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| Amarna Carthy on holiday in the Turkish city Fethiye CREDIT: NOTTINGHAM POST / SWNS.COM |
A 21-year-old British holidaymaker who died in a quad bike crash in Turkey wasn't given the appropriate safety gear which could have saved her life, an inquest heard.
Amarna Carthy was killed when she fell from the vehicle she and her aunt Jakadi Clarke, 24, had hired on the week-long trip.
The young entrepreneur died from a head injury after plunging into a ditch in Fethiye - which happened just 48 hours before she was due to fly home.
Pictures taken moments before the horror smash show Miss Carthy wearing a helmet and smiling with her aunt on the quad bike.
But an inquest has now heard the helmet she was provided with didn't offer her adequate protection.
Giving evidence at Nottingham Coroners Court, Detective Sergeant James Greely said it appeared the headgear "had not offered them much protection".
He added: "From my analysis of the evidence, the issue wasn't so much if there was any apparent problem with the quad bike, it was more to do with the quality of the helmet.
"What Amarna needed was protection when she came off that bike."
The inquest heard Miss Carthy was riding as passenger on the quad bike which Jakadi was driving when they crashed on May 24 this year.
The pair, who had hired the bike two days before they were due to fly home, were travelling behind a lorry with "impatient" motorists waiting behind them.
Jakadi moved to the near side of the road to get out of the way but their path quickly narrowed to accommodate a drainage area.
They then ran out of road and plunged down a verge causing the pair to be thrown from the quad bike.
Miss Carthy, from Bakersfield, Nottingham, suffered a serious head injury and was pronounced dead at the scene while Jakadi was left with a fractured pelvis.
The inquest heard Miss Carthy and Jakadi only had provisional licences but this was all tourists required to ride the quad bikes.
Det Sgt Greely, from Nottinghamshire Police, added: "At the end of the day, if (hire firms) can get away with being able to supply less quality helmets or machines that are not maintained as they could be, that's going to increase their profits."
Coroner for Nottinghamshire Mairin Casey told the court: "This is a tragic accident.
"There's nothing that I have read or been made aware of in the manner of driving that caused or contributed to this event but the safety precautions, which would have been taken in this country, were not applied in the same way in Turkey.
"If anything good is to come of this, the message goes out to the public that they need to be very vigilant of the safety standards abroad when hiring any vehicle of this type, both in terms of the vehicle and safety equipment."
Since Miss Carthy's death, her family have started a website - missingmarna.co.uk - and social media campaign to warn other holidaymakers about dangers abroad.
They have also set up a petition and are trying to persuade Turkish lawmakers to improve helmet safety.
Her mother Tashaka Baumber, 40, who is leading the campaign, said: "Whether it helps one or two people or a whole country full of people, something has to come of it.
"So long as I have breath in me I will push for her cause and try to save lives."
Miss Carthy lived in Turkey for six months when she was 13 where she worked as a wedding planner.
But she had just set up a health business with her mother before the trip.
Paying tribute to her in May, Tashaka said: "Her friend rang me and said 'she's gone'.
"I thought she had been kidnapped and then he told me that she had died.
"Time, everything, it all just stopped. It was just unbelievable to hear those words in the same sentence as my daughter's name.
"She knew all of the locals and they are coming up to me in the street and saying it feels like they have lost a sister.
"Nothing will make this better but it helps knowing how well-loved she is.
"I know she is my daughter and I'm going to be biased but some people are just that little bit different and special.
"She was kind-hearted and friendly. She was so strong and I'd like to think her strength is going to live on through us."
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