Airport worker plunges 20 feet off aerobridge leaving her with serious injuries, horrifying footage shows

The terrifying moment a Qantas worker fell 20 feet through a hole in an aerobridge at Sydney Airport has been released.

Newly released footage shows customer service representative Olivia Hristovska approaching the side of the aerobridge to look onto the tarmac through the little windows that run along the side.

She doesn’t appear to notice the gaping hole below her feet where the side of the aerobridge has come away from the platform and as she walks closer she slips through.

Another worker sees her fall and approaches the hole but is too late to help.

Hristovska was rushed to hospital with life-threatening head injuries after the fall last month. She was placed in an induced coma with a collapsed lung, several broken ribs, broken clavicle and pelvis, and fractured spine.

She’s since been released from hospital into the care of her adult two daughters and is still living with the impact of the head injury.

“Bones can heal, but the brain you don’t know,” her daughter Monique Hristovska told 9News on Tuesday, “She’s lost her whole identity.”

She described her mother’s time in hospital as “traumatic” and “daunting” and said she initially learned the details of the incident through doctors and the media.

In a statement provided to news.com.au, Qantas Executive Manager Global Airports Darsh Chapman said the incident is being investigated

“We are truly sorry for the devastating incident that occurred to one of our team members at Sydney Airport last month and acknowledge the significant impact this has had on Olivia and her family,” he said.

“We have had a number of conversations and correspondence with Olivia’s family since the day of the incident and have offered our full support through this incredibly difficult time. We are here to assist Olivia in any way we can through her recovery while also respecting her family’s request for privacy during this stage of her recovery.

“Everyone at Qantas and Sydney Airport wants to know exactly what happened and we are supporting SafeWork NSW as it conducts a full investigation into the incident.

“In the meantime, both Qantas and Sydney Airport have put in place enhanced safety procedures and Qantas has engaged independent experts to look at how safety can be improved on aerobridges at airports around Australia and the world.”