Edinburgh woman breaks neck falling from top floor window while smoking - then makes light of it on Instagram

Jessica Ross from Edinburgh has admitted that she is lucky she wasn't paralysed after she fell from the third floor of a building.

Jessica Ross was left with a broken neck and fractured back after a freak accident

In an Instagram post the 22-year-old revealed to her followers that she was attempting to have a cigarette and watch a Foo Fighters music video on television when she fell out of her flat's window onto grass three flights below.

The Sainsbury's Bank employee wrote from her hospital bed following the incident at her Fair Brae, Broomhouse apartment: "I fell out my top floor flat when I was having a cig, broken neck and fractured spine/back at the bottom. Hanging out the window, and my hand slipped."

Despite the brush with death occurring on Sunday, Ross is already making light of the situation, joking: "YES I WAS SOBER. PS.... I still have all ten acrylic nails."

Speaking to the Evening News, Ross provided further detail on the harrowing incident.

She said: "[I] Was having a cigarette sober on Sunday night. Never ever smoke in the living room, [but] something was on tv so I thought b*gger it I’ll run over and quickly open the window and multitask.

"Turned round to flick the cig outside when I finished and the hand that was on the outside window ledge holding me up slipped and I fell back."

The 22-year-old notes that it was a Foo Fighters music video which drove her to distraction.

Ross revealed that her boyfriend had attempted to save her from falling, but wasn't able to.

She continued: "Six flights of stairs up, I was hanging from the window ledge, about to drop any minute. My boyfriend came in from the bathroom ran and grabbed me as much as he could, but I slipped off him and fell right down."

Now, the 22-year-old faces a lengthy recovery and a 12-week stint in a neck brace. Ross noted that she's lucky that she wasn't paralysed by the accident.

"[I'm] in hospital, with a neck brace as I’ve broke my neck and fractured my back / spine," she said. "My neck and back brace will be on for 12 weeks as if I move my neck I’ll end up being paralysed if I damage my neck even a little more.

"[I'm] Off work until further notice, but coming up for a week [since the accident] I’m still in hospital so have no idea when I will be back."

Despite the harrowing nature of the incident, Ross has already made light of the situation.

She joked: "This would of sounded funnier telling people if I was drunk, but the fact I was sober proves how clumsy I am!"