrive to Cyprus to visit her.

Ellie has been working in Cyprus as a bar tender since May. Her family told the Daily Mail that she was heading to spot to watch the sunset when an oncoming car had forced her to serve out of the way.