There are few things in this world more powerful than a mother’s love. This is not a simple idiom, either. Time and again, mothers have proven that they will go above and beyond for their children, even if they themselves are faced with great danger.
There are a number of inspiring tales throughout the history of how strong that love can be. The latest story is proof that this time-honored tradition is still alive and well. It begins on a calm, though rainy road in Australia.
The Long Drive Home
Fiona Simpson, 23, was on her way home. She was driving from Nanango and had taken the D’Aguilar Highway, to get there. It was a long, lonely road, but she had company at least. Her 78-year-old grandmother and 4-month-old daughter were with her for the journey this time around.
Heavy Weather
Clouds started to roll in overhead. Fiona hadn’t bothered to listen to the weather report that morning. Mostly because she had anticipated being home before any sort of downpour hit. As she drove down D’Aguilar Highway, however, the slight pattering of rain began to beat into an angry tattoo upon the roof of the car.
Pull Over
Even though she had been driving fairly slowly, she could barely see out of her windshield nor see the lines in the road. The pelting rain soon became too incessant for even the wipers to keep up. Fiona knew that her only option was to pull the car onto the side of the road until the bad weather subsided. She had precious cargo after all.
Shattered Glass
She put the car in park and began speaking with her elderly grandmother when suddenly, she heard a sound that shocked her to her core. The loud bang echoed from behind her, right near the window where her daughter sat. The glass of the window was shattered, and a moment later she discovered that something equally sharp and dangerous was pummeling her child.
Powerless
Queensland, Australia had apparently been hit with a super-cell storm that resulted in tennis-ball-sized hailstones thundering down upon the area. Thousands were left without power, but Fiona Simpson and her passengers had found themselves caught smack dab in the middle of the storm with nowhere to hide.
Hailstorms
Hail is essentially a type of solid precipitation. It’s different from sleet which is just ice pellets in that hailstones are often irregularly-shaped lumps of ice, not small, round pellets. Hail can also be formed outside of cold weather which makes them an unpredictable and highly dangerous atmospheric projectile to encounter.
Destruction Rains
As they are essentially golf-ball-sized chunks of ice falling from the sky, hailstones can cause serious damage. Automobiles, aircraft, skylights, glass-roofed structures, and tin roofs are all the most susceptible to hailstorms. Grazing livestock can be killed as well if they do not seek shelter, as can human beings.
Human Shield
Thinking quickly and moving even quicker, Fiona dove into the back seat and tried to form a human shield over the baby. Meanwhile, the hail was battering the roof of the car so loudly that she couldn’t even hear the child crying beneath her. She did, however, catch the crashing sound of yet another car window shattering.
Pelted
Another window had smashed in the front of Fiona’s car and that meant her grandmother was no longer safe from the enormous hailstones outside. Soon, even grandma was being battered with the same falling ice. Fiona moved towards the front, still cradling her baby, and tried to shield grandma as well.
To Safety
Eventually, the storm passed and Fiona battered and bruised by dozens of hailstones, was able to drive her severely damaged car back a nearby house. When the homeowners looked outside and saw the busted-up automobile with the broken windows and screaming baby, they called the ambulance right away.
Medical Help
Fiona, her baby, and her grandmother were rushed to a nearby hospital. Her grandmother even spent the night there. She had suffered cuts to her left arm and her right arm was completely blackened by bruising and some of it had actually been shredded by the sharp hailstones. Fiona didn’t look so good herself.
Severely Bruised
Fiona was bruised on much of her body from diving into the back to take the brunt of the hailstones. Because of her self-sacrifice and quick thinking, her baby daughter only had a few small bumps. The damage could have been much worse, even deadly if she had remained unprotected.
Commendation
Both Fiona and her grandmother were released from the hospital in no time at all. When they arrived home, they found that Australian politician, Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk, had announced that she wanted to recommend Fiona for a commendation. This sentiment was echoed by Prime Minister Scott Morrison who said, “she’s one of the bravest people I’ve read of late.”
No Clue
Fiona was shocked when she’d heard about all the praise, though she didn’t even know about the commendation until a local newspaper contacted her for comment. “I was shocked,” she told ABC News. “I didn’t expect it that’s for sure. I wouldn’t have thought anyone like that would know about little old me.”
Offers of Aid
Since the story went public, Fiona has found herself inundated with hundreds of messages from all over the world. Most of those who messaged were of support and offering aid to her in the forms of ointments, creams, even massages. She’s even had a few insurance companies call to offer to replace her car free of charge.
Overwhelmed
“I’ve tried to reply to most of them but every time I clear through my messages 50 more pop up,” she explained. “A lot of people have been telling me their stories about accidents they’ve had … I didn’t expect any of it to be honest.” She’d even gotten messages of similar rescues from places as far as Norway, America, and Canada.
Lessons Learned
Fiona also admits that she’ll be keeping a closer eye on the weather report in future. “I’ve learned my lesson today, never drive in a hail storm.” she wrote on her Facebook wall. She did what she could to protect her child and she took responsibility for the mistake she made in not seeking shelter when she felt something was wrong.
Protect Your Kid
“I’m just a mom,” Fiona explained to her may new fans once she had recovered. “You do anything you can to protect your child no matter what, even at your own expense and I would do it again.” And Fiona Simpson is hardly the first mom to go above and beyond for her children or to put her own life at risk to protect them.
Crocodile Rock
Rohima, an older woman living in Indonesia, found herself startled one day when she heard what sounded like her 25-year-old daughter Trisna shrieking down by the river. She ran down to find her daughter being pulled into the water in the jaws of an 18-foot-long crocodile. Her leg was held fast in its mouth.
Record Books
Rohima leaped into action, kicking and punching at the jaws of the immense reptile with all her might. She even tried to pry the jaws open with her bare hands. Remarkably, she was able to pull the jaws apart enough for her daughter to wiggle free. In the end, the croc fled, and Trisna only needed 50 stitches. It was a daring rescue and one that definitely deserves to be in the mom record books.
