The accident of Volt’s CEO once again highlights how dangerous quad bikes (ATVs) remain when they circulate unchecked across the Greek islands.

Just before dawn in Mykonos, what started as a night of fun turned into a nightmare for 49-year-old Volt CEO, Thomas Greenwood. At 5:44 a.m. on August 20, on the Ano Mera – Agrilia municipal road, in the Koukoulou area, the quad bike he was driving veered off course, crashed into a house wall, and overturned.

The violent impact ejected Greenwood from the ATV, throwing him into the yard of a nearby house, where he was seriously injured. It is not yet confirmed whether he had the proper license to drive the quad bike, or if he was wearing a helmet. Authorities also took a blood sample to check for alcohol or narcotics, with results pending.

Greenwood was first taken to Mykonos Health Center, where doctors quickly realized the severity of his condition.

The woman accompanying him initiated the process for his private insurance to step in. A helicopter was dispatched to Mykonos, but when the private company’s doctors saw Greenwood intubated and in critical condition, they refused to transport him, citing minimal chances of survival and the risks of air transfer.

Instead, an air ambulance from the National Emergency Service (EKAV) flew him to Nikaia General Hospital in Athens. He was rushed into surgery, where doctors battled for hours until 2 a.m. Medical sources confirmed his condition was stabilized, but he remains in intensive care, still in very serious condition.

Quad Bikes: A Deadly Trap

Greenwood’s accident underscores the high danger posed by ATVs on Greek islands. These are heavy, unstable vehicles with a high center of gravity, making them prone to rollovers in turns. A small steering mistake, a pothole, or sudden braking is often enough to flip them, ejecting driver and passenger onto the road—or worse, off cliffs.

In Mykonos and across many islands, roads are narrow, winding, poorly lit, and full of defects, factors that further increase risk. Despite repeated calls for restrictions or even bans, quad bikes continue to be rented freely to tourists, many of whom have never driven one before.

In recent years, dozens of accidents and fatalities involving quad bikes have been recorded, with victims including both Greeks and foreign visitors. Nearly every summer, such incidents make international headlines, tarnishing the image of Mykonos and other Greek islands.

The question after Greenwood’s crash is clear: how much more blood must be shed before real measures are taken?