EXCLUSIVE ‘I saw the car wipe them out – I thought they were dead’: Husband of British mother left with life-altering injuries relives moment hire car smashed into her as they ate breakfast on holiday

• Harriet Moxon, 34, was having coffee in a Fuerteventura café on August 31
• Her husband Luke witnessed a Brit tourist veer off the road and into the terrace

The husband of a British mother left with life-altering injuries has relived the moment a hire car smashed into her in a café in Fuerteventura.  

Harriet Moxon, 34, from Middlesex, managed to push her five-year-old daughter Eve out of the way as another Brit tourist veered off the road and into the outdoor terrace, injuring eight people including a four-month-old baby.

The family had sat down for a morning coffee and toastie on the Avenida Nuestra Señora del Carmen in the town of Corralejo on August 31 at around 11.30am, after enjoying a holiday in the sun. 

Harriet’s husband Luke had taken their son Ellis, seven, to the bathroom – and witnessed the ‘nightmare’ horror of watching the oncoming car ploughing into where his family were sat just moments later.

Harriet was airlifted to hospital where she underwent three emergency services, before being put on life support and remaining in intensive care for a week. 

Harriet Moxon, 34, from Middlesex, has been left with life-altering injuries after a car smashed into a café in Fuerteventura on August 31

Devoted mother Harriet has been left paraplegic and has undergone three emergency surgeries

Brit tourist veered off the road and into the outdoor terrace, injuring eight people including a four-month-old baby 

She is currently paraplegic and has had her spleen removed as well as surgeries on her spine and kidneys. She could be facing more surgeries in Hospital Insula, where she is staying on Gran Canaria. 

READ MORE: Horrifying moment British tourist’s hire car smashes into cafe terrace in Fuerteventura, injuring eight people 

Her devastated husband Luke told MailOnline he initially thought both Harriet and Eve were dead, as Eve was lying face down on the ground. 

Luke said: ‘You don’t think it’s ever going to happen to you. Our whole lives have been turned upside down. It was a nightmare.

‘I just came out and saw the car wipe them out. I thought they were dead. We can’t work out how they survived.’

He added that car looked like it was going at 60mph. After he raced over to the scene, Harriet then told him she couldn’t feel her legs. 

Eve spent three days in hospital but miraculously escaped without any bumps or bruises. 

Harriet’s twin sister, mother-of-two Charlotte Ridgeon, heard what had happened at 5pm on the Thursday evening, and was on the next flight to the Spanish island by 6am the following morning. 

She said her sister is a nurse who ‘loves yoga’ and is ‘very into sport and her body image’ – and has been devastated by what has happened.

A picture of the aftermath of the crash shows the car’s windscreen smashed and its bonnet dented

Charlotte and the family – including husband Luke and children Harley, 15, Heston, 13, Callum, 13, Ellis and Eve – are seeking to raise £55,000 for medical transportation to bring Harriet home

Harriet is a nurse who ‘loves yoga’ and is ‘very into sport and her body image’ – and has been devastated by what has happened

Charlotte said: ‘It’s horrendous. Words can’t explain how horrific it is but she did what any mother would do.’

She said that Harriet’s mother-in-law owns a property in Fuerteventura and the family go out there to visit three or four times a year. 

Although they know the area well, the day of the crash was the first time they had visited that particular café.  

Charlotte said her sister has woken up and has managed to tell them more about what happened. 

She added: ‘She’s clearly very emotional and in quite a lot of pain. She’s coming to terms with what has happened and is frustrated at the inability to use her legs.

‘She just wants to get home as she doesn’t speak the language. At the moment she’s in foreign country in a beaten up state and wants to be with her parents and family in a familiar environment.’ 

‘She’s realistic about her condition, with her experience in healthcare. She’s just amazing. She’s so strong and astounds me every day. We thought we’d lost her.’

‘I’m not doing anything she wouldn’t do for me. I came into the world with her and I’m with her all the way.’ 

Harriet’s twin sister Charlotte (left, with Harriet on the right) heard about what had happened at 5pm on Friday, and caught the next available fight out. 

Local media reported that several people were lifted to hospital on Gran Canaria, including the four-month-old baby, while two men, aged 40 and 43, and two women, 18 and 49 suffered serious multiple trauma. 

The English driver was also taken to hospital. The cause of the crash is still unclear as the Spanish Civil Guard continues to investigate.  

Charlotte and the family – including husband Luke and children Harley, 15, Heston, 13, Callum, 13, Ellis and Eve – are seeking to raise £55,000 for medical transportation to bring Harriet home. 

In London Harriet can be taken to a specialised spinal rehab facility, where she will be able to recover with the support of her family in a familiar environment. 

Doctors have said that the trajectory for spinal shock and injury is ‘unclear’ and that only time will tell regarding how much Harriet is able to recover.

So far, the family have managed to raise over £25,000, with Charlotte saying she has been ‘amazed’ at the support from well-wishers.  

Local reports also said previously that the holidaymaker has tested negative for drugs and alcohol, as investigators are said to be looking into the theory that he suffered a health problem at the wheel. 

A police chief said at the time: ‘Two of the seven people the car went into are from the UK.’

In London Harriet can be taken to a specialised spinal rehab facility, where she will be able to recover alongside her family

Doctors have said that the trajectory for spinal shock and injury is ‘unclear’ and that only time will tell regarding how much Harriet is able to recover

He added that the driver was a 55-year-old British man who was driving a hire car and was on holiday on the island.

‘He is still under observation in hospital.

‘He was with his partner who is also British and we have spoken to her but I am not at liberty to reveal what she said.’

The police chief continued: ‘The investigation into the incident is ongoing but there is nothing at this stage pointing to any intention of the part of the driver to hurt anyone and therefore nothing at this stage pointing to any criminal responsibility on his part for what happened. He has not been arrested.’

Isai Blanco, mayor of the municipality of La Oliva which Corralejo is part of, added: ‘Our thoughts are with the people affected by this tragic incident.

‘We are working closely with the relevant authorities to try to clarify what happened and offering our support to the victims and their families at this difficult time.’

You can find out more and donate to the GoFundMe here. 

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