Teenager dies after holiday fall

By Charlotte McCathie, Press Association

Friday, 30 July 2010

A teenager who fell from the seventh floor of an apartment block in Majorca has died, the Foreign Office confirmed today.

Grace Ford, 17, lost her fight for life in hospital yesterday, 12 days after her fall in the resort of Magaluf.

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The student, of Greenhalgh, near Kirkham, Lancashire, had just completed her A-levels and was holidaying with schoolfriends when the accident happened.

Her parents, Christopher and Suzanne Ford, were at her bedside when she died.

Grace, a keen horse-rider, suffered injuries to her feet, legs, pelvis, ribs and arm, and internal bleeding, in the accident on July 17.

Police said she was found covered in blood after she fell on to a cement floor from a window at the Torrenova Playa hotel where she was staying.

She was taken to the Son Dureta hospital in the capital, Palma, where her parents kept a constant vigil.

The teenager's condition had begun to improve but she then caught an infection from which she did not recover, family friend Steve Hall said.

He told the Lancashire Evening Post: "After 48 hours of fighting an infection, that really took its toll on her.

"She was the most wonderful girl that we have lost. Everyone is going to miss her terribly.

"She has fought like a tiger, she has fought it as hard as anyone could."

An 18-year-old British man was arrested in Majorca on suspicion of failing to help, in connection with the incident.

The man was later allowed to return home to the United Kingdom, after a court appearance in Majorca.

Grace had just completed her A-levels at the £5,332-a-term Kirkham Grammar School, near Preston.

She sat exams in biology, psychology and religious studies and hoped to go to Leeds University to read psychology.

Headmaster Douglas Walker said the school was "deeply saddened" to hear of her death.

He said: "The school community is devastated to hear this tragic news and we can only express our profound sorrow that Grace has lost her fight for life after suffering terrible injuries.

"All our thoughts and prayers are with her family and friends at this sad time."

The Foreign Office said they were providing consular assistance to the family.

  • So young, so sad. If I were the parents I would like to an investigation into the circumstances that led to her falling out of a window. Was she having a fight with someone? Under the influence of something? Were adults supposed to be supervising?
  • WaywardPython
    It's a wire from the Press Association. It means that they include everything that would be necessary for Guardian, Times, Independent, Mail, Express etc. to use. It has nothing to do with connecting with anyone and everything to do with selling news/information. A very sad day for her family and friends however it is reported.
  • marcuscutter
    Does it really matter that she's from Lancashire? Does it really matter that she's 17? Does it really matter what her parents were called? Bloody newspapers telling you details about things. All stories should be no more than 100 words long and leave out any human detail that might possibly help people connect with them.
  • Does it really matter this poor girl went to a fee paying school? My thoughts are firmly with the family.

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