A young British woman given just a five per cent chance of survival after a horror skiing accident has bravely spoken about making a “miracle” recovery.<br /><br />Olivia Corbiere, 23, suffered a brain bleed, lung damage, a broken pelvis and three fractured vertebrae when she fell 15ft (4.5m) down a ravine in Bansko, Bulgaria, in March.<br /><br />Doctors who first tended to the stricken kitchen designer told her mum Linzi, 46, she had a limited chance of pulling through - and might never talk again if she did.<br /><br />But remarkably, after Olivia was flown to Britain for treatment and spent a total of six weeks in hospital, she has been allowed to come home.<br /><br />She still has some hearing loss and nerve damage on the right side of her face - affecting her eyelid movement - along with a wound at the back of her head.<br /><br />But Olivia has now thanked her doting sister Phoebe Corbiere, 19, and five close friends who were with her when she had the accident for saving her life.<br /><br />Speaking from her home in Aston, near Rotherham, South Yorks, she said: “The actions of my sister and my friends that day are the reason why I’m here.<br /> <br />“Three of them jumped into the ravine and helped get me out, and then the other ones called the emergency services. <br /><br />“They didn’t even think for a second not to jump in, and they could have hurt themselves. They are incredible. They’re fabulous, they’re amazing.<br /><br />“When I was in hospital I thanked them for doing what they did because they saved my life with how they reacted."<br /><br />Linzi said she was stunned at Olivia’s progress since the accident – and praised the doctors in Britain and Bulgaria who had treated her girl.<br /><br />She said: “It absolutely feels like a miracle. <br /><br />“Don’t get me wrong, the Bulgarian neurosurgeon saved Olivia’s life, but the care back in England is second to none. They’ve checked up on her constantly.<br /><br />“We were told she had a five per cent chance of living and may not speak, but she’s done all that, she’s proved them wrong, she’s getting stronger every day. <br /><br />“Now, she can laugh and joke about herself and things like that – that’s really, really good. We’re absolutely over the moon."<br /><br />Olivia had gone on the five-day spring ski trip with her sister and pals Laura Howe, 23, Charlotte Howe, 20, Georgia Cooke, 23, Ellise Cowley, 23, and Anastasia Griffith 23.<br /><br />And on March 17, she had gone up to the top of the mountain range, in Western Bulgaria, early to maximize her time on the slopes.<br /><br />But after lunch, as she was heading along a ski path, she tumbled down a ravine while going over some slushy snow.<br /><br />Olivia said: “We met about 10am, and we were having a conversation about where we were going to eat. That was one of the last things I remember before my accident.<br /><br />“My right ski crossed over my left ski, and that made me lose control. I then went into the ravine. <br /><br />"Because there’s such a big drop, and because it was warmer weather and it had melted, I couldn’t turn out of it like I normally would."
