Tourists Steffen Henrich and Melanie Baik sat hand in hand at Wimmera Base Hospital yesterday wondering how they survived the fall.

Mr Henrich, 34, and Ms Baik, 31, went down an embankment when their car lost traction while driving along Mount Victory Road, near Zumsteins on their way to Mackenzie Falls.

Wimmera emergency services personnel were shocked to find the couple weren't killed in the fall.

Mr Henrich, who was in the passenger seat, escaped without injury while his wife was left trapped in the car for almost three hours as Wimmera rescue services secured the car and safely carried her from

the wreckage.

He said in the moments after the accident all he could think of was whether his wife was alive.

"She couldn't correct the steering,"he said.

"My first thought was whether Melanie was OK,"he said.

"She was the driver and was unconscious for about 30 seconds, once I found out she was okay, I needed to get out and get some help.

"I took out my phone and saw the sign `no service', then I felt really lost.''

Ms Baik regained consciousness just as her husband was leaving the car.

"I tried to be calm," she said.

Mr Henrich scrambled up the embankment back to the road before running for 10 minutes down the road until waving down another driver who drove him to where he could call for help.

Ms Baik said she was very thankful to all the emergency services people who kept talking to her as she waited to be cut free.

"They were very nice and kept me aware of what was happening," she said.

"It took a long time to make everything safe so they could get me out, that surprised me but I am so thankful to them for saving me.

"The worst part was when they carried me up to the ambulance.

"I am claustrophobic, so it was horrible to be strapped so tightly to the board.

"I just wanted to walk about but they wouldn't let me because they didn't know what my injuries were.

"I was only on there for 10 minutes but it felt like hours."

Mr Henrich said he and his wife lived in Tokyo, Japan, and were one week into their Australian holiday.

"We have been to Melbourne and to the Great Ocean Road," he said.

"We will be in hospital for a time and then we will see whether we will continue our holiday or not." - The Wimmera Mail-Times