Woman’s horror mishap leads to $24k bill while on holiday in Bali

It was supposed to be the family trip of a lifetime, but a single ‘snap’ resulted in this Aussie facing an excruciating ordeal while in Bali.

An Australian tourist has revealed the single mistake she made that lead to an astronomical bill of almost $25,000 while on holiday in Bali.

Catherine Curtis was on a family holiday when she had a “catastrophic fall” while hiking Mount Batur- an active volcano in Bali.

The 56-year-old IT consultant from NSW had been celebrating a reunion with eighteen family members from both Australia and the UK when the group decided to do a sunrise hike together to the scenic spot.

Aussie Catherine Curtis had a horror leg injury that resulted in a $24k medical bill in Bali.

Ms Curtis was in Bali with family from both the UK and Australia.

However, little did she know the trek up the 5,633ft summit of Mount Batur in the Kintamani district of Bali would turn the rest of her holiday into chaos.

“We stayed in Mount Batur overnight and got up at about three in the morning,” she explained.

“We had a cup of tea and got ready to climb up the mountain. We managed to make it up there for sunrise and had a little breakfast.”

Ms Curtis admitted that on the way up, she became worried about the condition of the trail — with fears the rubble and unsteady nature would be a dangerous challenge on the way back down.

And as it turned out, the Aussie’s fears weren’t unwarranted — when “out of nowhere” she fell.

“I had a massive slip on the gravel and my leg went underneath me, and to my shock I heard it snap,” she explained.

“I was in lot of pain and when we looked at my leg, you could see the bone sort of sticking out.”

Ms Curtis took a fall and heard a snap in her leg.

In pain and injured in a remote part of Bali, the only way she could get back down the mountain was on the back of a motorcycle as vehicle access was limited.

Slow and steady, the motorbike’s engine was switched off and the bike was rolled downhill slowly.

“There were about 10 people helping all around the motorbike, stopping it from going too quickly,” she explained of the two hour journey to the bottom.

“I was frightened that somebody else might slip or fall and I think my fear overrode my pain at that time.”

The only way down was to be rolled on the back of a motorcycle, which took two hours.

Once in hospital, Ms Curtis’ fears became a reality — her leg had broken in not one, but two places. As a result, surgery was required to fix the injury — a procedure Ms Curtis said was detailed and ultimately expensive.

“I got two long screws on the inside of my ankle and nine screws and a titanium plate on the right-hand side of my ankle,” she explained of the surgery.

“I’ve got some significant scars to show off now.”

The medical bills and wheelchair hire as well as upgraded flights home came to a staggering $24,323.

However, Ms Curtis made the decision before travelling to pay for travel insurance, costing her just shy of $400.

Without that, the 56-year-old says she wouldn’t have been able to pay for surgery.

“It would have been horrendous,” Ms Curtis said of her insurance with 1Cover.

“I would have had to borrow money and go into debt and so on to get myself through it. It was a real comfort knowing that I had travel insurance.”

Her injuries were extensive, with bills mounting to almost $25,000.

Luckily she had travel insurance which meant the bills were slashed.

According to Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), one in six Australians (16 per cent) are travelling abroad without travel insurance.

In research released earlier this year, DFAT and the Insurance Council of Australia (ICA) revealed that those who are most likely to travel without insurance are Aussies under 30 (25 per cent), those from culturally diverse backgrounds (25 per cent) and individuals from lower-income households – earning less than $100,000 (22 per cent).

The survey revealed some of the reasons for Aussies not taking out insurance include going to places “deemed safe, followed by hesitation around whether insurance was necessary. The third biggest factor was travellers simply not even thinking about it.

There’s concern not enough Australians are taking out travel insurance.

Despite the cost-of-living crisis, of the 1000 Australians to take part in the survey — just one in seven said they couldn’t afford travel insurance.

A spokesperson for 1Cover said all too often travellers head overseas without insurance, thinking they will be fine without it.

“The unexpected can happen to anyone at any time,” Natali Smith said.

“When you’re dealing with a severe injury, having travel insurance ensures easy access to medical care, so you can focus on recovery rather than mounting bills.

“Too many Aussies are still travelling without insurance. For just a few hundred dollars, travel insurance can save you from enormous financial burden and provide peace of mind, allowing you to enjoy your holiday to the fullest.”