Charlie Smith
THE family of a British filmmaker, who worked with Sylvester Stallone, have finally been able to visit him, after he plunged from a balcony in Mallorca.
Carl Whiteley, 39, from Crowle, Lincolnshire has been put into an induced coma after falling from his first-floor flat in Palma on Tuesday.
The ‘friend of the stars’ fell and smashed his head open at around 11pm, following an argument with his wife, Esther Muñoz, 33.
Carl’s sister Emma, based in England, raised €3,500 through a GoFundMe page so the family can see their ‘critically ill’ brother, at Palma’s Son Espases Hospital, where he is being treated.
She confirmed to the Olive Press that she landed in Mallorca on Sunday to visit Carl, who she describes as ‘amazing’.
Doctors confirmed Carl is now in a ‘stable’ condition after a crucial brain scan, following an operation on his fractured skull.
“I just want him to wake up and tell us what happened,” Esther revealed exclusively to the Olive Press.
“I want to be away from this nightmare that we are living,” added the mum, who is originally from Cordoba.
“I know it wasn’t a suicide, she said, “because Carl had lots of work coming up, like the ‘DraigCon’ Harry Potter fan convention he’s recently started in Manchester.
“He had a dental appointment and we had many many things planned together.”
She explained that they had only just moved into the new apartment with their daughter Lucy, nine.
“We had spent the last three weeks moving in and settling down,” she added.
Esther, who works in accountancy, believes it was a horrible accident, perhaps caused by a sudden gust of wind.
She admitted that he had had a few drinks and may have been ‘dizzy’ when he fell.
She had gone to bed, leaving him to sleep on the sofa, where he continued to move about making noise and she told him to ‘be quiet’.
Speaking at Palma’s Son Espases hospital, Esther said: “My last memory of Carl is him curled up on the sofa in a blanket, ready to go to sleep.
“I told him to sleep on the sofa, because he was being noisy, dropping pans, and Lucy had school the next day.
“The balcony door was shut, but when I was in bed I heard it open again and I assumed he had gone for some fresh air.
“Then I heard a noise, ran out and saw him lying his head busted, with blood everywhere and I rang the ambulance straight away.”
Police were also alerted to the Balearic Islands flat by neighbours who feared domestic abuse between the pair.
Original reports suggested the British filmmaker was ‘trying to flee’ from officers over the balcony once they had entered the flat.
Esther said: “Why would he want to escape from the police? It’s totally untrue.”
Carl is known for writing the script for short film Empire, and has also worked with the likes of Johnny Depp and Sylvester Stallone.
