WATCH | Mother shields toddler as retaining wall collapses onto KZN home
When officers arrived, they found that neighbours had already rescued the woman and her toddler from the wreckage.
A 33-year-old mother was injured after using her body to shield her 18-month-old daughter when a retaining wall collapsed onto their home in Mountview, KwaZulu-Natal, on Tuesday afternoon.
Reaction Unit South Africa (RUSA) said its officers responded to an unnamed road off Bridgeford Drive at about 1.07 pm after receiving reports that a retaining wall had given way and crashed onto a wood-and-iron home.
When officers arrived, they found that neighbours had already rescued the woman and her toddler from the wreckage.
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According to Rusa, the 18-month-old girl had been asleep when the retaining wall collapsed onto the home.
The mother threw herself over her daughter to protect her from the falling debris, sustaining injuries to her head and back.
Paramedics treated the woman at the scene before transporting her to hospital for further medical care.
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The toddler escaped the incident without serious injuries.
The collapse caused extensive damage to the family’s home. The cause of the retaining wall collapse has not yet been established.
