A British family cheated death after their guide’s 4×4 skidded off a mountain road and plunged nearly a hundred meters off a cliff in Cyprus before being stopped by a tree.
Jeanette Tumbridge celebrated her 60th birthday at TUI’s Louis Ledra Resort in Paphos with eight family members when they won a free Land Rover tour of the Troodos Mountains after winning a Halloween scavenger hunt.
But her daughter-in-law Kristina O’Connell said it appeared to be almost “the first price of our death” after her driver ignored warnings by swerving off the road at high speed, even though some passengers were not required to wear seat belts not. .
The footage shows the family enjoying the wild ride on the dirt roads on the last day of their holiday, just an hour before the disaster.
A British family cheated death after their tour guide’s 4×4 crashed off a mountain road in Cyprus
As the weather became increasingly dangerous during their drive, the driver continued to plow and eventually ended up on the side of the mountain, overturning the vehicle twice before coming to rest near a tree over a 200-foot drop .
Mrs. O’Connell’s brother-in-law, Lee Evans, and her uncle, David Gorton, went on the trip with their mother, also with two German tourists in the car.
She told MailOnline: “We pulled off the hotel and instead of the driver turning left, he drove just over the reserve at the roundabout – we looked at each other but we thought maybe that’s what they do in Cyprus do.
“Then he got us off the road and we got to the next stop at an old 16th century bridge and when we got back it started to rain.
“We stopped again at a waterfall, when we got there it was raining very hard at that place. When we got to the entrance, the other jeeps were facing a different direction as they were using the main road and our driver was using off-road tracks.”
The field trip included (left to right) David Gorton, Kristina O’Connell, Jeanette Tumbridge and Lee Evans
Footage taken about an hour before the crash shows the car speeding through the off-road tracks
The family went on a trip through the Troodos mountains after winning a Halloween scavenger hunt
As the weather became increasingly dangerous during their journey, the driver continued to plow and eventually ended up on the mountainside.
Ms O’Connell said a weather warning was in place that day warning motorists not to drive off the road and that they were the only car not using the main routes.
She continues: “We started driving further up the mountains and the weather just got worse and worse as we drove on, it was hail, it was raining and I remember at one point I looked ahead and you don’t see more can’t. the front due to condensation.
“At that point my mum said she just wanted to go home because he kept going off the road, it was very bumpy and the weather was bad.
“Then I looked at my phone and I remember my mother shouting: ‘No, no, no!
“We came off a cliff and just rolled. I wasn’t wearing a seat belt so I hit my head with my brother in law, glass broke and then we stopped and I passed out.
“I remember waking up to my mom hanging over us because she still had her seatbelt on.”
Ms O’Connell said a weather warning was in place that day to warn motorists not to drive off the road
Jeanette Tumbridge celebrated her 60th birthday at TUI’s Louis Ledra Resort in Paphos with eight family members when they won a free trip in a Land Rover.
Brother-in-law Lee was able to get out of the car and help free the others from the precarious situation, the car is only propped up by the tree, although Mrs. O’Connell blurted out.
She calls Lee her “hero” because he helped everyone get out.
Ms O’Connell said: “I don’t remember being on top of the cliff for two hours picking glass out of my mum’s hair until the police arrived.
“My mother and I were taken to hospital, my mother had severe whiplash and a bump on her head that hit her on the roof and CT scans were done, my injury was muscle damage in my shoulder.
“The driver suffered a broken bone in his shoulder and we are told that he does not remember the day, although he called us after the accident at the cliff edge.
“A police officer took our statement in the car up the hill, he said there were weather warnings not to drive off the road, that’s why all the jeeps were going the other way, but we weren’t aware of that.
“He said if it wasn’t for that tree you would have fallen 200 feet to your death.”
Ms Tumbridge (right) is still unemployed and has severe nerve damage and still wears a neck brace with shooting pains down her neck and elbows
The family stayed at a resort in Paphos in the west of the island
Brother-in-law Lee (left) was able to get out of the car and help free the others from the dangerous situation
The holidaymakers said TUI visited them the next day on the morning of their departure for explanations, but to their dismay they arrived at the airport to find their flight had been cancelled.
Still unemployed and with severe nerve damage, Ms Tumbridge still wears a neck brace with shooting pains in her neck and elbow after being told it could take up to three years to fully recover.
Ms O’Connell said she now has to take sleeping pills because every time she falls asleep she wakes up in a panic that she is back in the jeep.
The family is suing TUI and warning others about these trips.
She said: “My advice is don’t do it, you trust these people, you trust them, because they do it all the time, they have to know what they’re doing, they know the ways.
“When you’re there, don’t think you’re going to step over a cliff.
“TUI shouldn’t allow these trips, they certainly shouldn’t offer it as a big prize, it’s a matter of life and death.”
TUI told MailOnline: “We are really sorry to hear about Ms O’Connell’s experience. The safety of customers and colleagues is our top priority.
“As this is now being investigated by our legal team, we cannot comment further.”
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Elizabeth Cabrera is an author and journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a talent for staying up-to-date on the latest news and trends, Elizabeth is dedicated to delivering informative and engaging articles that keep readers informed on the latest developments.
