Holiday tree fall leaves mother in coma
A SCOTS mother was left in a coma after a tree fell on to her restaurant table as she enjoyed dinner with her family while on holiday.
Elaine Tracy was left fighting for her life after the incident at El Bar De Mi Papa on the Spanish island of Lanzarote.
The 42-year-old had been dining with husband Tommy and children Connor, nine, and Ciara, six, when a huge ‘dragon tree’ crashed on to the table.
Mrs Tracy, of Garrowhill, Glasgow, was freed from beneath the tree and taken to hospital where she was placed in a medically induced coma.
She suffered serious injuries to her head, a broken jaw and 12 smashed ribs.
The mother has now woken from her coma, but is still recovering at a hospital in the neighbouring island of Gran Canaria.
Her two children were left in ‘total shock,’ and were treated for scratches.
Mr Tracy’s mother, Kathleen Tracy, from Ardrossan, North Ayrshire, said the incident was ‘terrifying’ for the whole family.
She added: ‘Tommy thought Elaine had been killed. Miraculously, she has escaped and is recovering.
‘It all happened without warning, giving them no time to escape.
‘She was put into a coma and woke on Wednesday. When she came round she began to speak immediately to Tommy. We are hugely relieved that she was not brain damaged. Our prayers have been answered.’
The couple’s children were brought home last Tuesday by two aunts who flew out to the islands.
Mrs Tracy’s mother-inlaw added: ‘The children are aware of everything that has happened and were understandably affected to see their mum injured.’
The accident happened at El Bar De Mi Papa, Pueblo Marinero, on the Canary island at about 7.30pm on July 23.
Onlookers heard a loud cracking noise, before the tree crashed down on to the table.
On a forum on review website TripAdvisor, one tourist claimed to have seen the incident.
The user said: ‘We were there when it happened. Looking at menu, heard loud cracking noise and ran and pushed family out of the way then looked back and tree landed on table.
‘My dad and husband helped to remove the tree as the mother was trapped underneath. On lifting the tree off the mother, the daughter was luckily underneath the table unharmed but in total shock.
‘The dad and son [were] unharmed but the mother had severe head trauma. We have since heard she survived and is receiving treatment in Gran Canaria.
‘Fortunately a quick response from medical clinic across the
‘They had no time to escape’ ‘We heard a loud cracking noise’
road possibly saved her life. This was an extremely upsetting experience for everybody who witnessed it.’
Another holidaymaker, who visited the area last year, said: ‘What a terrible story. My thoughts are with the injured.
‘Last year we talked about how the base [the tree] was sitting in was all cracked and looked like it was uprooted.’
Medical staff from a local clinic attended to the family, while local police secured the area. The family were then transferred to hospital doctor José Molina Orosa in Arrecife by ambulance, before Mrs Tracy was transferred to Las Palmas in Gran Canaria.
Speaking to a local Spanish newspaper, Le Voz de Lanzarote, the mayor of Teguise, Oswaldo Betancourt, said he ‘regretted’ the incident.
He pointed the blame at the heritage department of the Cabildo de Lanzarote, the island government, and put it down to bureaucracy.
He said: ‘I understand the residents’ association has asked heritage for permission to prune the trees on many occasions.’
However, some locals accused him of ‘washing his hands’ of the problem.
A Guardia Civil spokesman said: ‘We responded to a call about an injured family who had been hurt after a Canarian dragon tree fell on them.
‘A British woman aged 42 suffered serious facial and chest injuries and her husband and their two children were less seriously hurt.
‘All four – who were on holiday in Lanzarote – were taken to a hospital in the Lanzarote capital Arrecife.’
The Cabildo de Lanzarote was not available for comment. No one from El Bar De Mi Papa was available for comment.