British soldier fights for his life after quad bike accident in Greece as terrified girlfriend heard crash from their hotel room

Ed Griffiths
Sat, 18 Apr 2026 12:53:45 +0000

A 21-year-old British Army reservist from Bradford is fighting for his life after a devastating quad bike accident on the Greek island of Rhodes left him in an induced coma.

Ethan Jones sustained severe head injuries on Wednesday evening when the hired vehicle he was operating collided with a bollard.

The young soldier had been holidaying with his girlfriend Olivia Allsopp, 20, when the incident occurred.

The couple, who have been together for three years, were scheduled to return to the UK today following their week-long trip.

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The exact circumstances surrounding the collision remain unclear.

Ms Allsopp was inside their hotel when she heard the collision unfold on Wednesday night.

She told The Sun: "I heard a massive skirt noise and a huge bang."

Growing increasingly worried when her boyfriend failed to respond to her calls, she ventured onto the darkened street.

She said: "He normally answers his phone straight away. He's not the type of person to not answer his phone."

The quad bike lay overturned beside a large bollard, with Mr Jones lying motionless nearby in a pool of blood flowing from wounds to his head and nose.

Finding him unresponsive and having difficulty breathing, Ms Allsopp positioned him in the recovery position before summoning emergency services.

Ms Allsopp recalled: "I couldn't even process what happened. I was just in shock. So much shock."

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Paramedics reached the scene within 10 minutes, but refused to allow her to accompany Mr Jones in the ambulance.

Desperate to remain close to him, she hailed a taxi to the hospital, where she endured a 13-hour wait without being permitted to see him.

She described hospital personnel as "really dismissive", claiming staff provided her with documentation written in Greek, which forced her to contact the British Embassy, which arranged translation support.

Mr Jones has since been transferred by air to Crete, where he remains in an induced coma.

The family has launched a GoFundMe appeal to cover medical costs and transport Mr Jones back to Britain, with 620 people donating more than £11,000 so far towards a £25,000 target.

The couple did not have insurance covering quad bike accidents.

A Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office spokesman said: "We are supporting the family of a British man who has been hospitalised in Greece and are in contact with the local authorities."