Ontario woman stuck, paralyzed in Dominican Republic after 'catastrophic' water slide accident

An Ontario woman is paralyzed and stuck in the Dominican Republic after a 'catastrophic' water slide accident.

An Ontario woman is paralyzed and stuck in the Dominican Republic after a “catastrophic” water slide accident led to a fruitless search for a hospital bed in Toronto.

“It’s impossible for me to come home,” Corina McCoy told CTV News Toronto.

On Christmas Day, the 53-year-old from Toronto was visiting a waterpark with her 20-year-old son. Soon after, their carefree vacation came to a halt. McCoy was descending a slide on a tube when someone rammed into her from behind.

Moments later, she was drowning. Her neck had broken and a disc in her spine began to bulge.

“I can't walk, I can't sit up, I have only minor strength to feed myself with my right hand,” she said. “I’m pretty much paralyzed from the chest down.”

McCoy underwent emergency surgery at a local hospital in La Romana, Dominican Republic. Days later, she said her travel insurance claim was accepted and an air ambulance was ready to take her to St. Joseph’s Health Centre in Toronto.

But there was a problem.