The head of publishing company Bloomsbury USA died in a tragic boating accident on the Amalfi Coast of Italy on Thursday, according to local media.
Adrienne Vaughan, 45, had rented a boat while on vacation with her family for an excursion around the scenic coastline, according to the Agenzia Giornalistica Italia (AGI) news service. During the trip, her pleasure cruiser collided with a tourist boat carrying a wedding banquet in the waters around the Furore fjord, leading to catastrophic consequences.
The impact of the crash threw Vaughan overboard between the vessels’ hulls, where she was then struck by the boats’ propellers, according to AGI. Her husband, Mike White, dislocated his shoulder and cut his arm, while their two kids—a 12-year-old girl and 8-year-old boy—were not physically harmed but were reportedly panicked when they saw their mother go into the water.
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Vaughan was rushed to a pier in Amalfi, where emergency responders made desperate attempts to save her life. As the situation deteriorated, an air ambulance was summoned to transfer Vaughan to a hospital in Salerno. By the time the helicopter arrived at around 7 p.m., she was already dead.
American and German guests from the Tortuga—the boat holding the wedding party—were also taken to shore for questioning about the incident. It’s not yet clear how the vessels collided, but the commander of the Tortuga was submitted to toxicological testing, which came up negative.
The 30-year-old skipper of Vaughan’s boat also suffered minor injuries and was taken to a hospital. The unnamed man reportedly failed his own toxicological test, and a barman on the Tortuga gave an alarming account about what he witnessed in the aftermath of the collision.
“I saw the woman in the water supported by her children and husband,” Pietro Iuzzolino told the Corriere del Mezzogiorno newspaper, describing the victim’s injuries as serious. “It was terrible.” He also said the skipper of Vaughan’s boat “was vomiting” and that he “gave the impression he was drunk.”
Italian authorities are now investigating the incident.
According to local media, Vaughan and her family had visited Rome the day before the deadly boat crash and had smiled alongside her loved ones in photos shared on social media.
Bloomsbury’s website says Vaughan obtained an MBA from NYU Stern School of Business and previously held roles at Disney Publishing Worldwide and Oxford University Press. Her LinkedIn page says she became president of Bloomsbury USA in September 2021. She had previously joined the company a year earlier as an executive director and COO, with company commending her “strong leadership during a challenging time” in a statement announcing her appointment as president.
The Daily Beast has contacted Bloomsbury for comment.
Editor’s Note: This article has been updated to reflect the nature of Vaughn’s injuries.
