A 20-year-old British man is fighting for his life in an Athens hospital after a serious accident involving a piggyback scooter — a type of motorized scooter designed for two riders — on the Greek island of Zakynthos. Bradley Bellom, from Salford, England, sustained critical head injuries following a collision with a bus on Friday, 3 July 2026.
Accident During Holiday
The incident occurred just one day after Bellom arrived in Greece with friends for a summer holiday. The group had rented piggyback scooters, and Bellom was riding one with another friend when the crash happened while navigating a bend. Both young men were hospitalized; the friend is also receiving treatment.
Transferred to Athens ICU
Bellom was initially treated at a hospital on Zakynthos before being transferred to an intensive care unit in Attica, near Athens, due to the severity of his injuries. His mother, Leanne Rabbets, told the Manchester Evening News: “He went on holiday on Thursday and everything was fine. I spoke to him when he arrived, but on Friday afternoon I got a call saying he’d been in an accident.”
“I thought, ‘What on earth happened?’ I tried calling the Zakynthos hospital right away, but they couldn’t give me much information. Later that evening, I got another call saying he’d been moved to Athens because of his condition — he has a serious head injury, so he’s getting better care there.”
Rabbets flew to Athens on Sunday and has been visiting her son daily. “We’re only allowed half an hour with him,” she said. “Doctors tried to bring him out of the coma yesterday, but he didn’t respond. They tried again today — he had two seizures. They don’t yet know if it’s a brain hemorrhage, so he needs an MRI to assess the extent of the damage. Right now, he isn’t responding at all.”
Family Seeks Support
The family believes Bellom had travel insurance, but they’ve been unable to confirm coverage or access his phone to retrieve policy details. They’ve contacted the British Embassy in Athens for assistance.
“All I know for sure is he was on a piggyback scooter with his friends — they’d all rented them. They told me the crash happened as he was turning a corner and collided with a bus. We didn’t realize how serious it was until we got here,” Rabbets explained.
His friend, who shared a room with Bellom and stayed with him at the Zakynthos hospital, accompanied him to Athens but — like other visitors — isn’t permitted to stay with him in intensive care.
Fundraising Underway
Friends have launched social media appeals and organized fundraising events, including charity walks, to help cover medical costs. A GoFundMe page has also been set up.
Bradley’s uncle, Adam, said: “Because of the traumatic brain injury, we don’t even know when he’ll be able to return home — or what his long-term condition will be.”