Tourist who suffered amputation after subway accident in New York contracts coronavirus

Visaya Hoffie spent almost four months at Bellevue Hospital recovering from her injuries

Visaya Hoffie reportedly fell onto the subway track at the 14th Street PATH station on 11 January (REUTERS)

A 23-year-old Australian woman who was run over by a New York subway train and had to have both her legs amputated has now contracted coronavirus.

Visaya Hoffie, who survived after falling onto subway tracks and being hit by a train on 11 January, spent nearly four months at Bellevue Hospital recovering from a number of traumatic injuries including a double amputation, according to a report by The Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

Six weeks into her recovery, the coronavirus pandemic had gripped New York. Ms Hoffie and her mother Patricia Hoffie, who had flown from Australia to support her daughter, were said to have become worried about the escalating virus.

“The sound of coughing was in the air,” Ms Hoffie's mother told the broadcaster. “More and more people were actually walking around the wards with Covid.”

The city soon emerged as the epicenter of the virus, and out of fear for their safety, Ms Hoffie and her mother decided to return home to Brisbane.

“It was a very difficult decision to make to leave, because Visaya's wounds were so compromised,” Patricia Hoffie said.

After working to secure a ticket home, the two embarked on a $64,000 journey to get back to Australia.

Both women were reported to have taken a test for Covid-19 before their departure and tested negative, but while in the airport the 23-year-old realised that she had lost her sense of taste, a possible symptom of the virus, according to ABC.

Ms Hoffie is reported to have tested positive to the virus after arriving back in Australia. Her symptoms remain mild according to the outlet.

The young artist faced the ordeal after she fell onto the tracks at Manhattan's 14th Street station and was hit by an oncoming train, reports said.

It was originally reported that Ms Hoffie had avoided being hit by a second train. However, court papers filed by Ms Hoffie, reported by The New York Post in February, claimed that Ms Hoffie was hit by both trains 20 minutes apart.

“She had a skull fracture. She had a neck fracture,” Dr Thanik, who led the team of medical professionals caring for her at the Bellevue, told ABC.

“She had a very, very mangled right lower leg, and left foot as well.”

The family is said to have remained resilient throughout the ordeal, and Patricia Hoffie says that she is in awe of her daughter's ability to cope with the situation.

“She’s unbelievable. She’s just so resilient, so funny, so open to taking on the next hurdle,” she told the outlet.

“I've managed because she's with me. She's in the world. The rest is mere detail.”