The wooden statue fell on the young woman from Sydney, crushing several vertebrae, while she stood on a boardwalk on the holiday island of Majorca.
"It fell straight on her head," Erica Quinn, told Yahoo7.
"It was so lucky a couple of paramedics on holiday were right there and came to her assistance straight away."
Initial scans at a local hospital found four fractured vertebrae.
But tests the next day found several compound fractures, including two in her neck and three in her spine.
She can't walk, but her mother said her Ms Quinn can wiggle her toes and medical staff believe her spinal cord is intact.
"They're concerned about soft tissue damage and are trying to discuss what sort of back brace [she will need]," Erica Quinn said.
The injury came just after Ms Quinn's travel insurance lapsed - the day after the accident she was due to move to London for work.
To help with medical treatment and associated costs, her boyfriend Cameron Danzey started a GoFundMe page. In just one day it has raised almost half of the $60,000 goal.
"She is having to cut her dream short and return home, after paying thousands in registration fees and now hospital fees," Mr Danzey wrote on the page.
"We ask anyone who knows shiv and understands how much of a beautiful human she is, to help her get back on her feet and help the financial stress for both her family and herself."
