Quick-thinking Sophie Parkinson, seven, dragged little Daniel to safety as he lay trapped beneath a pile of branches.
They were sat on the top of the slide with their brother Alex when the tree trunk split in two and began to plummet towards the children.
Dad Mike who witnessed the freak accident at Funland in Leigh, Manchester, on Sunday, said: “They were the only children on the slide and I took a picture of them at the top before walking back to sit on a bench to watch them come down.
“I heard this almighty crack, which sounded like lightning, and the next thing this tree was coming down on top of them.
“The tree had landed on top of the ride where my kids were just a minute ago.
“I heard Daniel scream ‘daddy’ so I was concentrating on trying to get him out, but I had no idea how brave Sophie was being.”
After hearing the cracking noise, Alex managed to escape from the slide, but his twin Daniel was left trapped beneath the tree’s branches.
Sophie managed to free herself but hung on to a crying Daniel, who was pinned down by the debris.
She managed to pull him out before sliding them both to safety, before telling a relieved Mike: “I just had to save my little brother.”
Charity worker Mike, 39, who is married to Donna, also 39, said: “I was just relieved that I still had all three of my children when we left.
“It was a terrifying experience to watch and I felt helpless at the bottom but Sophie was a little hero.
“I know it was a complete accident but it was a very dangerous thing to happen right above a kids ride. It was lucky in a way that they were the only children on
there or it could have been a totally different story.”
The family, of Wigan, Gtr Mancs., are now grateful to all be home safe and sound, but Mike has called for his daughter to be rewarded for her actions.
He added: “Sophie’s only seven and I thought she did really well. She didn’t panic and when I asked her she just said she had to help her brother.
“I think she deserves some sort of medal or bravery award.” Wigan Council head of greenspaces and infrastructure Paul Barton said: “We take the safety of visitors to our sites extremely seriously and are investigating the circumstances of this incident.
“An inspection is taking place at Pennington Flash to ensure the area is safe for all those attending the Funland attraction.”
