Top British rower in a coma after stairs fall

A TOP British rower who was hoping to represent Team GB at the next Olympics is in a coma in the US after falling down stairs, leaving her family desperate to raise £80,000 in medical fees. Anna Thornton, who finished fourth at the World Championships and is two-time Under 23 world champion, had the accident in Seattle last month. British Rowing have said the 21-year-old (below) from Nottingham is in a ‘stable but serious condition’ but her family have spoken of enduring the ‘hardest, longest and most heartbreaking weeks’ since the accident. Thornton is studying public health at the University of Washington and, as the news of her accident spread, many fellow rowers described her as a ‘wonderful person’ and ‘a true fighter and winner’. A JustGiving page set up to fund her medical repatriation has so far raised more than £8,000 out of an £80,000 target, including several donations from members of the rowing community. The page, set up by her family, says: ‘Anna has recently been involved in an accident involving a serious head injury and remains in a coma. The money that is being raised is to bring Anna back from the Seattle hospital caring for her.’ In an interview with World Rowing last year, she said her goal was ‘to win some more world championship medals and hopefully compete at the Olympics’. Following the accident, her uncle Sean Thornton wrote on Facebook: ‘The last few weeks have been the hardest, longest and most heartbreaking weeks we have had to endure as a family. Anna has been involved in a serious accident and remains in a serious but stable condition.’ A joint statement by British Rowing and Nottingham Rowing Club, where Thornton started in the sport, said: ‘At this time our focus is on supporting her and her family in any way possible.’