‘She continues to fight’: Young Irish woman remains in coma after being hit by a car in Italy

Hannah Leonard suffered severe injuries

A fundraiser has been set up for a young Irish woman who is in intensive care after being struck by a car in Catania, Italy.

Hannah Leonard was completing her final long distance training run for the Dublin Marathon when she was struck by a car on October 6.

The woman, aged 22, was jogging along the Andrea Doria Avenue in Catania at approximately 5.30pm when she was struck by a car driven by a man in his 20s, who stopped to help.

She had first been taken to the hospital in Santa Sofia, but was later transferred to San Marco hospital in Catania where she underwent neurosurgery.

Ms Leonard remains in intensive care after sustaining life-threatening injuries and undergoing neurosurgery, but her condition is stable.

Her father Kevin Leonard shared an update on a GoFundMe campaign set up by the family in a bid to cover medical costs and expenses.

“She remains in the ICU and continues to get amazing treatment and care from the medical team around her. Hannah has still not come around, and the latest CT scan showed no changes in her condition.

“Thank you so much to everyone for their very generous donations, we’ve been absolutely overwhelmed by the response and it gives us great comfort to know how fond everyone is of Hannah.

"We are immensely proud of her and how she continues to fight. Hannah is the most strong willed and determined person I know, if anyone can fight this fight it’s her,” Mr Leonard said.

He thanked those who donated to the campaign “from the bottom of our hearts” as the support has given the family “a little glimmer of light in the darkest of times.”