A student who lost a leg in a horrific accident on a Scottish mountain range has thanked rescuers for saving her life.
Emily Woodroofe, 22, had to have her right leg amputated after it was trapped by a boulder while she was scrambling on rocks at the Torridon mountains in Wester Ross.
The experienced scrambler, who was on a trip with her university hiking club, grabbed on to a boulder to manoeuvre herself to the right.
But the boulder gave way and trapped her leg, crushing bone and leaving her in agonising pain.
One of her friends managed to get the boulder off but she was left stranded on the mountain with blood pouring from her injured limb.
Doctors from the local GP practice arrived to give her a painkiller and began treating her before the Torridon & Kinlochewe Mountain Rescue Team arrived to winch her into a helicopter.
Emily had to have her leg amputated three weeks after the incident on March 23.
She had now written a blog about her experiences and has raised £4,000 for the mountain rescue team.
Recalling the incident, she said: “With the pain, I hoped to faint but I was scared that I would never wake up again.
“I became conscious that I could bleed to death. I felt liquid dribble down my leg and when I brought my hand up to my eyes, it was covered in blood – blood that remained in my fingernail beds for days afterwards.”
Emily, originally from Ealing, west London, told of her relief when the helicopter crew arrived and flew her to Raigmore Hospital in Inverness.
She said: “The mountain rescue team were called to winch me to safety as it became clear that I couldn’t be moved in another way.
“The winchman, somebody I thought even in my horrendous state was ridiculously good looking, warned me that we might turn in the air.
“If only this had all been a practice – it would have been absolutely fantastic.
“At one point I thought I was going to die. My friends and the amazing people at the mountain rescue team saved my life.”
