How frightening for both of you.

If you were following the speed limit, and I imagine you were with all that traffic on the path, I can't think of anything you might have done to avoid it except to maybe call out "On your left!" way in advance of getting to them so the father could have pulled her over, too, out of your way. It's hard to second-guess a situation like that, though. My DH refuses to call out to walkers on the path because, he says, half the time they wander to the left into his path.

Incidents like this make me want to get a bell, though.

I'm glad she wasn't hurt too badly, and I'm glad you didn't fall, too.

Roxy