A stranded hiker was rescued on Feb. 24, 2023, by an aircrew from U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations.
HUNTER VALLEY, Australia – In a dramatic rescue operation, an Australian woman was miraculously freed from a narrow crevice where she had become trapped upside down for several hours.
If you look closely, you can see the woman’s feet.
(NSW Ambulance)
“It’s safe to say I’m the most accidental-prone person ever,” Matilda Campbell posted on Facebook, sharing news of her hellacious nightmare. “I am okay, just have some injuries I’m recovering from. No more rock exploration for me for a while!”
The ordeal began when Campbell slipped into the nearly 10-foot gap while trying to retrieve her phone in Hunter Valley, according to the New South Wales Ambulance (NWS) service.
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A woman was rescued after being wedged between two boulders in a nightmare seven-hour ordeal in Australia’s Hunter Valley, the New South Wales ambulance service said.
(NSW Ambulance / FOX Weather)
Unable to free herself, Campbell was left hanging and unable to call for help. Her friends alerted emergency services, who responded with a team of specialized rescue personnel.
“In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job quite like this,” said Peter Watts, a rescue paramedic involved in the operation. “Every agency had a role, and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient.”
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The ambulance service said several boulders, including one weighing over half a ton, had to be removed to access the woman’s feet. However, the challenge was far from over. The team then had to navigate her through a tight “S” bend over the course of an hour.
Campbell was freed seven hours after her ordeal began with only minor scratches and bruises. Unfortunately, she never retrieved her phone.
“I wanted to give the biggest shoutout to my friends, the team who worked so hard to get me out,” she said. “I’m forever thankful as most likely I would not be here today. I love you guys, and you mean the world to me.”