Family says 5-year-old saved mom's life after tree crushes her on hike
LOS ANGELES - A mom is facing a long road to recovery after she was crushed by a tree while out on a hike with her family in Idaho earlier this week. Her family is crediting her 5-year-old son with saving her life after the boy ran and called for help immediately after the accident.
Natalie Franks was out hiking with her family in Ketchum, Idaho, on the morning of July 29. Her husband Andy and the younger son turned back as she and her son Colton continued on. That's when, Andy said, Natalie put her son down to go find a walking stick, and a pine tree snapped, crashing down on her and pinning her face down to the ground.
Andy Franks said he knew something bad had happened even before he got the call.
"The sinking feeling in my stomach started to rise, and I got a call about five minutes later, and it was my sister-in-law screaming and crying," Andy Franks said.
The family said that Colton was riding on his mom's back just seconds before the tree came down.
"Had it happened 30 seconds earlier, it would have hit both Natalie and Colton," Andy wrote on a GoFundMe page detailing the incident.
Andy told FOX 11 that Colton actually tried to lift the tree off his mother himself. When that didn't work, he ran screaming for help. He was able to flag down a couple out on a hike, who then called 911, and stayed with Natalie until first responders got there.
"This man was lying on his belly with his cheek on the ground, face to face with Natalie, and he was just telling her, 'Let's just do one more breath. Can you do one more breath,'" Andy said.
When they got to the hospital, they realized the extent of Natalie's injuries. She had a collapsed lung, a dislocated hip and knee and a severed artery; in the days since surgery to repair the artery, doctors found she also had a broken shoulder blade, nine broken ribs, three broken vertebrae, a broken hip, a fully torn ACL and PCL and more.
"Her left leg was twisted 180 degrees around her," Andy said. "[Her] two feet were facing in different directions, like how you organize your shoes from time to time. Her shoulder was kind of sitting underneath her chin."
By Wednesday, Andy wrote on a GoFundMe page that Natalie was breathing on her own and was even able to speak briefly.
"Natalie was able to speak a bit to me today and, at her first request, we FaceTimed Colton," Andy wrote. "She cried as she thanked him for helping save her life and find her help."
A GoFundMe campaign for Natalie's recovery has already raised over $120,000. Information on that fundraiser can be found by tapping or clicking here.