Adrienne Vaughan, 45, president of Bloomsbury's U.S. arm, died after being thrown into the sea when a motorboat collided with a sailboat off Italy's Amalfi Coast in August 2023. The boat's skipper, 32-year-old Elio Persico, tested positive for cocaine and alcohol and accepted a plea bargain that resulted in a four-year, nine-month prison term for manslaughter. Vaughan's daughter was also thrown into the water but was unharmed. Colleagues praised Vaughan's leadership and dedication.
Captain Jailed After Tragic Amalfi Coast Collision That Killed Bloomsbury US Chief
The captain of a motorboat that collided with a sailboat off Italy's Amalfi Coast has been sentenced to prison after the crash killed Adrienne Vaughan, the head of Bloomsbury Publishing's U.S. arm. Vaughan, 45, was thrown into the sea during the August 2023 collision and struck by the vessel's propellers.
Verdict and charges
Italian skipper Elio Persico, 32, accepted a plea bargain and was sentenced by a Salerno judge to four years and nine months in jail for manslaughter, his lawyer, Liberato Mazzola, said. Authorities reported Persico tested positive for both cocaine and alcohol following the incident.
What happened
Vaughan had been aboard the motorboat with her husband and their two children, ages 12 and 8, and had been sunbathing when the motorboat collided with a sailboat carrying partygoers. She was hurled into the water and struck by the propellers; her daughter was also thrown into the sea but was not injured. Rescuers pulled Vaughan from the water and brought her to a nearby dock, but she was pronounced dead before a helicopter ambulance could depart.
Eyewitness accounts
"The sailboat was going straight ahead and so was the motorboat. Then suddenly the motorboat veered 180 degrees: there was a collision and I heard a very loud bang," said Pietro Iuzzolino, a barman who was preparing drinks aboard the sailboat. "I saw the woman in the water being held up by her children and her husband. It was terrible."
A video of the moments after the crash, circulated online, shows passengers reacting in panic and trying to help the woman in the water.
Legacy
Vaughan, 45, served as president of Bloomsbury Publishing Inc., the U.S. publisher of the Harry Potter series. Bloomsbury leaders Julia Reidhead and Maria A. Pallante remembered her as "a leader of dazzling talent and infectious passion" with a deep commitment to authors and readers.
The motorboat had been heading toward Positano, one of the Amalfi Coast's most visited destinations, when the collision occurred.
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