A woman in her 20s spent seven hours hanging upside down by her feet before she was rescued after falling headfirst into a deep crack between two boulders in regional New South Wales. When she tried to retrieve her dropped phone in the Hunter Valley on October 12, 7 News reported.
To reach it, NSW Ambulance paramedics and an interdisciplinary rescue team had to use a specialist winch to move heavy boulders, including one weighing 500kg. After establishing a stable access point, the team carefully removed the woman from the crevasse, which took an hour.
Paramedic Peter Watts, who had never encountered such a situation in his 10 years of service, described the experience as demanding but rewarding.
“In my 10 years as a paramedic, I have never experienced work like this,” emergency medical specialist Peter Watts told 7 News.
The woman’s friends initially tried to free her but were unsuccessful, prompting them to find phone reception to call for help. By the time rescuers arrived, the woman had been stuck for over an hour.
Despite spending seven hours trapped upside down, the woman emerged with only minor scrapes and bruises. Unfortunately, her phone could not be recovered. NSW Ambulance praised the teamwork involved in the complex and successful rescue operation.
“Each agency had a role and we all worked together extremely well to achieve a good outcome for the patient,” Watts said.