Hiker Rescued After Hanging by Her Bare Feet For 7 Hours

NSW Ambulance services have rescued a woman who was hiking in the Hunter Valley before falling and becoming wedged between two large boulders.

23-year-old Matilda Campbell was trying to retrieve her phone, which had dropped through a three-metre crevice, when she fell and became wedged between the rocks, hanging upside down by her bare feet. NSW Ambulance has shared photos online of the peculiar incident, which happened early in October.

When Ms Campbell became stuck in this unusual predicament, her friends tried unsuccessfully to free her and before leaving to get reception and call 000 for help. Within an hour, first responders from the Cessnock Volunteer Rescue Association and Rural Fire Service arrived on the scene and then called police and paramedics to assist further.

By the time she was freed with only ‘minor scratches and bruises’, Ms Campbell had been hanging by her bare feet for seven hours. What a (pair of) feat!

NSW Ambulance Specialist Rescue Paramedic, Peter Watts, reported that this type of rescue was quite unusual.

‘In my ten years as a rescue paramedic, I had never encountered a job quite like this. It was challenging, but incredibly rewarding’, said Watts.

According to the ABC, the rescue required the team to move seven boulders between 80 and 500kg with specialist equipment to free Ms Campbell. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place…

Unfortunately, NSW Ambulance services reported that Ms Campbell was unable to retrieve her phone. Nonetheless, she was extremely grateful for the team’s hard work to set her free.

The report of this hiking incident follows recent news of another rescue of a barefoot hiker, in Tasmania.

Photos by NSW Ambulance