‘Next thing I heard was this big scream’: WA woman fighting for life after Bali fall

Medical bills are piling up for the devastated family of a Western Australian grandmother fighting for life in a Bali hospital after slipping on a bathroom floor and falling into an open stairwell.

Estelle Ravenscroft’s husband told 9News the 79-year-old was having lunch at a restaurant last weekend when the horrific accident occurred.

“Next thing I heard was this big scream, it’s a stairwell going downwards, and she was down the bottom,” Keith Ravenscroft said.

The Busselton couple’s annual escape to Bali is now a fight to bring her home.

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Estelle, unable to communicate, remained in hospital on Saturday with her husband by her side.

“They’ve been to Bali many times, and they’ve always had insurance, but as years have gone by they have obviously got older and insurances don’t always cover you, or it’s difficult to get coverage,” sister Marilyn Jones said.

The medical bill is growing by thousands of dollars every day, and Keith warned other travellers: “If you can’t get insurance cos you’re old like us, give it a miss.”

Estelle suffered six severe fractures to her legs, three in each.

“A simple lunch at a restaurant and a visit to the ladies’ bathroom has ended up being a nightmare beyond belief,” her daughter Leonie Walsh said on a page trying to raise funds for the grandmother.

“The slippery floor caused her to fall into an open stairwell, where she landed on the steps below.”

Estelle was in the intensive care unit after suffering a severe adverse reaction to painkillers and after surgery on her legs.

“(Her) vitals plummeted and she started convulsing. This was so severe that we were close to losing her,” Walsh said.

“On Sunday she was placed in ICU because of the degree of concern.

“Because of the extent of the fractures, the medical team had to do manual realignments to her legs and both legs were then put into traction with weights (all without painkillers because of the severe reactions).”

The 79-year-old has undergone two blood transfusions post-surgery, her daughter said.

Ravenscroft’s family said her condition was extremely touch-and-go.

They’ve started an online fundraiser to help cover the costs of her treatment and to help bring her home.

“Estelle’s ongoing medical care and treatment for the heart, oxygen and blood issues resulting from the reaction to the pain injections, has exacerbated. Her condition isn’t good,” Walsh said in an update on Friday.

“Her mouth and throat have now swollen, affecting her even more. The final cost of the emergency surgery and this additional care required have also increased. This is devastating news.”