Family of Aussie woman Rebecca Ode face tough decision after details of horror Bali accident emerge

The family of a 36-year-old Australian woman who received horrific injuries in a motorcycle crash in Bali are facing an impossible decision regarding her care.

Rebecca Ode moved to Bali in January after losing her father — a move her brother-in-law Jesse Wilton said it was the best decision for Ode, after the tragic loss. But earlier this week the family received devastating news.

At around 6am on Tuesday, Wilton received a message that Ode, originally from Newcastle, NSW, had been seriously injured in a mysterious accident. “She was found in Nusa Lembongan, but no one knows how the accident happened,” he previously said.

Indonesian police have reportedly since said that Ode crashed a scooter into a parked motorcycle, according to the ABC. A friend of Ms Ode’s found her lying on the ground with an eyeball hanging out of her head, her face and cheekbones caved in, and her jaw and collarbones broken.

It’s understood that Ode lost an eye in the ordeal and is now recovering from 14 hours of surgery – but has suffered retroactive amnesia from the accident.

Bali doctor confirms cause of horror injuries

Dr Bagus Mahadewa from the Ngoerah General Hospital where Ms Ode was treated told the ABC while she was now able to speak after her extensive surgeries, she can't remember what happened.

"The accident that likely caused these injuries would have been a heavy traffic accident with high impact," he said.

"We decided to operate right away that night, first on her broken skull, draining liquid from her brain and also working together with a plastic surgery specialist to fix the damage to her face and nose, while an eye surgeon focused on her right eye and an orthoepic surgeon put plates in her skull."

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Family’s impossible decision following crash

Ode’s family are desperate to get her back to Australia and have been organising a medevac to bring her home to the Gold Coast, but they need to get a clearance on the fluid on her brain before she can fly. Flying her home sooner could risk her life, but overseas treatment could prove costly.

The family have set up a GoFundMe page to help cover the cost of her medical expenses in Bali which are running into the hundreds of thousands. But Dr Mahadewa said repatriating her now is complicated given the nature of her injuries.

"If the family want to evacuate her right now, she would need to transported with an air ambulance, because there may be some fluid trapped inside the skull," he said. "If she can wait longer here, she could fly in two weeks in business class so it is up to the family and insurance company.

"With air ambulance she could be back in Australia in three to four hours but if she waits two weeks we will scan her skull again to make sure the liquid trapped in her skull has gone and she can travel lying down in comfort."

Family's GoFundMe plea to Aussies

On the family's GoFundMe page, Wilton pleaded with Aussies to donate to save Ode.

“At this point in time, the family aren’t worrying about their emotions that can happen when Bec gets back to Australia," he said. "Everyone is just trying to stay very positive for Bec, they are just grateful she is alive and want to get her back home.”

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