Family of Australian Rebecca Ode faces difficult decision after details of horror accident in Bali come to light

The family of a 36-year-old Australian woman who suffered horrific injuries in a motorbike accident in Bali are faced with an impossible decision regarding her care.

Rebecca Ode moved to Bali in January following the death of her father – 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 said earlier.

As ABC reports, Indonesian police have since said Ode drove a scooter into a parked motorcycle. A friend of Ms Ode found her lying on the ground with one eyeball hanging out of her head, her face and cheekbones collapsed and her jaw and collarbones broken.

Ode is believed to have lost an eye in the ordeal and is now recovering from the 14-hour operation – but he suffers from retroactive amnesia as a result of the accident.

Doctor in Bali confirms cause of terrible injuries

Dr Bagus Mahadewa of Ngoerah General Hospital, where Ms Ode was treated, told ABC that although she could now speak following extensive surgery, she could not remember what happened.

“The accident that likely caused these injuries must have been a serious traffic accident with enormous impact force,” he said.

“We decided to operate that same evening. First, we operated on her skull fracture, draining fluid from her brain. We also worked with a board-certified plastic surgeon to repair the damage to her face and nose, while an ophthalmic surgeon worked on her right eye and an orthopedic surgeon inserted plates into her skull.”

Impossible decision of the family after the accident

Ode’s family are desperate to bring her back to Australia and have arranged for a rescue helicopter to bring her home to the Gold Coast. But before she can fly, she needs to have the fluid on her brain removed. Flying home sooner could put her life in danger, but treatment overseas could be costly.

The family has set up a GoFundMe page to cover the cost of her medical expenses in Bali, which run into the hundreds of thousands, but Dr Mahadewa said her repatriation would be complicated due to the nature of her injuries.

“If the family wants to evacuate her now, she would have to be transported by air ambulance because there may be fluid in her skull,” he said. “If she can wait here longer, she could be flying business class in two weeks. So that’s up to the family and the insurance company.”

“By rescue helicopter she could be back in Australia in three to four hours. However, if she waits two weeks we will re-examine her skull to make sure the fluid trapped in her skull has disappeared and she can travel comfortably lying down.”

GoFundMe appeal from a family to the Australians

On the family’s GoFundMe page, Wilton asked Australians to donate to help save Ode.

“At this point the family is not worried about their feelings about Bec returning to Australia,” he said. “Everyone is just trying to stay positive about Bec. They are just grateful that she is alive and want to get her back home.”

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