A woman has described the dramatic moment she was winched to safety on board a search and rescue helicopter after she fell on rocks and knocked herself unconscious at a remote beach.
Paramedics were unable to reach Marion Browner following the accident near Cromarty.
Instead a coastguard helicopter was dispatched to take her to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
Last night Mrs Browner, 50, thanked rescuers for coming to her aid.
“Things happened so quickly, I was in a lot of pain,” she said.
“It was so dramatic but there was no way I could walk.”
She and her husband Sean, who run a bed and breakfast in Inverness, had been hunting for fossils at Eathie Haven with relatives yesterday afternoon when disaster struck.
Mrs Browner tripped over the family dog, stumbled, then fell over some rocks.
She briefly lost consciousness as she hit the ground, then came round, complaining about pains in her leg.
Her family raised the alarm just after 1.30pm, but the accident happened miles from the nearest road, meaning paramedics were unable to get to them.
After a failed attempt to reach her, the coastguard helicopter from Stornoway, Rescue 100, was sent out.
She was winched on board, then taken to Raigmore Hospital.
Mrs Browner said it had been a huge relief to see the aircraft flying overhead.
“When I hit my head I was out for a few seconds but I knew right away I had hurt myself badly,” she said.
“Fortunately my brother-in-law Brendan, who is on holiday from Australia, was with us as he is a physiotherapist and he looked after me while we waited for the helicopter to arrive.
“Both families’ children were on the beach with us and they found it all exciting.
“As well as banging my head, I also hurt my hip and ankle – which is causing me most pain – and it had to be x-rayed to make sure it wasn’t broken.”
Mr Browner, 53, praised the efficiency of the emergency services.
He said: “We were fossil collecting at the beach, we go there a lot, but because of where it happened I called the coastguard.
“It all seemed so dramatic as she was winched into the air.
“I must emphasise the quick response from all concerned, I cannot thank them enough.”
A spokeswoman for the ambulance service confirmed a road ambulance has initially attended after receiving the alert at 1.45pm.
She said: “We were called to assist the coastguard and tried to reach the casualty on foot, but were unable to do so.
“The coastguard helicopter transported her to Raigmore Hospital with ankle injuries, which were not thought to be serious.”