Family's fury a year after Aussie schoolgirl's horror Bali accident
The eight-year-old now has learning difficulties and requires a number of further complex surgeries.
An Australian schoolgirl whose head "cracked like an egg" after she fell six metres from a diving board at a popular Bali beach club is still recovering from her injuries a full year later — and remains uncompensated.
Aliyah Ayash, from Sydney's north, was just seven when she fractured her skull during a horrific fall at the renowned Mrs Sippy bar last year. Aliyah was holidaying with her dad and said that she was about to jump from the ledge when she became confused by a supervisor's instructions and slipped and fell.
The schoolgirl required two emergency procedures in Denpasar before she was flown on an medevac flight to Perth, where she required a number of further complex procedures. She now has 16 titanium plates "holding her skull together" and suffers from short-term memory loss, her mum Fergil Mestanov told A Current Affair.
Memory loss a major concern for family
"The memory loss is the biggest part, the biggest component to help her learn so we just don't know what the future looks like," Ms Mestanov said. "It was like a boiled egg and the shell had just cracked to fragments. It's going to be a long, long road ahead."
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Ms Mestanov said that the family had made a number of attempts to seek compensation from Mrs Sippy's management, including relatives flying to Bali to personally for negotiations, but have thus far had received nothing.
"There's no correspondence, there's no progress, it's all come to a standstill," she said.
'Still no compensation' from Aussie publican
Sydney-based publican Ben May, the sole director of Mrs Sippy Bali, said he's "horrified" that Aliyah had still not received any compensation, but was adamant he'd "done all he can" to open dialogue with the family.
"I don't think it's in my nature of my believe system to leave someone feeling aggrieved after an accident that clearly happened on our watch," Mr May, who recently sold his Manly Wharf Hotel business for $20 million dollars, said.
Ms Mestanov explained her daughter will still likely require a number of further surgeries, specialist appointments and ongoing education tutoring as a result of the fall.
"I wonder how we would respond if this happened to one of his kids?" she said.
"Clearly he's doing well in life but what happens to my daughter in the future if she can't get the education she needs?"
Mr May said he feels for the family.
"I consider myself a pretty good corporate citizen so this is slightly horrific for me and I'm not doubting it's even more horrific for the family involved," May said.
It's understood Mr May and Aliyah's family have since been in communication, with the publican pointing the blame on the family's Bali lawyer "for not responding to requests for documents from Mrs Sippy's insurer".
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