Dramatic photos of an Australian police officer fighting for her life in an overseas hospital have been released as her family fights to get her back home.
The disturbing photos show 25-year-old Perth First Class Constable Ella Cutler in a critical condition in a Croatian hospital bed after falling 11 meters.
Ms Cutler fell over a waist-deep wall at Pile in Dubrovnik in the early hours of August 26 after drinking alcohol with a man.
Nicole and Joshua Cutler, Ms Cutler’s mother and brother, have already landed in the country to be by her side, but they say Ms Cutler’s travel insurer, RAC, will not cover the bill since she had been drinking.
Ms Cutler’s family, including those in Western Australia, are now struggling to raise the money to bring her home, with the total cost rising to $500,000.
Harrowing new photos show Perth First Class Constable Ella Cutler, 25, incubated in a Croatian hospital bed after a devastating 11-metre fall in Dubrovnik on August 30
Nicole and Joshua Cutler, Mrs Cutler’s mother and brother (pictured) recently landed in the country to be by Mrs Cutler’s side after being told she was not covered by insurance
The police officer’s mother told 7News that doctors had given her daughter a five percent chance of survival.
“When we heard that the insurance company had let us down, we were in complete shock,” she said.
‘I never expected that the insurance wouldn’t help us bring her home and I don’t understand it.
“I’m really confused as to how an insurance company could imagine that a family or someone who bought insurance in good faith could navigate through that.”
A spokesperson for Tokio Marine, the insurer of Ms Cutler’s travel insurance policy, said they were currently working closely with her to resolve the issue.
“We deeply sympathize with Ms Cutler and her family at this difficult time,” the spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
“We have supported Ms Cutler and her family in a variety of ways since the incident occurred.
‘We are currently assessing an open claim and look forward to working with them towards a positive outcome.
‘For privacy reasons we cannot provide any further information about the specific policy or claim.’
Ms Cutler had kissed a 34-year-old man on a night out when the two leaned against a waist-high wall before falling over.
Mrs Cutler suffered a series of serious injuries in the fall, including fractures to her skull, spine, limbs, twelve broken ribs and punctured lungs.
She was taken to hospital in critical condition and remains in a coma. The man was treated for a broken leg and is recovering.
Her colleagues in Western Australia Police have a #bringEllahome campaign to raise awareness for their injured friend.
Inspector Geoff DeSanges said that although he never met Ms Cutler in person, she was still part of the ‘big blue family.’
“I understand that her family is having some difficulty in bringing her home financially, so I know that many people in the WA Police are behind that effort, which is not surprising to me because we are a very close-knit blue family.” , he said. said.
‘I have not met Ella personally, but everyone says she is an excellent police officer and completely committed to serving the community in which she works. And I find it really moving that both police and community members are behind this effort to bring her home.”
Western Australian Premier Roger Cook also extended his thoughts to her family, calling Ms Cutler a “great police officer”.
A video released by the department on Friday describes Ms. Cutler as a “dedicated young officer” who is committed to the community she serves.
Ms Cutler’s colleagues in Western Australia Police have launched the #BringEllaHome campaign to help her family pay an expected $500,000 hospital bill
The campaign’s website links to a GoFundMe launched by Joshua to help pay the high medical bill that prevented him from flying his sister home.
“Anyone who knows her will tell you about her calm and gentle energy, her love for furry creatures large and small, her selflessness in helping people, and her ability to make everyone she meets feel special,” he said .
“We can only imagine how scared she would be if she knew the full extent of her injuries, and we can’t even begin to explain how scared we are for her and how important it is for her to come home.”
“She still has too much work to do, too many people to help, and too much love to give for this chapter to end. She has a long, difficult road ahead of her and she will need all the help she can get. From doctors, family, friends, colleagues and you.
“The world doesn’t have enough Ellas, and it needs her.”
Ms Cutler is now in an induced coma after suffering fractures to her skull, spine, limbs and ribs
The area where the couple were enjoying a night before the tragic accident on the coast of the Croatian port of Dubrovnik, which in summer is a tourist mecca, especially for Australians
Ms Cutler had been drinking with the 34-year-old man when the two leaned against a wall (pictured) shortly before they fell over
Ms Cutler’s medical costs already amount to $100,000, and an air ambulance to take her back to Australia will cost another $400,000.
“She will need many more months of care, multiple surgeries and months of physical rehabilitation before she can impact the world as she once did,” her brother wrote.
“She can’t do this alone, and neither can we.”
The fundraiser has raised more than $396,000 in donations to date.
The wall from which the The couple is said to have fallen is a popular selfie spot and is located between two forts, Lovrijenac and Bokar.
Andrijana Biskup, from the Dubrovnik-Neretva police, confirmed that the couple were hugging or kissing when the fall occurred and said alcohol may have played a role.
The local hospital confirmed that blood alcohol tests showed the man had a reading of 0.2 – four times the legal driving limit in Australia – while the woman had a reading of 0.3, or six times the legal driving limit.
The couple were said to have been on a night out at the time of the accident in Dubrovnik’s Old Town, which is packed with tourists every summer.
Daily Mail Australia has contacted RAC Insurance for comment.