This article has been updated at 15:30 on October 8 – see below.
After British media reported the story of Sara Walsh launching a GoFundMe campaign to raise money for her sister Jennifer after a horrific accident in Croatia, more details are emerging about the incident.
Ms Walsh had apparently fallen from a balcony on Saturday, October 2 while on holiday in Dubrovnik and was left with a bleed on the brain, two skull fractures, a broken collarbone, a punctured lung, broken ribs and a fractured wrist. According to the GoFundMe campaign launched, she did not have travel insurance, and an initial appeal for £30,000 (which has now increased to £35,000) has met with big success, with £32,507 pledged at time of writing.
Curiously for a story of this nature, it did not appear at all in the Croatian media until this morning, some 24 hours after being reported in the UK. Also a little strange were the almost complete lack of details about the case, with the only source of information being the GoFundMe appeal and some social media posts from her sister.
After asking a few contacts in Dubrovnik what they knew, I was surprised that nobody had heard about the incident at all. I checked with the British Embassy, who repsonded immediately:
“We are aware of a UK person being hospitalised in Dubrovnik and we have offered consular assistance.”
I called the Dubrovnik police, who were able to give me an update.
The police confirmed that Ms Walsh had fallen from a Dubrovnik balcony, as reported. This happened at about 20:00 last Saturday in a private apartment. It was not the one she was renting, but one rented by two British citizens.
The apartment was in the popular Ploce area of town, very close to the historic old town.
(Ploce Gate, entrance to the old town of Dubrovnik – Dubrovnik Tourist Board)
She fell about 3.5 metres and unfortunately landed on her head. She was immediately transferred to hospital and has been in a coma.
The police are treating the incident as an accident for now, but their investigations are ongoing, and they will make more information available as things are confirmed. The police had no comment when I asked if alcohol was involved. They wanted to convey the facts as they have been established so far.
I asked if her parents were with her. The police had heard that they were, but referred me to the hospital for more information on that and her current condition.
Some encouraging – but unofficial – news has just emerged with regard to her condition, as reported by local portal Dubrovacki Vijesti:
-When she was brought to the hospital, the condition was critical, she had a very difficult operation with an uncertain outcome, but in the end everything ended well. She is awake, but after such severe injuries it all takes time, the operation was difficult, demanding and time consuming. Although complications are still possible, it is out of danger, but it will certainly have consequences. She has a long recovery ahead of her – Dubrovacki finds out unofficially.
Update on October 8, 2021 – Dubrovacki Vijesti has also just published a little more detail about the night the accident happened in an update to the story. According to this Dubrovnik portal, Ms. Walsh was not actually staying in Dubrovnik, but in Zupa close by. She was attending a party at the rented apartment of friends (there is a photo of the apartment in the link in the previous sentence). While standing on the terrace, she dropped something off the balcony. When she tried to retrieve it, the tragic accident occurred, and she fell 3.5 metres, as the police stated above.
There has been a fantastic response to the GoFundMe campaign, which has now reached £35,259, thereby meeting the £35,000 target.
