In the news

Sunday 12/08/2018 14:32 

A very busy weekend…

Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team members were called to five rescues within 48 hours this weekend. 

The first rescue, on Friday afternoon (10th), was for a man who sustained an open fracture to his leg whilst taking part in an organised mountain bike race. He was treated on scene by team members and then flown to hospital by the Great North Air Ambulance.

The second incident was for an 84-year-old man who had fallen whilst walking with family from Howtown to Patterdale. He sustained a head and facial injury and became disorientated and confused following the fall. He was treated by one of the team’s doctors on scene and then taken by the team’s rescue boat for onward transfer to hospital. 

On Sunday, the team dealt with three further rescues. The first, at around 0830 in the morning, was in response to a 999 call from two young men from London who were wild camping at Hard Tarn. They awoke to find themselves in thick mist and were unsure how to navigate back down to the valley safely. Nine team members went to locate them and then escort them safely off the mountain.

Mike Blakey, Mountain Rescue Team Leader, said: ‘Once again we’d like to take the opportunity to remind those who are visiting the mountains of the Lake District to check the weather forecast before venturing out. The heavy rain which arrived on Saturday evening, and the associated low cloud, should have been no surprise to anyone venturing onto the fells.’

He went on to say: ‘Mountain rescue teams are entirely voluntary and, although team members are always willing to assist those in need, it can be frustrating and tiring when teams are called to those who could have avoided the situation that they found themselves in. This is particularly so when teams are already stretched dealing with more serious incidents.’ 

As the team completed the first rescue at around 1400 on Sunday they were then called to assist a woman who had fallen and sustained a fractured shoulder whilst walking the Coast to Coast long distance route. Team members, assisted by Penrith Mountain Rescue Team, climbed back up the valley they had just returned from to assist the woman. She was treated on scene and then lowered on a stretcher to the waiting Great North Air Ambulance before she was flown to hospital for treatment.

As the second rescue of the day was starting the team were also paged by Cumbria Police to assist a 12-year-old boy who had fallen approximately 20ft from Swirral Edge, Helvellyn. Team members were sent to locate the boy and his father but they had made their own way safely to the valley. 

The team was out on incidents for approximately 18 hours over the weekend.