Law and psychology student mum slips on a muddy hike and is left stranded on a cliff edge above a 100ft drop with a badly broken leg

A law and psychology student mum relived the terrifying moment when she was left stranded on a cliff edge above a 100ft drop with a badly broken leg after her New Year’s resolution to keep active was cut short when she slipped on a muddy Valentine’s Day hike.

Jodie Russell, 34, had gone hiking with her four-year-old lurcher dog Wilson and social media manager friend, Ellie, 28, near her home when she slipped on a muddy path and landed on her right leg, breaking the bone and causing her to slide towards the cliff edge.

Despite the remote location, Jodie, who lives in Fowey, Cornwall, with her husband, Adam, 35, a marine engineer, and their daughter, Isabelle, 11, was rescued after half an hour thanks to her friend having a free location app on her phone, which was used to guide the coast guard to them, so she could be airlifted to hospital.

Jodie said: “It was only by chance that Ellie had the what3words app installed on her phone, which helped them to find us.

“Otherwise, we would have been waiting seven hours for an ambulance and by then it would have been dark.”

When the pair first set off on their hike in February this year they had no idea it would end so dramatically.

Jodie said: “In January I had started on a keep fit routine. I’m quite a healthy person anyway, I do a lot of walking with my dog around where we live in Cornwall, but I was trying to be more active as a New Year’s resolution.

“I know the trails and coastal paths really well. This is a lovely place to live and I really try to make the most of it whenever I can.”

But it was back in February this year, on Valentine’s Day, that Jodie set off on an ill-fated hike with her friend.

She said: “We took Wilson out with us and decided that when we got to the end of the walk, we’d go for a pub lunch.

“It had been raining the day before, so the path was quite muddy. I’d actually slipped early on in the walk and laughed it off.

“In hindsight, that might have been an indication that it wasn’t safe to hike on but at the time I didn’t see anything wrong.

“We were walking along the top of the hill, near the cliff edge and were literally 10 minutes away from finishing the walk and heading to the pub when I slipped.

“When I fell, it sort of happened out of nowhere. It wasn’t even a very muddy part of the walk, but my left leg slipped out in front of me while my right leg stayed behind and I lost my balance, falling and landing on my right leg.

“I heard a crack and for a brief moment I thought it was my water bottle in my bag. It took a minute for reality and the pain to sink in.”

Not only had Jodie broken her leg, but the fall had made her slip closer to the cliff edge, leaving her teetering above a 100ft drop.

She said: “I was in so much pain and Wilson was starting to get frantic. He could tell that I was in pain and was running around and barking. I was so worried that something could happen to him.

“I knew I wasn’t going to be able to get up. My husband is part of the lifeboat crew where we live, so my first instinct was to get Ellie to ring him.

“Once he was on the phone, the first thing my husband asked Ellie was if either of us had the what3words app.

“I’m so mad at myself that I didn’t have it downloaded, especially with where we live and my husband’s line of work.

“By chance, Ellie had the app downloaded on her phone.”

What3words gives each three square metres of land a unique three-word combination to pinpoint a person’s exact location.

Calling the coastguard, Ellie read out the three words that indicated their exact spot.

Jodie said: “They told us that they knew exactly where we were and that they were on their way.

“Ellie also called 999 but was told it could be up to seven hours for an ambulance to get to us.“It took 30 minutes for the coastguard to arrive, which felt like an eternity, so I could not imagine what waiting for up to seven hours would have been like.”

Jodie was winched into a helicopter and flown to the Royal Cornwall Hospital.

There she had x-rays which revealed she had broken her right tibia in two places and broken her right ankle.

Due to the severity of the break, Jodie needed surgery to have a metal rod inserted through her shin bone, secured with eight screws.

She said: “I’d never broken a single bone in my life, so it was quite a shock. Doctors say it could be up to 12 months before I’m fully myself again and I’m slowly getting back on my feet.

“I’m struggling a little bit with post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) too. I get nightmares about the event and the sound of my bones cracking. Even the sounds of helicopters gives me flashbacks and makes me feel like I’m back on that edge again. It’s a slow process to get over something like that, but I will get there.

“To top things off, I was due to walk 100 miles in March to raise money for the mental health charity Mind and, while I hit my fundraising goal, I obviously wasn’t able to take part in it.

“I was devastated and definitely will be completing it as soon as I’m able to.

“Right now, I’m just grateful the injury wasn’t more serious.”

And despite the severity of the accident, Jodie intends to return to the coastal path again.

She said: “I absolutely love walking, because it’s so good for your mental health. As soon as I’m well enough, I plan to get walking again. I just might avoid getting so close to the cliff edge next time!”

What3words is used by 85 percent of the emergency services. The free app is available for iOS and Android, and the online map enable people to find, share and navigate to what3words addresses in 50 languages to date. For more information, visit: what3words.com

How to use what3words in an emergency:

1.       Be prepared and download the what3words app ahead of this summer. The app is free to download on both iOS and Android, and does not need an internet connection to find your current what3words address – it uses GPS.

2.       Open the app and click the blue arrow (iOS) or compass (Android) to find the what3words address for your current location. Make sure you wait a few seconds until the GPS has settled and the blue dot is not jumping around – this will give the most accurate result.

3.       Clearly share your what3words address with the call handler, along with any other location descriptions you may have – such as nearby roads, towns or any other landmarks you can see.