A Renfrewshire Council worker has expressed her gratitude for the efforts of the Scottish Ambulance Service after they saved her mum's life following a traumatic fall down the stairs.

Maria Anderson was left paralysed at the bottom of her stairs when she took a tumble after spending the night with her family at her daughter Karen's 50th birthday party. 

Karen, from Paisley has spoken of how terrified she was that her 71-year-old mother wasn't going to recover from the fall.

The council employee said: “She was at home and had been at my birthday party. She had got home at around 2am.

"About 4am, and she got up to let the cat out, and then fell down the stairs. It was about the fourth or fifth stair down. I think she tried to reach back to grab the handrails, and landed full force on her head.”

Karen's dad Andy – who was totally “traumatised” and “distressed” by the incident - made an emergency call as soon as he realised what had happened.

Three Scottish Ambulance Service emergency responders were dispatched to the scene.

Upon their arrival, they got Maria on the spinal board and made their way to Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley.

Maria was put in the accident and emergency department's crash room before being moved to intensive care.

“As soon as it happened, my sister, Susan, told me to get to the hospital. We ended up there at exactly the same time. It was a horrible feeling. Her message said it was urgent, and get to the hospital," Karen explained.

“My initial indication was that she was not going to make it.”

After spending five days in intensive care as a result of the incident, Maria was relocated to the hospital’s orthopaedic ward, where she recovered.

At first the family were told that Maria would be paralysed from the chest down, however the fall has only affected her lower half. 

Karen continued: “Doctors said ‘we need to be honest with you – it’s highly unlikely she will pull through’. It was horrible, and very surreal.”

After a few days in a coma Maria started moving her hands and was answering questions but had no recollection of what happened. 

Maria returned home from hospital in August where she is still recovering.

Karen said: “We are glad that she is still with us. If the paramedics had not been there and did what they did, she would not be here today. She was teetering on the brink of death.”