Virginia Giuffre says she is in hospital after 'serious' car accident

Virginia Giuffre standing outside federal court in New York, on 27 August 2019 Image source, Jeenah Moon/Bloomberg via Getty Images
Image caption,

Ms Giuffre, who has been living in Australia, said she had collided with a school bus

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Virginia Giuffre, one of Jeffrey Epstein's most prominent accusers, has said she is in hospital following a serious accident.

Ms Giuffre posted on Instagram that she had suffered kidney failure after her car collided with a school bus, stating doctors had given her "four days to live" and were transferring her to a specialist hospital.

In a statement shared with the BBC, her spokesperson Dini von Mueffling said: "Virginia has been in a serious accident and is receiving medical care in the hospital. She greatly appreciates the support and well wishes people are sending."

Ms Giuffre said this year had "been the worst", alongside a photograph from a hospital bed showing visible bruising.

The 41-year-old described the accident in an Instagram post, external, writing that the crash was so severe that her car "might as well be a tin can".

"I'm ready to go, just not until I see my babies one last time," she added, seemingly referring to her three children.

Ms Giuffre had recently been living with her children and husband Robert in the suburb of North Perth, Australia, though recent reports suggest the couple have split after 22 years of marriage.

It remains unclear where and when the crash occurred.

Both the Western Australia police and ambulance services told the BBC they had no records of such an accident happening in recent weeks.

The police later specified that they had located records of a "minor crash" between a bus and a car on 24 March, but that no injuries had been reported as a result.

Ms Giuffre is best known for her allegations that Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell trafficked her to the Duke of York when she was 17.

Prince Andrew has denied all claims but reached an out-of-court settlement with her in 2022.

The settlement included a statement in which he expressed regret for his association with Epstein but contained no admission of liability or apology.

Additional reporting by Tiffanie Turnbull, BBC News, Sydney