Llanrug girl faces six-month recovery after bus crash on Turkey holiday

The mother of a girl who was crushed by a bus and trapped after it flipped while the family were on their first ever holiday abroad has urged people not to "scrimp" on travel insurance.

Emma Williams, from Llanrug in north Wales, said her 12-year-old daughter Greta was left with a fractured sacrum and pelvis, after the bus lost control and fell on its side while overtaking another vehicle during an excursion, in Alanya, Turkey, last month.

She said Greta, whose care and transport back to the UK was covered by their travel insurance policy, faced a six-month journey to full recovery.

The BBC has approached the company which put on the excursion, Tony Montana Excursions, for comment.

"It's worth paying that little bit extra [for insurance] even if you don't need it. It's for your peace of mind more than anything," said Williams.

Williams, her partner Len, and daughters Greta and eight-year-old Eiry-ana were enjoying a holiday at Eftalia Ocean Hotel and went on numerous excursions.

On 22 July, seven days into their 10-day trip, they visited the Green Canyon where they swam, before setting off for visits to a waterfall and zoo.

On the way to the waterfall, the family travelled in a bus with two other British families, but as the driver overtook another vehicle he "lost control and went downhill".

Williams said the bus "flipped a few times, we nearly hit a tree".

"There was a massive drop which we could have gone down."

She said the bus had glassless windows, and Greta went halfway through before it fell on its side and landed on her.

"Half of the bus was actually on her pelvis and hips, but her legs and body were inside the bus," she said.

"My partner was also through the window and he wanted to save my youngest daughter, so he was holding her up with all his strength.

"Everybody rushed to Greta's aid to flip the bus. I know you're not meant to do things like that really, but it was just human instinct to flip the bus over. She was a 12-year-old child stuck underneath.

"My eight-year-old was screaming and she thought Greta was dead, she was panicking. It was just horrific."

Williams said Greta was freed within five minutes of the bus flipping, and was taken to Ozel Manavgat Eslem Hastenesi hospital, alongside the driver, by ambulance.

She said Greta had a CT scan and an X-Ray and said the experience was "horrific".

"It was extremely scary for her. They had to cut all her clothes away from her and she had to stay on a wooden board for 24 hours, and not be moved whatsoever," Williams said.

After eight days in hospital, Greta was transported back to the UK for treatment with Williams in an air ambulance which their £106 travel insurance policy covered.

"They [the pilots and medics] told me it cost €50,000 just for the flight. That was quite scary, £106 paid for that. Anything can happen."

Williams said Jet2, which sold them the package holiday, waived the cost of changing Len and Eiry-ana's flights back to the UK.

Greta was admitted to The Grange University Hospital in Cwmbran and had physiotherapy, and will find out on 2 September whether she can return to school.

"We can't do anything until that assessment. It's strict bedrest at the minute.

"She's not allowed to do much, she's not allowed to walk loads or do much which is a massive shame. Her friends have been fantastic."

Williams added: "She was petrified when it happened. All she wanted was reassurance from me. We tried to keep it as positive as we could in the circumstances.

"She was phenomenally strong. I'm so proud of how she coped."

"This is something that's going to haunt us forever," added Williams.

"It's going to take a long time to get over it all. We need normality to hit first, as we're in the summer holidays, before we can process it properly.

"You can see the accident has impacted them, and being in a foreign country has escalated their fears.

"We were trying to fill it in with so many experiences and memories as possible to make it fun-filled.

"They don't want to go on holiday ever again. We're going to try and take them somewhere - probably not on an excursion - to ease their mind. It was a one-off freak accident, and these things don't generally happen."

Graeme Buck from the Association of British Travel Agents said travel insurance was "one of the must-haves whenever you travel overseas".

"While most holidays go ahead without any problems, accidents and unexpected events can happen, and the costs of medical treatment and getting home can be significant.

"Cheap isn't always the best, and it's important not to choose a policy based on price alone. Holidaymakers should check what their policy covers and make sure they have comprehensive cover that is appropriate for their trip, including any activities they plan to take part in, such as winter sports."