A mother is urging young people to exercise extreme caution when renting quad bikes abroad after her son sustained severe injuries in an accident in Zante, Greece. Alfie, 18, suffered fractured vertebrae, broken ribs, and a ruptured spleen in the incident.
His mother, Kayley, reported that Alfie has since been transferred to Addenbrooke's Hospital, where his family awaits news on whether he will require back surgery and if the brain bleed will have lasting consequences. "We don't know when or if Alfie will be able to return to bricklaying so his future might be quite different, but we are just so thankful that he survived," she stated.
Kayley shared that she has been contacted by numerous parents whose children have also been injured in similar accidents. "One of the nurses in Greece said it is like a pandemic there every year, with all these young people seriously injured on quad bikes," she said, emphasizing the ease with which quad bikes can be rented. "Quad bikes are so cheap and easy to rent, but they're so dangerous. Something needs to change."
She advised young people to understand that "they're huge, powerful vehicles and hard to steer." Alfie is currently receiving care in a hospital bed, with medical devices connected to him.
A spokesperson for ABTA commented that while quad bikes can be enjoyable, they are also "powerful pieces of machinery which can also result in very serious accidents." The organization also highlighted that most travel insurance policies do not cover quad bike accidents and advised holidaymakers to check their policy details in advance regarding specific activities.