Bloomsbury USA president killed in speedboat crash, witnessed by husband and kids
SINAR DAILY REPORTER
SHAH ALAM - The president of Bloomsbury USA, the publishing house behind the Harry Potter series, has died is a horror speedboat crash on Aug 3.
According to media reports, Adrienne Vaughan was killed in the crash on the Amalfi Coast, near the southern city of Naples, Italy, while onboard with her husband and two children.
The 45-year old and her husband Mike as well as as their children Leanna, 14, and Mason, 11, were on a holiday there when they charted a boat that evening.
The incident took place around 6.30pm when their boat collided with a 130ft sailing ship carrying 85 people celebrating a wedding.
It was reported that the family had been thrown into water and fatally struck by the boat’s propellers.
The bride and groom and their guests were seen dancing and enjoying the scenery just moments before the crash. Witnesses say the music immediately fell silent as many ran to the edge to see what had taken place.
One witness named Pietro Iuzzolino told Corriere del Mezzogiorno newspaper that the speedboat driver was “vomiting” and “gave the impression he was drunk”.
Italian news outlets later reported that the 30-year old skipper failed toxicology tests after the incident. Meanwhile, the 55-year old wedding ship driver passed.
Emergency services rushed to the scene after the collision and Vaughan was taken to a pier where first responders tried to save her in an ambulance. When her condition deteriorated, an air ambulance was called tother area but by theme it arrived at around 7pm, she was declared dead.
Vaughan's body was reportedly taken to the morgue at the Mercato San Severino hospital. Her husband was also suffered serious limb injuries, including a dislocated shoulder and was sent for surgery.
The children were unharmed in the accident but suffered from shock, and have reportedly been taken to the village of Sant'Agata dei due Golfi in the Gulf of Naples, where the family had been staying on their vacation.
An investigation into the collision has now been launched by the Amalfi Port Authority. As of now, it is still unclear how the two boats collided.
Vaughan became the president of Bloomsbury publishing house in 2021, the American branch of the British publishing house that published all seven of the Harry Potter books.
She had been involved in various famous projects throughout her career including the ground-breaking wizardry series. From 2015 to 2018, she worked with Disney publishing group.
Her background spun both children’s and academic publishing and included large international companies as well as a start-up. She began her publishing career at Scholastic.
Vaughan was described as a “charismatic true leader” by former colleagues.
Just two days prior, the family of four from New York had visited Rome and took photos at the iconic Trevi Fountain and the Colosseum.
