William Ponter: ‘Split second’ pool accident leaves young Turkish tourist paralysed from the neck down
The 24-year-old was on the last day of an overseas holiday with his partner when the catastrophic accident occurred.
A young British man has been left paralysed from the neck down after a “split second” accident in a hotel pool in Turkey.
William Ponter, 24, was enjoying the last day of his overseas holiday with partner, Rebecca Francey, 27, on September 3 when the tragedy unfolded.
Mr Ponter, an electrician from Lancashire, England, belly flopped into the pool at their accommodation but “didn’t come back up”, Kennedy News and Media reported, as cited by People.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.Ms Francey recalled the heart-stopping moment she saw Mr Ponter float “to the surface face down” before she rushed to his aid.
“I jumped in, and I pulled him out, and he said he couldn’t move,” she told the outlet.
“I think I must have been shouting for help, but people were there around him and an ambulance was called.”
Once emergency services arrived, Mr Ponter was raced to a nearby hospital where medical staff discovered he had broken his neck.
Soon after, surgeons operated on Mr Ponter for 13 hours to remove his vertebrae out of fear he could have a stroke because he was struggling to breathe.
Following the operation, doctors delivered Ms Francey the grim news that her partner was paralysed from the neck down.
She was then tasked with breaking the shattering news to Mr Ponter’s family, who later travelled to Turkey to be by his hospital bed in ICU.
Mr Ponter and Ms Francey’s family have since established a crowdfunding campaign to help pay for the mountain medical bill.
“Will underwent a risky 13-hour surgery, and the doctor’s prognosis is that he will be paralysed from the neck down,” a statement on the GoFundMe campaign read.
“This accident was a split second of tragedy that has now reshaped the entire future of a young man who is only 24 years old. It is life changing. Heart breaking.
“Will has a long road to recovery and the end goal of ‘recovered’ is still uncertain of what that looks like.”
According to the fundraiser, the family is forking out a staggering sum each day Mr Ponter remains in ICU.
“We do know that the transport, due to needing medical staff on board, will be roughly £120,000 ($A226,988) and every day spent in the ICU in Turkey is costing £2,000 ($A3,783).”
The campaign’s total goal of £150,000 ($A283,000) has almost been reached, with £146,748 ($A277,584) donated at the time of writing.
