Bloomsbury US CEO Adrienne Vaughan killed in horrific boating accident in Italy

Forty-five-year-old corporate, Adrienne Vaughan, the CEO of Bloomsbury USA publishing house, died in a horrific boating accident off Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

She had been at sea with her husband and two children on a rented speedboat, when it collided with a larger sailing boat carrying about 80 tourists, a report by CNN said.

According to media reports, Vaughan was thrown into the water and died after being injured by the sailing boat’s propeller. She was pulled out of the water onto a dock, but by the time emergency crew arrived, she was pronounced dead.

Vaughan’s husband, Mike White, suffered a dislocated shoulder and cuts to his arms, while their two children, aged 12 and 8, were not physically harmed but were left in severe trauma after witnessing the tragic crash.

“Bloomsbury Publishing is very sad to confirm reports of the death of Adrienne Vaughan, President of Bloomsbury USA, as a result of injuries sustained in a boat collision in Italy. Her husband and two children survived,” the publishing house said in a statement.

“The loss of Adrienne is a terrible blow. Since she was appointed President of Bloomsbury USA three years ago, America has grown to become our biggest market,” it added.

It is not clear why the speedboat Vaughan and her family were on collided with the sailboat. Italian prosecutors in Salerno have launched an investigation into her death.

According to The Guardian, the 30-year-old captain of the speedboat suffered a broken pelvis and ribs. His initial toxicology reports showed he had more than the legal limit of alcohol in his system. Further tests for drugs will be released soon in Italy.

The captain of the sailing boat, on the other hand, did not test positive for any substance and is not under investigation, CNN reported. Both boats have been sequestered by the Salerno Port Authority pending the investigation.

Adrienne Vaughan was the president of the American arm of the British publisher that launched ‘Harry Potter’ in the UK. According to the official site, she graduated with an MBA from NYU Business School in 2007, and previously worked at Disney Publishing Worldwide where she managed the entertainment giant’s Marvel Press.