Ella Cutler: WA cop prepares to return home after being left in a coma following a cliff fall in Croatia
The family of an Australian police officer who fell 11 meters down a cliff in Croatia, leaving her in an induced coma, hope she will be able to return home within days.
Western Australian police officer Ella Cutler fell from a cliff at Pile, northwest of Dubrovnik, in the early hours of August 26.
She had been drinking and was with a 34-year-old man when the pair suddenly fell over a waist-high wall, leaving Ms Cutler with devastating injuries including fractures to her spine, head, limbs and ribs.
She was rushed to hospital in critical condition and has since remained in Croatia.
Providing an update on the 25-year-old’s health, Ms Cutler’s family revealed on Friday that she could be back home as early as next week.
The 25-year-old police officer (pictured) suffered horrific injuries after falling 11 meters from a cliff in Croatia, while on holiday in Europe.
“There are a number of medical and logistical factors that need to be considered before Ella can return home to WA,” her family said in a statement.
“We hope this happens sooner rather than later and we are optimistic that it will take days, not weeks.”
“What we do know is that Ella’s return home is now possible thanks to the support she has received from her ‘blue family’ and the WA community.”
Ms. Cutler is able to return home after a mammoth fundraising effort raised $530,000 for her medical bills.
An air ambulance needed to bring her home to Perth alone cost $400,000.
The family of police officer Ella Cutler (pictured) say they expect her to return to Western Australia within days.
Tokio Marine is the underlying insurer of the travel insurance policy sold by RAC Insurance Company to Ms Cutler.
Ms Cutler’s insurance claim was initially denied because she had been drinking when she fell.
“We deeply sympathize with Ms Cutler and her family during this difficult time,” a Tokio Marine spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia earlier.
“We can confirm that we have provided full support to Ms Cutler and her family since the incident.”
“We are currently evaluating an open claim and look forward to working with them to achieve a positive outcome.” We are unable to provide further information about their specific policy or claim due to privacy reasons.
Ms Cutler was on holiday across Europe when her trip ended in horror after her near-fatal fall, which also punctured her lungs.
Ms Cutler was drinking before falling from the cliff at Pile (pictured), a popular tourist spot in Dubrovnik, southern Croatia.
The man Ms Cutler was with at the time suffered a broken leg, but is recovering after undergoing surgery.
Doctors had told the woman’s family there was only a five percent chance she would survive.
Although she is now able to breathe on her own, Ms Cutler’s brother Joshua said she faces a long road to recovery, including several months of rehabilitation.
Andrijana Biskup of the Dubrovnik-Neretva police confirmed the couple had been hugging or kissing at the time of the fall and said alcohol may have played a role.
The local hospital confirmed that breath alcohol tests revealed the man had a blood alcohol level of 0.2 – four times the Australian legal driving limit – while the woman had a level of 0.3, or six times the legal driving limit.
At the time of the accident, the couple were reportedly spending an evening in Dubrovnik’s Old Town, which is packed with tourists every summer.
