Edinburgh woman Jennifer Walsh speaks of moments before horror balcony fall which left her in a coma fighting for her life

Let us know what you think and join the conversation at the bottom of this article.

Jennifer Walsh was holidaying with her friends in Dubrovnik, Croatia, in October last year when she plummeted 40ft to the ground.

The fall left her with a brain bleed, skull fractures, a punctured lung and multiple broken bones.

The 23-year-old has now revealed that she fell after getting her foot stuck on the balcony - but can’t remember anything else about the accident.

“I was in an apartment getting ready with friends we had met on a boat trip earlier that day,” said Jennifer, speaking to the Daily Record.

“I went out to the balcony to collect my shoe and put it on but my foot got stuck on the balcony ledge.

“I then woke up in hospital a week later to see my mum in hospital. Everything in the middle in a total blur.”

Jennifer, who spent weeks in a Croatian hospital before travelling back to Scotland, said it was surreal to look back on the fall and what could have happened.

“Because I was on so much medication, to begin with I didn’t realise what had happened. I was too out of it to be scared,” she said.

“But now I can’t believe what happened, I’m just so happy to be here and healthy. I nearly died.”

Following news of their daughter’s terrifying ordeal, Jennifer’s parents Victoria and James flew to be by her side in hospital. But due to Covid restrictions, the couple could only be with their daughter for 15 minutes at a time.

Victoria said: “On the flight there, James and I were taking turns to cry. We were beside ourselves.”

She added: “The amount of tears we shed at her bedside could have drowned her. To see your child unconscious is horrific.”

Despite being given just a 50 per cent chance of survival, Jennifer made a miraculous recovery - though she did have to work hard to regain her speech and movement.

“I came out of the coma a different person,” said Jennifer. “Before, I worried about how I looked and thought I was ugly and fat. From the minute I realised I had survived, I began loving myself.”

She added: “I’m so happy to have recovered and I think that’s what pushes me to get better.”

Following Jennifer’s fall, Sara launched a fundraiser for her sister, which raised £42,000.