Quick-thinking woman shields baby from falling rock in Water-cum-Jolly Dale

Mountain rescuers have praised a woman who shielded a baby from a falling rock.
The incident happened near Cressbrook.The incident happened near Cressbrook.
The incident happened near Cressbrook.

A family was walking alongside the River Wye in Water-cum-Jolly Dale, near Cressbrook, on Sunday night when they heard a crack and an object falling towards them from nearby limestone cliffs.

This turned out to be a rock the size of a small football.

The family included a 50-year-old woman, her husband and a three-month-old child in a pushchair.

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The woman instinctively covered the pushchair with her body to protect the child and was hit by the rock, causing a dislocation to her shoulder.

Due to the location of the incident, her husband ran for more than one-and-a-half miles before obtaining a mobile phone signal to call for assistance.

The woman was treated by volunteers from Buxton Mountain Rescue Service and paramedics from East Midlands Ambulance Service before being taken to Macclesfield General Hospital for further treatment.

Neil Carruthers, leader of Buxton Mountain Rescue Team, said: “This lady’s action was quick-thinking and undoubtedly saved the baby from injury.”