Girl 7, Saves 3-Year-Old Brother’s Life When Tree Collapsed On Slide They Were Playing On

A 7-year-old girl Sophie Parkinson became a instant hero after she dragged her 3-year-old brother to safety, saving his life when a 40ft tall tree came crashing down onto the inflatable slide they were playing on.

The Daily Mail reports:

Sophie Parkinson had been sitting on top of the slide at a fun fair in Leigh, Greater Manchester with her twin brothers Daniel and Alex, three, when the huge tree trunk split in two and fell towards the children.

Alex managed to escape from the side and Sophie managed to free herself, but Daniel was left trapped beneath branches and was screaming for help.

Brave Sophie was able to cling on to her younger sibling, wrestling him out from underneath the debris, and guiding them both to safety down the slide.

The children’s father, Mike, who witnessed the freak accident at Funland at Pennington Flash Country Park on Sunday, said: ‘They were the only children on the slide and I took a picture of them at the top before walking back to sit on a bench to watch them come down.

‘I heard this almighty crack, which sounded like lightning, and the next thing this tree was coming down on top of them. The tree had landed on top of the ride where my kids were just a minute ago.I heard Daniel scream “daddy” so I was concentrating on trying to get him out, but I had no idea how brave Sophie was being.’

After hearing the cracking noise, Alex managed to escape from the slide, but his twin Daniel was left trapped, pinned down by the branches.  Sophie then came to the rescue, telling her relieved father as they arrived back at the foot of the slide: ‘I just had to save my little brother.’

Charity worker Mr Parkinson, 39, who is married to Donna, also 39, said: ‘I was just relieved that I still had all three of my children when we left. It was a terrifying experience to watch and I felt helpless at the bottom but Sophie was a little hero.

‘I know it was a complete accident but it was a very dangerous thing to happen right above a kids ride. It was lucky in a way that they were the only children on there or it could have been a totally different story.’

The family, from Wigan, are now grateful to all being home safe and sound, but Mike has called for his daughter to be rewarded for her actions. He added: ‘Sophie’s only seven and I thought she did really well. She didn’t panic and when I asked her she just said she had to help her brother. I think she deserves some sort of medal or bravery award.’

Wigan Council has launched an investigation into the incident. Head of greenspaces and infrastructure Paul Barton said: ‘We take the safety of visitors to our sites extremely seriously and are investigating the circumstances of this incident. ‘An inspection is taking place at Pennington Flash to ensure the area is safe for all those attending the Funland attraction.’