A young policewoman who fell eleven meters from a cliff while on holiday in Croatia has left hospital three months after suffering devastating injuries and is eager to return to work.
Ella Cutler, 25, fell from a cliff near 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 fractures to her spine, head, limbs and ribs, along with punctured lungs.
She was placed in an induced coma and flown to Royal Perth Hospital in late September.
WA Police shared a video of Ms Cutler leaving hospital on crutches on Wednesday after a grueling three months of 24-hour care.
Ella Cutler, 25, fell from a cliff near Pile, northwest of Dubrovnik, in the early hours of August 26. She is seen with WA Police Commissioner Col Blanch
She also has a brace around her torso and her left leg.
“I’m overwhelmed by what they (my family) did to get me home,” she told media this week.
“I’m not feeling like myself, but I’m OK with where I’m going and hopefully I’ll be better than where I am now.
“In the short term, I’m doing well.”
She said there were times when her body “maybe hurt a little more” than normal, but added that she wanted to return to law enforcement.
“There are a lot of things I like (about the job),” she said.
The 25-year-old suffered fractures to her skull, spine, ribs and leg
Ms Cutler, her mother Nicole and brother Josh met with WA Police this week
Ms Cutler’s mother, Nicole, had rushed to be by her daughter’s side in Croatia and spent three weeks in the European country before she could bring Ella home.
“I was incredibly emotional when I landed on Australian soil and knew Ella would get the care she needed,” Nicole Cutler said.
‘I think the first night Ella came home was the first night I slept really well because I knew she was close. It was very surreal. I couldn’t have imagined it would happen so quickly.’
Mrs Cutler was able to return home after a massive fundraiser set up by her brother Josh resulted in $530,000 being secured for her medical bills in just six days.
The air ambulance needed to take her home to Perth alone cost $400,000.
Ms Cutler’s insurance claim was rejected because she had been drinking when she fell.
The man Ms Cutler was with at the time suffered a broken leg but is said to have made a good recovery after surgery.
Ms Cutler was put into a medically induced coma after the fall in late August
Ms Cutler drank before falling off the cliff in Pile (pictured), a popular tourist spot in Dubrovnik, southern Croatia
Doctors had told the woman’s family there was only a five percent chance she would survive.
Ms. Cutler will continue her rehabilitation.
“The community really rose up, and that’s the reason we’re here today,” said her brother Josh Cutler.
“I wasn’t sure if it would even work and if her story would resonate in the community.
“But the amount of traction it got so quickly and the love that poured in from everyone, especially the blue family. It was absolutely heartwarming.”
Doctors had told the woman’s family there was only a five percent chance she would survive