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A mum was left partially blinded after she was crushed in front of her children when the skippers of two powerboats bungled a stunt turn and rammed into each other.

Jane Francis, 45, suffered catastrophic life-changing injuries that includes permanent damage to her eyesight leaving her with just 60 per cent vision.

She also sustained other serious injuries including several broken bones and a punctured lung during the accident on the Isle of May off Scotland, the Daily Record reports.

On Wednesday, Isle of May Boat Trips Ltd was fined at Dundee Sheriff Court after it admitted responsibility for the crash which happened when two skippers were carrying out a "synchronised power turn" move in July 2016.

Sheriff Alastair Carmichael said: "Jane Francis was seriously injured. Her injuries included several broken bones and a punctured lung.

"She sustained damage to her diaphragm that required surgery in 2018. The crushing injuries that she sustained caused severe damage to her eyesight which has been permanently impaired.

"She has post traumatic stress disorder as a result of the collision. The final figure is not, I stress, in any way intended to be a financial value for Jane Francis' injuries or impairment.

"There was no clear procedure in place for the skippers to follow when the synchronised power turn started to go wrong," the sheriff said.

He said the company had failed to make a suitable risk assessment, failed to provide passengers with a suitable pre-departure briefing, and failed to ensure the power turn had been properly planned.

Mrs Francis said: "My eyes suffered damage during a thoracic crush injury and I have what is called Purtscher's Retinopathy.

"This causes sight loss and damage to areas of the retina which see colour and surface detail. I have what I approximate to be about 40 per cent sight loss.

"I have no sight in the central vision of my right eye. The remaining areas across both eyes have patches of missing sight."

The court heard how she suffered catastrophic injuries during the crash when the two skippers collided while they were showing off to passengers on a cruise ship.

Mrs Francis was injured when the two Osprey rigid inflatable 12-person vessels ran into each other during a pleasure trip to view the wildlife on the Isle of May.

The court was told that the power turn was carried out to give unsuspecting passengers an "exhilarating" experience during the trip to view the birds on the island.

The court heard that the one of the skippers told passengers the manoeuvre would make people on the nearby May Princess wish they had come on the powerboat trip instead of the cruise ship.

However, when the boats completed their arc at speed they came back together closer than planned and one of the skippers swerved in the wrong direction.

Anstruther lifeboat coxswain Roy Giles, a director of the company, correctly turned his vessel in a starboard direction in accordance with maritime rules.

But Simon Chapman turned his board in a port direction and ran into the company's sister vessel, injuring Mrs Francis, who was on a day out with her husband.

The Cellardyke-based company admitted being in breach of the Merchant Shipping Act 1995 and being responsible for Mrs Francis's injury and impairment.

The company admitted that on 19 July 2016 it failed to take all reasonable steps to ensure the trip was carried out safely and failed to properly plan the power turn.

Fiscal depute Gavin Callaghan said Mrs Francis suffered several broken ribs, broke both clavicles and tore her shoulder, as well as suffering a retinopathy.

"As a result vision in both her eyes has been affected. She has a large black spot in her field of vision in her right eye and can only see light and dark in her left eye.

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"She is able to read with difficulty, a few letters at a time. She describes herself as having severe visual impairment. Diaphragm damage has affected her liver.

"She suffers PTSD and panic attacks. She is left with a fear of being somewhere that emergency vehicles find hard to access. Her memory and concentration have been affected."

Mr Callaghan said the power turn had not been explained to the passengers on the two Osprey boats, so they could not make an informed choice about whether to go on the trip.

"Simon Chapman said they would undertake manoeuvres which would make passengers on the May Princess wish they had come on this trip instead."

The prosecutor told the court that the boats should not have come within 20 metres of each other and would not have collided but for Mr Chapman's error.

Counsel for the company, Gavin Anderson, said the company no longer allowed skippers to do power turns and had taken other steps to improve on-board safety.

He said: "We wish to express the company's profound regret at causing a risk of injury and actual injury to Mrs Francis.

"The time taken from the beginning of the manoeuvre to the collision would have been no more than 15 seconds. Both skippers knew not to pass closer than 20 metres from another vessel.

"The company recognise the matter is a serious one. The company fell short of the appropriate standard. The manoeuvre which gave rise to the accident is simply not done at all now."

The company has been allowed to pay the fine at 3,000 per year.

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Mum blinded after being crushed in front of her kids in boat trip 'stunt' horror - Mirror Online

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