Public raise $300k to bring US travel blogger home from Bali after insurer ‘refused’

‘Kaitlyn no longer requires mechanical ventilation and is breathing on her own,’ sister says

Kaitlyn McCaffery is in Bali where she has suffered a traumatic brain injury (Dena Gustus Cruz/GoFundMe)

Members of the public have raised over $300,000 for an American travel blogger who was left stranded in Bali following a scooter accident that left her in a coma.

Kaitlyn McCaffery suffered a traumatic brain injury along with multiple other serious injuries following the crash on 31 July 2021, a GoFundMe set up on behalf of her family said.

While the young woman had reportedly paid for international medical insurance, the insurance company purportedly “refused” to pay for the cost of evacuating her back to California, the page explains.

“The costs to evacuate her using an experienced international medevac company, such as Air Med or International SOS, are extremely daunting,” the GoFundMe page reads.

Donors have now raised above and beyond the $250,000 needed to fly Ms McCaffery home and care for her thanks to the campaign. The blogger is now scheduled to return to the US on Wednesday, according to an update posted on her sister’s Instagram story.

“Kaitlyn no longer requires mechanical ventilation and is breathing on her own,” the temporary post reads. “She does have a lung infection, which they are treating with antibiotics.”

Ms McCaffery set off to travel the world five years ago after graduating with a degree in business entrepreneurship from Cal State Fullerton.

Kaitlyn McCaffery suffered a traumatic brain injury along with multiple other serious injuries following a terrible motor scooter accident on 31 July 2021 (Dena Gustus Cruz/GoFundMe)

The tragic accident is said to have occurred when she was returning home to her apartment. “Two young men found her on a remote road, alone, unconscious, broken and bleeding,” the GoFundMe says.

Her family has apparently faced many hurdles in their attempts to travel out to Bali as a result of strict coronavirus restrictions.

An update from the campaign organiser said that the family had been granted emergency visas but were still told they would need to quarantine for eight days, at which point Ms McCaffery may already have been evacuated home.

Congresswoman Anna Eshoo and the State Department have been working with the family to reunite the young woman with her family, according to The Mercury News.

“We are doing everything possible with the State Department and the Indonesian government to assist Ms McCaffery [to] reunite with her daughter as quickly and as safely as possible,” Ms Eshoo’s spokesperson told the newspaper.

“The McCaffery Family is very thankful to all of the donors who have helped us reach our goal—raising the funds to Bring Kaitlyn Home,” the campaign organiser said.