A mother in Australia caught in a hailstorm shielded her baby from the impact of the tennis ball-sized hail, suffering severe bruises in the ordeal.
Fiona Simpson, 23, was caught in her car when the storm hit near Kingaroy, Queensland, on Thursday, sending huge hailstones smashing through her car windows, The West Australian reported.
She later posted pictures on social media of the welts and bruises on her arms, back and shoulders, writing, “I’ve learnt my lesson today, never drive in a hail storm!”
Storms in the region tore roofs off buildings and destroyed crops, The West Australian said.
Simpson was with her 78-year-old grandmother and 4-month-old daughter when the storm hit, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. She heard a loud bang and noticed that her back window was broken open.
"It was so scary but there was no time to be afraid … It just all happened so fast," Simpson said, according to ABC.
The storm drowned out her baby’s cries as she leaped into the backseat to shield her.
After the storm subsided, Simpson drove to a nearby house, where residents called an ambulance. Her grandmother, whose arms were badly injured in the storm, spent the night in the hospital.
Simpson told The Project that she pulled her daughter out of her car seat and put her on the floor for protection while she tried to cover her grandmother.
As for the baby, she only has a few scrapes and bumps, but “by the time we got to the hospital she was happy and smiling and giggling and playing, so she’ll be alright,” Simpson told The Project.
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