‘Harry Potter’ publishing house president killed in front of family while holidaying in Italy

A freak boat accident off the coast of Italy caused the death of ‘Harry Potter’ publishing house president Adrienne Vaughan in front of her children and husband.

The accident occurred on Thursday (Aug 3) off Amalfi Coast when the whole family aboard a speeding boat crashed into a sailing ship, which was carrying 85 people celebrating a wedding.

Bloomsbury USA publishing house chief Adrienne Vaughan, 44, whose company is best known for the “Harry Potter” book, died on the spot, her husband sustained injuries. While both of their kids — daughter Leanna, 14, and son Mason, 11 — remained unharmed, they were treated for traumatic shock.

"Adrienne Vaughan was a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion and had a deep commitment to authors and readers," said the association's board chair, Julia Reidhead, and its president and CEO, Maria APallante, in a joint statement.

"Most of all she was an extraordinary human being, and those of us who had the opportunity to work with her will be forever fortunate."

Impact knockedAdrienne into water

According to Italian state TV, the crash knocked Adrienne into the water, where she landed between the hulls of the two vessels, and was struck fatally by the motorboat's propeller.

“She didn’t have an arm and the nape of her neck was white, as if no blood was flowing,” Pietro Iuzzolino, a bartender on the sailing ship “Tortuga”, told the Italian newspaper Corriere del Mezzogiorno. “It was terrible.”

Boat's driver was drunk

The driver of the speed boat, the 30-year-man old whose name has not been revealed, was also injured in the crash, and reportedly failed toxicology tests after the crash, suggesting that he was drunk at the time of the accident, Italian news agency ANSA reported.

“We got the impression he was drunk,” Iuzzolino, who saw the speedboat driver vomiting after the crash, was quoted as saying.

After the collision, Adrienne was taken to a pier where first responders tried desperately to save her life in an ambulance.

When her condition deteriorated, an air ambulance was also called to the area.But by the time it arrived around 7 pm (local time), she was declared dead.

(With inputs from agencies)

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