A Scots farmer feared he had broken his back after being pinned to a concrete floor by a two tonne cattle feeder which fell on top of him.
Graeme MacLeod was clearing slurry after putting the cows out to pasture at the Scottish Borders farm in May when the freak accident happened.
The 48-year-old noticed the equipment beginning to topple and tried to leap out of the way to stop it from hitting him on the head.
But the weighty feeder struck him on the chest and legs - leaving him trapped in agony on the cold, wet ground.
He called his partner from her work to try to free him but he was terrified he had suffered a life-changing injury after being left unable to move.
Graeme, from Gordon, was rushed to the major trauma centre at the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary by Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance and was miraculously released just 10 hours later with severe bruising.
The farmer said: "My partner managed to get the weight off me but I wasn't able to move. I was concerned I had broken my back which was a terrifying feeling."
The trough had fallen around nine feet from the prongs of a forklift truck which Graeme had used to raise the feeder so he could clean it from underneath.
"I had done it many times before but it just takes one time for things to go wrong and you're in a whole world of trouble," he said.
"When the ambulance arrived they got me cleaned up a bit and into the vehicle while calling on support from Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance.
"I felt a huge sense of relief when I heard the helicopter coming in to land nearby," recalled Graeme.
"SCAA paramedics were at my side in seconds and reassuring me. They were comforting, professional and decisive.
“They're exactly who you want to see when you're frightened and in pain.
"Miraculously, I escaped with severe bruising and muscle damage to my legs and chest," explained a relieved Graeme, "and left hospital 10 hours later."
"I watched the accident on the farm CCTV and saw how quickly the incident happened. It's the sort of thing that happens to other people, never you - or so I thought.
“If I had broken my neck or back, a one-hour-plus jarring road journey by ambulance to hospital would have been terrible.
“SCAA flew me in minutes without any more trauma.
“It's vital for rural workers that SCAA is available and Scotland is hugely fortunate to have such a charity as part of our emergency response network.
“I can't thank them enough for all they did for me."
Don't miss the latest news from around Scotland and beyond - Sign up to our daily newsletter here .
