Amazing feat after Aussie’s 10m cliff fall
More than $500,000 has been raised to bring back West Australian woman Ella Cutler to Australia after the 26-year-old woman plunged 10m from a clifftop while on holiday in Croatia.
Since August 26, the WA Police constable has been fighting for life in a Dubrovnik hospital after suffering “catastrophic” injuries, including multiple fractures to her skull, spine, limbs and 12 ribs and puncturing both her lungs.
However, a GoFundMe has now met its $500,000 target, raising more than $514,000.
Fundraiser organisers say about $100,000 will be used to pay for Constable Cutler’s medical expenses, plus $400,000 for the air ambulance required to bring her back to Perth.
An update shared by her family said any remaining funds beyond the $500,000 target would be donated to charity and “paid forward as a way of thanks”.
As it stands, Tokio Marine, who is the underlying insurer for Constable Cutler’s travel insurance policy, states it is still assessing an open claim.
A spokesperson for Tokio Marine said they “have been providing a range of support to Ms Cutler and her family since the incident occurred”.
“We deeply sympathise with Ms Cutler and her family during this difficult time,” they said.
“We are currently assessing an open claim and look forward to working with them towards a positive outcome. We are not able to provide any further information about their specific policy or claim due to privacy reasons.”
A close friend and colleague of Ms Cutler, Constable Dani Morrison said that while Constable Cutler had been moved to another ward, and discharged from ICU, she still had “a long road” to recovery.
“She has many surgeries to undergo. She’s got a lot of broken bones,” she said.
Constable Morrison described Constable Cutler as “the most compassionate, empathetic, caring person”.
“She’s selfless. Despite her age, she’s been a mentor in the job, and she’s a mum outside the job,” she said.
“She’s just a beautiful soul. She will do anything for anyone. She’s gentle, she’s kind, she’s an incredible girl.”
She also thanked the thousands of people who donated to Constable Cutler’s GoFundMe.
“They’ve never met her, and they’ve still donated, so just thank you to everyone because the amount of donations has just been wonderful for her,” she said.
On social media, Constable Cutler’s aunt Rebecca Cutler said her accident was “devastating”.
“Her injuries were catastrophic and for the past few weeks we have been praying for a miracle,” she wrote in a post from last week.
“The entire situation has been shocking for my family and Ella has a very long road to recovery.”
