5-year-old California boy saved his mom after tragic freak accident during vacation hike

A five-year-old boy sprang into action after his mother was struck by a tree while they were hiking by running for help and possibly saving her life. 

Natalie Franks, 34, had been on vacation in Ketchum, Idaho, in July with her two sons and her husband Andy when tragedy struck. 

The family of four had been enjoying a hike when a pine tree 'snapped and landed on top' of Natalie. 

In a GoFundMe that has been launched following the incident, her husband detailed how their oldest son Colton started screaming and running for help.

According to Andy, his son's screams were heard by a couple hiking nearby who dialed 911 - saving her life. 

The incident caused Natalie to dislocate her hip and knee, collapse one of her lungs and severed an artery in her left leg, among other injuries. 

Andy wrote: 'She was unable to move or call for help. Colton, saving mommy’s life, began to run and scream for help. 

'Eventually, a couple hiking heard him screaming and ran to her aid as he led the way, and they dialed 911.'

Natalie had been hiking a portion of the Bald Mountain Trail when the incident happened. 

According to The Idaho Mountain Express, six firefighters responded to the scene and managed to stabilize her before taking her to on a stretcher to an ambulance. 

She was rushed to St. Luke's Wood River Medical Center where she was intubated before later being airlifted to Saint Alphonsus Regional Medical Center in Boise. 

It was at the facility in Boise that surgeons took veins from her right leg to build and artery in her left to help regain blood flow. 

Andy wrote: 'Through the numerous CT Scans, MRIs and X-Rays, we've learned the extent of many of Natalie's other injuries. 

'Natalie has a badly broken scapula (left shoulder), 9 broken ribs, 3 broken vertebrae, a badly broken hip, and, as of writing, we are awaiting more MRI results to give us details on soft tissue injuries, especially around her left knee and hip.'

Further updates from her family revealed she had also fully torn her ACL and damaged muscles around her left knee. 

After spending several days in a rehab hospital, Natalie herself wrote on the fundraiser in August that she had no recollection of the accident. 

In her extensive posts she thanked her friends and family members who went out of her way to help as she underwent numerous surgeries. 

She said: 'Thank you for following along on this journey with me. Words can never describe the depth of my gratitude.

'I hope to find my new rhythms at home and, as I gain comfort and confidence, begin to start seeing you face-to-face again soon!'

Following a month long ordeal, Andy wrote on August 31 that the family had returned to their California house. 

He said: 'We are learning to operate with a new level of grace, forgive quickly, laugh off the ridiculousness of it all, and move forward, one day at a time.

'Our commitment to love this way, despite all the ups and downs (and there have been lots), has shaped us into the types of people who can endure the biggest freak accident imaginable and come out the other side still ready to say yes to serve one another late into the hours of the night, through exhaustion and discomfort.'

Since the family launched the fundraiser at the start of last month, they have managed to generate over $202,000.