Grandmother Survives 3 Days Trapped in Wreck, Tried to Cut Off Leg
An Australian woman has miraculously survived trying to cut off her own leg after a car accident left her trapped for three days.
Deborah McKnight, 44, swerved off the road to avoid hitting a kangaroo while on her way to visit her family on Christmas Day. The woman’s vehicle flipped 30 feet down an embankment into an isolated country road near Tumut, in southern New South Wales.
When the car came to a stop, McKnight’s leg was beneath the roof and the ground, making movement impossible. To make matters worse, a hailstorm passed through the area on Boxing Day, Dec. 26, and the grandmother was rendered immobile for a total of 75 hours.
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At last, McKnight was discovered by a teenager Thursday evening while he was walking his dog. He heard cries and immediately contacted emergency personnel.
McKnight’s cell phone revealed she had tried to dial emergency services six times. Australian police and emergency services confirmed it was reviewing the records, but it is believed the calls did not connect because of poor cell phone service coverage in the rural area.
Police reported McKnight having told them that she attempted to cut off her leg as she lay trapped under her vehicle. According to paramedics, the weight of the car on McKnight’s leg acted as a tourniquet to stop her from bleeding to death.
The woman was airlifted to the hospital where one of her legs was amputated from below the knee. According to the U.K.’s Herald Sun, a spokesperson at Canberra Hospital, where McKnight is being treated, said that the woman has been reclassified from critical to a stable condition.
McKnight was on her way to visit two grandchildren when the car accident occurred, reported the Sun.
The agonizing details of McKnight’s story were sold to Australian Channel Nine’s “A Current Affair” and “Woman’s Day” on Thursday. According to the report, McKnight’s daughter Ebony is proud of her mother.
“It was very traumatic,” said Ebony. “She is a fighter. I love her. She did me proud.”
