A 52 year old woman from Birmingham slipped on ice covered ground on Lingmoor, Langdale. She sustained a compound fracture of the lower leg. The team carried her down the fellside to an ambulance and then to Hospital in Kendal.
Footnote: We would have reached the injured lady much quicker and easier if we had been given the proper location.
A 70 year old Stockport woman slipped and fell on wet fellside on Wansfell, Ambleside and sustained a fracture of the left leg. Team carried her down the fell and then by Ambulance to Kendal Hospital.
Footnote: Once again, the fellside in wet and very dry weather can be just as dangerous as snow and ice.
A 15 year old schoolboy from Southport slipped and fell. He sustained slight head injuries (which affected his balance) in Mill Ghyll, Langdale. The team carried him down on a stretcher and then to Kendal Hospital. Footnote: Genuine accident. Well led party.
A 19 year old man from Liverpool was reported missing by friends on a walk from Patterdale to Grasmere via Grizedale Tarn. After a search by the team using search dogs, the man was found in Grasmere safe and well.
Footnote: The man was in a party of 6 when they set out from Patterdale, five turned back after bad weather had forced them to. The lone walker went on, but spent 10 hours on the fell.
A 40 year old woman from East Sussex slipped and fell on Red Screes, Kirkstone sustaining a fractured left ankle. The team conveyed her down on a stretcher and then by ambulance to Kendal Hospital.
Footnote: Bad footwear was a possible cause of this accident, the ladvt wore plimsoles with very smooth soles. The fellside also was bone hard due to the hot weather.
A 45 year old man from Hastings slipped and fell 20 ft. down Easy Gulley, Pavey Ark, Langdale. He sustained a fractured neck of femur. Team carried him out of gulley after lowering the stretcher by ropes for 400 ft. and then down the fellside to an ambulance and then to hospital in Kendal.
Footnote: Easy gulley is anything but, these days. There are many large rocks awaiting to roll down the gulley on some unsuspecting climber or walker.
A 19 year old youth from Birmingham collapsed with exhaustion on the summit of Crinkle Crags, Langdale. Doctor and team members attended at the scene. RAF Boulmer was in the area at the time and flew the boy from Crinkle Crags to Langdale, where he recovered and was allowed to go home.
Footnote: The youth wanted to give up earlier, but was told to carry on.
A 15 year old schoolgirl from Southport collapsed due to exhaustion at Walthwaite Ghyll, Silver Howe, Chapel Stile. Doctor attended at the scene. Girl recovered and was escorted down the fell by team members.
Footnote: The weather was very hot indeed making the grass slopes and paths very slippery.
A 36 year old Royal Marine Sergeant from Arbroath, Scotland slipped and fell 100 ft. on Gimmer Crag, Langdale. He sustained fractured ribs, pelvis and internal injuries. Team carried him out of the gulley on a stretcher and 200 yards down the slope to a flat piece of ground where a helicopter from RAF Boulmer picked him up and flew to Whitehaven Hospital.
Footnote: The Army was advised by team doctor on hearing of the accident not to do a self rescue without the proper medical equipment — advice was taken.
A 12 year old schoolgirl from Darwen, Lanes, slipped on wet grass and fractured her leg and ankle at Easedale Tarn, Grasmere. The team carried her down the fell on a stretcher and then by sitting car to Hospital in Kendal.
Footnote: Half way down the fellside we had another call to a serious accident at Pavey Ark. Three quarters of the team left to deal with the incident.
A 25 year old man from Hornchurch slipped on wet rock and grass fracturing his left ankle at Erring Crag, The Band, Langdale. The team carried him down the fell on a stretcher and then by ambulance to Kendal Hospital.
Footnote: A good equipped and well led party.
Two men aged 34 years and 47 years from Sheffield and Keighly respectively, collapsed with exhaustion and exposure at the summit of Bowfell, Langdale. Both men were given 'Reviva' treatment (hot air). The team carried one on a stretcher and the other under his "own steam" to Angle Tarn, where a helicopter from RAF Boulmer took them both to Keswick Hospital.
A 16 year old schoolgirl from Southport had a recurrence of an old knee injury. Collapsed with pain near Harrison Stickle, Langdale. Team carried her down on a stretcher and then by ambulance to Lancaster Hospital.
Footnote: Footwear bad (smoothed sole shoes). She had a history of a bad knee, the long walk could have aggravated injury. The grass on fellside was slippery due to dry weather.
A 68 year old woman of York slipped on dry grass slope at Dow Bank, Silver Howe, Chapel Stile and fractured her right ankle. She was carried on a stretcher down the fellside, taken to the Ambleside doctor and then by sitting car to Hospital at Lancaster.
Footnote: The grass slopes were very slippy indeed, and the boots worn had only a slight tread.
A 22 year old man of Harrow collapsed while walking at Lilley Tarn, Loughrigg, Ambleside. Team searched the area, but could not find the victim at Lilley Tarn. Found later near the bottom of a track leading off Loughrigg. Treated by doctor, possible epileptic fit. Allowed home. Footnote: There were two rescues at the same time.
A 21 year old man from Bootle collapsed due to exhaustion and possible epileptic fit whilst walking near the summit of Harrison Stickle, Langdale.
He was carried down on a stretcher after being seen by team doctor at the scene. Allowed to go home after being carried down.
Footnote: Assisted in the rescue by RAF Stafford. There seems a little mystery about this rescue — our team was called after a delay.
A 22 year old man and a 16 year old youth from Whitef ield, Nr. Bury collapsed with exposure at Rossett Ghyll, Langdale. Both were re-warmed at the scene and then carried down the fell on a stretcher, then to Kendal Hospital by ambulance. The weather was gale force winds, heavy rain, low mist, swollen rivers and becks. Very cold.
Footnote: Both had very poor clothing. Hush puppy type shoes, smooth soles. The 16 year old boy had fallen into the beck twice. Never been on the fells before.
A 52 year old woman from Fleetwood slipped and fell on wet ground near Low Pike, Ambleside. She fractured her right ankle. Carried down on a stretcher and then by ambulance to Kendal Hospital.
Footnote: The fellside was very wet making ground conditions very slippery indeed. Well led party.
While all this was going on, another woman, this time 47-years-old slipped and suffered the all to frequent broken ankle. There's nothing like ending on a high.
While attending to the previous woman, we were alerted to another woman who had done the same. This time she was a 48-year-old, and just a few hundred yards further down the track.
A 68-year-old woman slipped on ice and sustained a lower leg injury.
A middle-aged woman slipped on snow and sustained a lower right leg injury. It's a fair way up to Dove Crag, so the whole operation took 5 hours. Much of it was in the dark, and with extensive snow cover. We were ably assisted by Kendal MRT
A 55-year-old man slipped on a snow covered path and sustained an ankle injury. It was a fine afternoon to spend looking at the view, while waiting for us to arrive and do what we do. We did what we do and went home.
We were called to assist a 23-year-old who had slipped and sustained an ankle injury. We did the business and went home.
A man became benighted on on High Raise. He phoned for help and a search was instigated. With help from SARDA and Keswick MRT he was located near the summit just after 9pm. He was escorted down and taken to his accommodation in Grasmere. If he'd remembered to pack a torch, he'd have been alright!
A man in his 30's suffered a leg injury when he pulled a boulder on his foot. The group he was with reported themselves as near the top of the Band. They even gave us a grid reference. They were actually considerably higher, near the summit of Bowfell. He was treated and evacuated with help from Kendal MRT.
Those of us who diverted from the previous rescue found a 57-year-old man who had fallen 50 or so feet, sustaining a head, wrist and leg injury. He was incoherent at first, but came round while we were there. He was treated at the scene, given oxygen and then flown to Lancaster Hospital by the RAF. We were assisted by Patterdale MRT and Kendal MRT. Please stop sending the postcards, I was only joking!
A woman slipped and suffered a lower right leg fracture. We were en route to this incident when a second one occurred. We divided our resources, and dealt with the first incident with the help of the Air Ambulance.
A woman slipped and fell, sustaining a shoulder injury. She was treated at the scene and carried down. She was taken to hospital in her own car.
We were called to assist the ambulance service with the evacuation of a woman in her 50's who had slipped and sustained a leg injury. She was carried out on a stretcher. We have had a run of incidents in this area recently. It's not unusual to be up here when it snows to rescue speeding sledgers and skidding motorists but are sinister forces at work to cause this phenomena? Theories on a postcard please.
