Judo star is left fighting for life after bike horror in Vietnam
A SCOTTISH Commonwealth Games star is fighting for her life in a coma following a motorcycle accident in Vietnam.
Stephanie Inglis, who won silver in judo at Glasgow 2014, suffered serious head injuries when she was dragged from a motorbike when her skirt got caught in the wheel and hit her head on the road.
Her parents, Robert, 54, and Alison, 52, left the family home in Inverness and flew to South-East Asia to be by her bedside where the 27-year-old remains in intensive care.
The accident happened on Wednesday in Ha Long, when she was being taxied to a school to teach an English class.
Miss Inglis’s sister Stacey said that the family have been ‘devastated’ by the accident.
Yesterday afternoon, she said: ‘I’ve not heard from my parents today, we’ve been struggling with phone signals. She’s still in a critical condition. She’s not shown any improvements, but she’s not got any worse either.
‘She’s being given steroids to reduce the swelling and to try and stop the bleeding. They are trying to keep her as stable as possible.’
Miss Inglis had been taking a break from judo to teach English to children in Vietnam. She has been there since January 8 and was due back in two weeks.
‘This was her last week of teaching,’ her sister said. ‘She was going around this week gathering her memories and taking photographs with the children.
‘She loved what she was doing and they enjoyed having her.’
Talking of the accident, the 25year-old said: ‘She was on the back of a taxi motorbike. The back part of her dress got caught around the tyre, which dragged her off the bike and she hit her head.
‘My parents have been in touch with the embassy and there’s going to be an investigation.’
Miss Inglis is currently in intensive care at a hospital in Hanoi.
Her sister said there had been hold-ups in transferring her to the hospital due to an insurance company denying her cover. ‘They couldn’t move her until my dad signed a piece of paper that they took responsibility for the fees. They held up the whole process and she was in a very critical state,’ she said.
‘We’re traumatised, devastated. We just want to get her home as soon as we can to get her the best treatment.’
Miss Inglis, who won silver in the
‘We just want to get her home’
women’s 57kg event at the Commonwealth Games two years ago, was taking a break from the sport after suffering a lengthy injury that meant that she would not be able to qualify for the Rio Olympics.
A fundraising campaign set up by fellow judo athlete Khalid Gehlan to help pay for her medical costs has raised more than £60,000.
Paul Bush, chairman of Common- wealth Games Scotland, said the news had come as ‘a great shock’.
He added; ‘Stephanie was a popular and valued member of Team Scotland during the Glasgow 2014 Games. We would like to send our best wishes to Stephanie, her family and friends as she fights to recover from this terrible accident.’
A statement from JudoScotland said: ‘We are obviously shocked and saddened by the news that Stephanie Inglis has been involved in a serious road accident whilst living in Vietnam.
‘Steph was a valued member of the JudoScotland Performance Squad and a leading member of the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games team, adding to Scotland’s medal count with a silver medal.
‘The thoughts and prayers of everyone at JudoScotland are with Steph and her family at this time.’
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office confirmed that it was aware of the accident and is offering the family support.