A Holiday Ends in Horror on a Turkish Boulevard
Lisa Di Palma had traveled to Turkey to celebrate a wedding anniversary. Instead, the 61-year-old British grandmother from Hornchurch, east London, died after a catastrophic sequence of events on a dual carriageway in Fethiye.
Her husband, Keith Di Palma, recounted the harrowing August 6 incident during an inquest at Walthamstow Coroner’s Court. The tragedy unfolded on Cahit Beğenç Boulevard in the Foça neighbourhood during the final week of their trip. According to evidence presented to the court, a speeding motorist “came from nowhere” and hit Mrs. Di Palma “full on,” narrowly missing her husband. The impact threw her approximately five to six metres forward. She remained conscious on the floor with blood coming from her head.
A Desperate Struggle Under the Vehicle
In the immediate aftermath, Mr. Di Palma tried to get the driver out of the car before a bystander pulled him away. As the car began to move forward again, Mr. Di Palma and two Turkish bystanders intervened directly. They used their strength to lift the car off Mrs. Di Palma while another man pulled the driver out.
Local media and witness reports cited by the Daily Mail indicated that the driver was allegedly four times over the legal drink-drive limit in Turkey. He attempted to flee the scene on foot before police officers apprehended him.
Emergency services rushed Mrs. Di Palma to a local state hospital’s A&E department. From there, she endured a two-hour drive to Muğla University Hospital.
Scans and examinations revealed a devastating catalog of injuries. Medical staff identified pelvic, hip, skull, and shoulder fractures, alongside twelve broken ribs, a slight bleed in the lungs, a slight bleed on the brain, signs of kidney failure, and a burn on her leg from where the driver’s vehicle had been driven over her.
A Final Battle at Letoon Private Hospital
Medical teams subsequently transferred her to the Letoon private hospital, located just 10 minutes from the accident site, to undergo an operation. While she was recovering under a planned treatment schedule for a bowel blockage, her heart stopped.
Hospital staff revived her after ten minutes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation and placed her in an induced coma. Tragically, she suffered a second cardiac arrest the following morning and died despite an hour of CPR.
Decades of Community Dedication in East London
Long before the tragedy abroad, the couple anchored their lives in local sport. Mr. and Mrs. Di Palma operated the Tigers Junior Football Club in east London for more than two decades. The organization provides players aged 14 and older with structured refereeing and coaching pathways, earning recognition at the London Sports Awards in 2021.
In statements delivered to the court and shared on social media, Mr. Di Palma noted that his wife had no memory of the collision itself. The Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) confirmed it provided support to the family, while the suspect was reportedly sent to Eşen Prison following his arrest.
