Olivia Corbiere: Medics prepare to wake up Sheffield woman from coma after horror ski fall

Olivia Corbiere, from Aston, continues to fight for her life today after suffering horrific injuries during a skiiing accident abroad.

The 23-year-old underwent a four hour emergency operation yesterday (Tuesday) after falling around 15ft from a ski path into a ravine in Bansko, Bulgaria on Sunday.

She was pulled from the ravine by her friends before being rushed to hospital in the nation's capital Sofia.

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

Her heartbroken mother Linzi - who has flown out to be near her - said surgeons told her they'd 'never seen' a head injury like it.

Olivia, a kitchen designer, 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 (Wednesday)

"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 her parents Linzi and Seb, 51, flew out to be close to her.

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.

"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 £17,000 has already been donated since the appeal was launched on Monday, but as much as possible is needed to support Olivia through her recovery.

Visit the GoFundMe page to donate.