11 August 2023 , 13:35
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The horror of Adrienne Vaughan's death has been "impossible to comprehend" for her family, her grieving husband has said.
Vaughan, the 45-year-old president of Bloomsbury USA, which publishes "Harry Potter," had been vacationing with her family off the Almafi Coast of Italy.
They had chartered a speedboat, and she had been sunbathing on its bow. Suddenly, it struck a yacht filled with around 80 American and German tourists celebrating a wedding, launching Vaughan, her husband, Mike White, their 14-year-old daughter and 11-year-old son into the water, reported the New York Post.
Vaughan fell between the hulls of the two vessels, then was struck by the propeller of the speedboat while it tried to back away from the larger ship. It amputated her arm and sliced her neck.
The speedboat carrying Vaughan and her family struck a yacht carrying a wedding party (Twitter/@Radio1Rai)The publishing executive bled out before emergency services could arrive. White suffered injuries and had to get surgery on his collarbone. Both children suffered no injuries but were treated for shock.
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Her heartbroken husband, told the New York Post: "Adrienne's death has devastated our family. "She was a beloved mother, wife, daughter, sister, niece and dear friend and colleague to many."
He said her "absence" from their lives and the "terrible circumstances of her death" are "impossible to comprehend."
White is now urging the Italian authorities to fully investigate the incident and everything leading up to Vaughan's death. He and his children have been cooperating with the authorities, he said.
Adrienne Vaughan and her family pose for a picture in Rome (Facebook)The skipper of the 20-foot speedboat, Elio Persico, 30, is facing manslaughter and negligent injury charges for operating the boat while allegedly drunk and high on coke. Authorities allege that may have been what caused him to pilot the vessel into the 120-foot sailboat carrying the wedding party.
White originally told the authorities that he believed Persico was distracted by his cell phone. Persico received several cracked ribs and a pelvic injury, which were treated at the hospital.
A few days after her passing, Bloomsbury Publishing released a statement in honour of Vaughan.
"Our hearts go out to Adrienne's husband and children, parents, family and friends," Chief Executive Nigel Newton wrote. "The loss of Adrienne is a terrible blow."
He said Vaughan skyrocketed the company's sales in America, claiming that she was "a natural business leader with a great future ahead of her." She carried "great personal warmth" and had a "fierce determination to make the business succeed and grow."