Mum hurls baby into bush to dodge quad bikes in Edinburgh park

A MUM has told of the terrifying moment she was forced to hurl her baby to safety as rowdy quad-bikers ploughed towards her in a public park.

Jenni Orr with her baby George. Picture: contributed

Jenni Orr was enjoying an afternoon stroll in Burdiehouse Burn Valley Park with her six-month-old son George when two riders raced round a corner on a narrow path, leaving the 28-year-old fearing for their lives.

The bikers crashed into her dog Keiko, a Japanese Akita, and sent her flying into the river while quick-thinking Jenni threw her baby’s pram into a nearby bush to protect him.

The mum-of-one, from Southhouse, said if she hadn’t acted quickly her son could have been killed.

Both male quad-bikers sped off instantly following the near-miss on Saturday afternoon, and are now being hunted by police.

Jenni said: “I’ve never been so scared in my whole life, I just couldn’t stop crying afterwards.

“If I hadn’t moved the pram when I did, George would have been dead – they could have killed my son.

“They shouldn’t be allowed to get away with this behaviour.”

Jenni said she was walking along a narrow path next to a burn at around 2.30pm when the incident happened. She said: “I could hear the noise of quad bikes in the distance, but then it started getting closer and before I knew it they were rapidly approaching.

“I knew if I didn’t do something fast we were going to be mown down. I literally lifted the pram by handle and pushed it into a bush – and that’s when they hit my dog.”

Keiko was not seriously injured, but Jenni, who was brought up in Northern Ireland, wants to warn others of the dangers of off-road quad-bikers. She said: “Just last week, a woman in Belfast was killed when she was hit by a quad-biker – that could have been us.

“If I hadn’t lifted George’s pram when I did he would have been hit, or the pram would have got caught and they would have dragged him.

“It doesn’t even bear thinking about.”

A spokesman for Police Scotland confirmed they received a report of reckless and dangerous driving.

He said: “At around 2.30pm on Saturday, a woman pushing a pram was walking with her dog on a path heading in the direction of Burdiehouse Road.As she made her way along a narrow section that runs parallel with Burdiehouse Burn, two quad bikes were seen travelling towards her.

“One of the bikes struck the dog and narrowly missed the pram. Both vehicles failed to stop and made off at speed.

“The dog escaped injury. However, local officers are eager to hear from anyone who can help identify these suspects. They are believed to be male and were both wearing blue tracksuits with helmets.

“Anyone who saw these vehicles is asked to contact police on 101.”