A TERRIFIED girl had an amazing escape after she plunged 70 feet down a virtual sheer drop on a sledge.

Victoria Lowthian's evening of fun ended at the bottom of the steep ravine, known locally as Devil's Drop, when she was knocked unconscious as the toboggan landed on top of her.

The 11-year-old's horrified playmates ran to raise the alarm and paramedics and firefighters scrambled down the face of the slope to reach the stricken youngster.

After an hour-long rescue, in which she was pulled to safety via a rope attached to a spinal board, Victoria was rushed to Hope Hospital's casualty department.

Bruising

It was feared she had sustained serious chest and stomach injuries in the fall, but amazingly the young girl was allowed to go home, suffering severe bruising.

Yesterday speaking from her sick bed she told the BEN: "I can just remember me and my mate going down on the sledge and then it toppling over and it ended up on top of me.

"I couldn't breath and I couldn't see. Then I remember speaking to firemen. I won't be going down that slope again. Someone could get really hurt doing that, I was just lucky."

Neighbour Glynn Roberts also ran to help tend to Victoria's injuries as the emergency services rushed to the scene and her mum, Dorothy, was contacted.

The trained first-aider managed to climb down the bank, close to fields off Agecroft Road, Swinton, and support Victoria, keeping her in the same position.

Mrs Lowthian rushed from Pendlebury Children's Hospital where she is a ward sister, to be at her daughter's side.

The mum-of-two, from Park Lane West, Swinton, said: "Victoria suffers from asthma and I thought she was having an attack but when I got there I realised it was much more serious.

"It was terrible becuase I could not see her or get to her down because the slope was so steep.

"Staff at the hospital were amazed that she has not been more badly hurt. She's been so very lucky. We can't thank enough all those people who helped her."

Station Officer Simon Hopes told how a team of firefighters pulled the girl to safety following the accident on Saturday at 8.15pm.

At one point a call was made to scramble the police helicopter to provide extra light for the rescuers.

He added: "The girl was very upset and was in shock but she's had a lucky escape."

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