Family stranded in Turkey after son breaks leg

A family say they have faced a "horrific" struggle to get home after their son had an accident on holiday.

Vinnie, 11, from Leicestershire slipped while using the pool area at the hotel in Turkey and badly broke his leg.

He needs to be flown home, but the family say they were told they could not board the aircraft because it could not accommodate Vinnies' stretcher.

Both Easyjet and insurers have now apologised after the family complained they had been left stranded.

The family, from Market Bosworth, had been on holiday at the resort at Lara Beach for two days when the accident happened on 18 July.

Tom said: "We got taken to a hospital and they said he needed an operation but they couldn't do it there, so we got taken to another hospital.

"All this time they wouldn't give him pain relief and we seemed to keep waiting for confirmation of payment before they would do anything."

Medics decided not to operate but Vinnie had his leg put in a full-length cast and he had to stay in hospital until the following evening for paperwork to be sorted out.

The family went to back to their hotel, but say they were then told by their travel insurance company to go back to hospital to have the size of Vinnie's cast reduced so he could fly home.

But they said hospital staff told them the size of Vinnie's cast could not be reduced because he needed an operation.

After two days of recuperation a flight home was arranged for Sunday.

"We got to the airport but were denied boarding," Tom said. "Denied even getting off the ambulance bed because they didn't have the right wheelchairs.

"We waited at the airport for three hours - to be then told we had to go to a new hotel.

"Vinnie got wheeled into a room - still on the ambulance bed - and was left there for 48 hours."

Tom added: "We are prisoners in this hotel room.

"We want to get back home, we want to get our son back and get him treated by a doctor back home.

"The whole experience has been horrific."

Vinnie's mum, Julie said: "We are at breaking point.

"It is the most heartbreaking thing seeing a child, an active child, just left in a hotel room.

"The insurance contract is you get looked after, should an event arise.

"The event has arisen and we have definitely not been looked after."

A spokesman for EasyJet said: "We are sorry that Vincent and his family were unable to travel on flight EZY2142 from Antalya to Manchester as we are unable to accept stretchers on board as stated in our medical policy and as was explained to the family's travel agent.

"The safety and wellbeing of our passengers is our highest priority and we always do everything we can to support passengers who may additional assistance when travelling. We made arrangements for Vincent to have special assistance throughout the airport and during boarding as we were advised by the family's travel agent that he was able to travel in a wheelchair, however as he would only travel in a stretcher, they were unfortunately unable to travel."

A spokesperson from Holiday Extras said: "Holiday Extras takes all claims of this nature extremely seriously and has been working with the underwriters of the family's policy and their medical assistance provider, Mayday Assistance, to find the appropriate solution for this complex case as quickly as possible."

A spokesperson for the underwriters said: "Mayday Assistance is doing everything possible to maintain direct communication with the family and the appropriate medical officials to assess all options available. As soon as the family's preferred next course of action is agreed, it will act promptly to assist the family in returning home safely as soon as possible."

Vinnie should now be heading home on Friday with the help of two private companies - Airlec Air Espace and Hearts First Ambulance Service, which offered to fly them home for free.

Friends started an online fundraiser to try to help bring the family home and all money raised will be paid to the firms help cover the cost, thought to be £40,000.

Follow BBC East Midlands on Facebook, on Twitter, or on Instagram. Send your story ideas to [email protected].