Incident Reports 1995

Select year

Incident Report #82 1995

A 28 year old manslipped trying to climb the Bad Step and fell 30ft. Team members were airlifted to the scene by RAF Boulmer where they found him with fractures to his wrist and ankle and injuries to his back. He was also hypothermic. His condition was stabilised and he was airlifted to hospital. He was carrying crampons, but they only work when they are on your boots - they don't work in your rucsac.
Incident Type

Incident Report #81 1995

A 35 year old man had started up Jack's Rake, alone, after his friends had, wisely, declined his invitation to go with him. After a short distance he tried to climb down again, but was unable to, because of the ice. He continued up, and slipped, dislocating his kneecap, and injuring his back. Mobile phone calls from the area gave us the impression that he was only just able to hang on. Members of RAF Leeming MRT were in the area and they were able to get to him before us, and stabilise him. He was then airlifted to hospital by RAF Boulmer.
Incident Type

Incident Report #80 1995

A car had spun off the road on Dunmail Raise. Four people were injured. The Ambulance was unable to get up the hill because of the snow, so we went instead. The injured people were recovered from the vehicle and transferred to an ambulance at the bottom of the hill. If you're not planning to spend Christmas in hospital, this could be cutting things a bit fine.
Incident Type

Incident Report #76 1995

Another man was reported overdue. We decided that they were probably together. This proved to be the case when they were located unhurt at 7.45 a.m next day. The weather conditions were playing up that night. Some hill parties were experiencing calm conditions and others were experiencing gales and snow, only a few miles apart.
Incident Type

Incident Report #75 1995

A 50 year old man was reported missing in the Bowfell area. He had left only vague plans with a friend, so we had to search a large area, in worsening weather. We were assisted by an RAF helicopter from Boulmer and MRT's from RAF Leeming, Kendal, Keswick, Millom and Furness. We knew of a possible sighting of him at around 3p.m. that afternoon, but were confused by the fact that this person had not been alone. We worked it out at 2 a.m. when...
Incident Type

Incident Report #69 1995

A local farmer saw a paraglider land heavily, on rough ground, and then not move for some time. He was naturally concerned. He informed us and we went to check it out. We located the man in question, who had made his way to the roadside, with only minor injuries. He was delayed on the hill because he was trying to untangle his paraglider and fly down, when it went dark.
Incident Type

Incident Report #66 1995

A search was mounted for this young couple after they were reported missing the previous evening by their parents. No-one had any idea where they were until their car was found in Langdale. A large area search was started and they were located safe and well in Rossett Ghyll. We were assisted by a helicopter from RAF Leconfield, MRTs from RAF Valley, Keswick, Furness, and Kendal and 16 SARDA dogs.
Incident Type

Incident Report #65 1995

A group of seven D. of E. students were caught in darkness with only one faint torch. Their cries for help were heard in the valley, and the alarm was raised. We tracked them down and escorted them off the fell. We then reunited them with another six from the same school, who were found at the Old Dungeon Ghyll. All thirteen were cold and miserable. They were supposed to be camping at Stickle Tarn. They were put up for the night at a local Youth Hostel. The word, "fiasco", springs to mind.
Incident Type

Incident Report #62 1995

Two men were climbing Gimmer Crack, a "Very Severe" rockclimb. One of them was unable to complete a pitch near the top. It went dark while he tried. His friend was unable to pull him up. He attempted to abseil down, but in the dark, missed the belay ledge and came to the end of the rope. At this point he became stuck. His friend managed to make his way down and raise the alarm. We located him, lowered a couple of climbers and enough rope down and lowered him to the bottom of the crag.
Incident Type

Incident Report #55 1995

A boy mountain biking Coast to Coast with his father and sister, fell off and injured his ankle. His sister didn't believe him and said so. However, without the benefit of an X-Ray machine, and the intuition that an older sister has, we had to take his word for it. He even managed to whimper and yelp as we carried him down. However, her diagnosis of "LYING LITTLE RAT" was correct.
Incident Type

Incident Report #53 1995

Olly the dog was recovered from the beck, after his owners had put him in there. He had collapsed and they assumed he was suffering from heat exhaustion. He was actually suffering from gastro¬enteritis, and was severely dehydrated. The cold water added hypothermia to his list of complaints. He was taken to a vet, unconscious and on oxygen, and treated there. He made a full recovery. Still, they could have parked in the sun with the windows shut and boiled his brains in a car. (He may have been better off!).
Incident Type
Location

Incident Report #43 1995

A 17 year girl was reported as unconscious in a tent in this remote spot. Team members were flown to the scene and found the party in question. They were evacuated to Ambleside. When you've driven from the south of England, arrived mid-afternoon, backpacked several miles, put tents up at midnight and gone to sleep, it's amazing how "unconscious" you can appear when someone tries to wake you at 2a.m.
Incident Type

Incident Report #25 1995

Called to assist the ambulance crew with a 20 year old man who had been practising a hard route in the quarry. He had completed it several times when the 'in-situ' tape sling broke, dropping him 25ft. to the ground. He fractured both wrists, his ankle, and sustained head and spinal injuries. NEVER RELY ON IN-SITU GEAR, REPLACE IT WHEN EVER POSSIBLE, WITH YOUR OWN. Close examination of this bit of sling revealed green mould on the side facing the rock, and the colour bleached out of teh other side by thje weather.
Incident Type

Incident Report #22 1995

A party of 5 became benighted due to inexperience, an over-ambitious route and atrocious weather. One made it down to the valley to raise the alarm. When we arrived at the scene, two were suffering severe hypothermia, and two, minor. Again 90mph winds and rain and snow prevented a helicopter reaching the scene. Team members bivouacked until first light, when two casualties were walked out, and two were stretchered to Angle Tarn. Although winds were still very high, daylight allowed a helicopter from Boulmer to pick up the two stretcher cases.
Incident Type

Incident Report #19 1995

The moral of this story is, that if you tell someone that you are stuck in a particular place, and you turn out to be somewhere else, it delays the rescue process enormously.Two men used a mobile phone to alert us of their plight. They were stuck in a snow gully on Eagle Crag, and felt unable to get themselves out. They had no ice axes or crampons. However, when we went to Eagle Crag, climbed all the gullies and scoured the top and bottom of the crag, we realised they weren't there. The weather conditions were deteriorating and from the continued phone conversation, so was theirs.
Incident Type

Incident Report #15 1995

Some incidents go down in Team Folklore. This one has become the "1 Olb. of potatoes" job. Once upon a time their were four adventurous young men who decided to go on an expedition. They packed their bags very full. They packed 10lb. of potatoes. They weren't going to go hungry on their expedition. They set off late in the day and made slow progress. (Remember, their bags were very heavy). As darkness fell they found themselves at 2000ft. on the side of Great Rigg Man. They put their tents up, and the wind took them down again, so they sat and shivered for an hour or so.
Incident Type

Incident Report #11 1995

This man was reported missing the previous evening but the information was vague. A Team vehicle and one from Patterdale MRT tackled the road (blocked by snow) and found nothing. He eventually walked down to Ambleside Police station. The moral of this story is, if you leave your "Route Card" on someone's answering machine, make sure it's one that is working, and if you're going to rely on a snowhole for shelter, make sure you do it on a night when a rapid thaw doesn't take place.
Incident Type

Incident Report #9 1995

These two people set off late in the morning to walk the Fairfield Horseshoe. They failed to return for their evening meal as expected. A search was started, with help of Patterdale MRT They were eventually located between Heron Pike and Nab Scar. They were very cold and apparently resigned to their fate. Again, no winter equipment or survival gear meant they were very lucky. It is unlikely they would have survived more than a couple of hours.
Incident Type

Incident Report #3 1995

A young couple chose to ascend the fell by a very obscure route. It would have been an odd choice in warm, dry conditions, so in the snow and ice that prevailed, it left us scratching our heads The young man took a tumble, hit his head, and then carried on uphill(?). They eventually became cragfast and started to shout for help. Their shouts were heard by a passing postman, who raised the alarm. We eventually tracked them down by following the trail of blood uphill. Both were suffering from severe hypothermia and the younq man had a nasty head injury.
Incident Type