Woman survives falling tree on Thames run and meets doctor who helped
A woman running on the Thames path in London was crushed by a falling tree, broke 14 bones, and was told by doctors that one centimetre either side would have killed her.
The Full Story
A plain summary built from the channels that reported this story.
Early one Monday morning, a woman was running along the Thames in London when a huge tree trunk fell onto the path. The trunk trapped her between its boughs and crushed her. The woman, named Fi in the report, fractured 14 bones and suffered a whole lot of other damage to her body.
Doctors told her that if the tree had landed just one centimetre either side, she would not have survived. Friends have called her the luckiest unlucky person in the world, and Fi has described herself in the same way. She also had the good luck that a doctor happened to be running past early that morning.
The doctor, Meg, introduced herself and offered help. Fi's group said 'Thank God, yes' according to the account. It took more than an hour before paramedics could reach her and take her to hospital, where she stayed for weeks.
Fi and Meg, patient and doctor, have stayed in touch. The report shows the first time they have been back together at the place where it happened. At the scene, they looked at the two large branches coming out from the tree and the spot where Fi had been lying on her front.
Fi works as a sustainability consultant. She noted the irony that she dedicates her career to trying to save trees and plant more trees, while in this case it seemed the trees were trying to take her out. The report described the outcome as a lucky escape.
On screen
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Key Claims
Claims reported during this story's coverage, grouped by how many channels reported each one. Select a dot to see the source excerpt.
| Claim |  |
|---|---|
| Only on one channel | |
| A woman was trapped by a falling tree trunk while running on a path along the Thames in London. | |
| Doctors told her she would not have survived if the tree had landed one centimetre either side. | |
| Paramedics took more than an hour to reach her, and she stayed in hospital for weeks. | |
Channel Perspectives
What each channel focused on, with key quotes.
The bulletin gave the story a human-interest focus, leading on the dramatic survival detail and the chance presence of a doctor jogging past. It followed Fi's recovery and her reunion with Meg at the scene, with a light touch on the irony that Fi works in sustainability. It offered little broader context on why the tree fell or on path safety.
- “It crushed me under it. It fractured 14 bones and a whole lot of other damage to my body.”
- “One centimetre either side, she would have been completely crushed.”
- “My job is as a sustainability consultant and it's sort of the irony of the fact that I really dedicate my career to trying to save trees and plant more trees.”
Broadcast Timeline
News broadcasts tracked for this story, in time order.