A councillor broke her foot after plunging off a stage moments after delivering a keynote speech.
Michelle Campbell was in agony on the floor after spectacularly failing to negotiate the steps.
The drama happened at the Tannahill Centre in Ferguslie Park on Friday night.
The audience at the Celebrating Renfrewshire funding ceremony winced as she collapsed.
First aiders immediately surrounded her and she was taken to accident and emergency at the Royal Alexandra Hospital.
Don't miss the latest headlines from around Renfrewshire. Sign up to our newsletters here.
And yesterday Michelle said: “What I learned from this experience is don’t be scared to go to A&E.
“If you need to go just go - the care I got was superb.”
Her comments come as Renfrewshire’s acute hospital has been beset with pandemic problems, including huge waits for treatment.
Cllr Campbell, 37, is a former Councillor of the Year and lost out to Natalie Don to run for Holyrood with the SNP rosette at the last election.
She is also a mental health nurse and showered praise on the First Aiders and NHS staff who helped her.
It had been her first night out at an official function since the pandemic began and she was speaking as the Young Person’s Champion for Renfrewshire.
She said: “I was very lucky to be surrounded by people already in the Tannahill Centre who knew how to care for me effectively.
“I was talking about how important young voices are to Renfrewshire and that they will always be heard.
“Afterwards I was making my way off stage and lost my footing and fell in a rather dramatic fashion.
“The people around me were wonderful and ensure my wellbeing was looked after.
“As a nurse I can always appreciate that level of care.”
She was taken to the hospital where they confirmed her left foot was fractured, and strapped it up in a black boot.
One volunteer who attended the night said: “Everyone felt so sorry for her, she had just delivered a great speech and should have been going back to her seat to enjoy the rest of the night.
“It looked as if she was in real pain.”
The councillor said hospital staff were “wonderful” and added: “I was very well looked after and didn’t feel put under any extra stress regards the coronavirus situation.
“My message to people is simply that if you do require emergency care, do not hesitate to get that emergency care.
“That is what the service is there for.”
She is now resting her injury but was straight back into council work, with two committee board meetings yesterday.
Download the FREE Renfrewshire Live app now for all the latest news, features and sport in your area. Available on both Android and Apple. Download here:smarturl.it/RenfrewLiveSocial
