Woman Gets Stuck Upside Down in a Boulder After Taking Photos on Her Phone

An unfortunate woman who dropped her phone while taking photos had to be rescued by emergency services after she got stuck between two boulders while trying to retrieve the device.

Matilda Campbell was bushwalking in Australia earlier this month when she stopped to take a photo. The phone slipped from her hands and Campbell tried to retrieve it but slipped and fell 10 feet (three meters) which left her hanging by her feet.

The friends she was with tried in vain to free her and eventually rang emergency services (triple-0 in Australia) but there was no phone signal at that location so they had to walk to find coverage.

Emergency services from the New South Wales Hunter Valley area came to Campbell’s rescue including the Cessnock Volunteer Rescue Association and Rural Fire Service.

According to ABC News Australia, Campbell was stuck upside down for over an hour before the rescue crew arrived. New South Wales Ambulance special operations and rescue paramedic Peter Watts tells the broadcasting network that Campbell had a cheerful disposition despite her predicament.

“She was such a trooper,” he says. “I would have been beside myself stuck in that sort of situation, but when we were there she was calm, she was collected, anything we asked her to do she was able to do it to help us get her out.

“I was very impressed with how chilled she was.”

The crew had to move seven boulders weighing between 176 to 1,100 pounds (80 to 500 kilograms) to free Campbell. The rescue mission also involved building a wooden frame to ensure the safety of Campbell and the rescue workers.

Once her feet were accessible, the team had to navigate Campbell out of the tight S-bend she was in. A special Tirfor winch was employed to move a huge 1,000 pound-plus boulder. In the end, Campbell was left hanging for seven hours.

“In my 10 years as a rescue paramedic I had never encountered a job quite like this,” says Peter Watts, a specialist rescue paramedic. “It was challenging but incredibly rewarding.”

“Every agency had a role and we all worked incredibly well together to achieve a good outcome for the patient.”

Campbell suffered minor scratches and bruises taking to social media to share her wounds. Unfortunately, her phone couldn’t be retrieved.

“It’s safe to say I’m the most accidental prone person ever. I am OK just have some injuries I’m recovering from, no more rock exploration for me for a while!,” she posted.

Image credits: NSW Ambulance.