Raina Heverin's Paris balcony fall leaves her with severe brain injury

Raina Heverin, a 44‑year‑old mother from Liverpool, fell about 40 feet from a Juliet balcony on the third floor of a rented townhouse in Paris on 26 April while sleepwalking. She was found unconscious in the courtyard the next morning and was rushed to a French hospital, where doctors diagnosed a brain bleed, punctured lung, broken hip, arm and ribs. Heverin remained in a coma for three weeks.

After two months in France she returned to the United Kingdom, spending a week at Whiston Hospital and five months at Broadgreen Hospital before moving to a specialist brain‑injury rehabilitation centre. She has since been diagnosed with ataxia, a rare neurological condition that affects coordination and speech. The incident has left her with lasting physical and speech impairments and requires ongoing therapy.