Incident Reports (Advance)

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We have data going back to 1970, but geolocation data was only added around 2010. If your filters are too specific you may not get any results.

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Incident Report #26 1999

Two men on a sponsored walk were reported overdue. They were amongst 20 or so unaccounted for, but for some reason were causing the organisers concern, when the others weren't. We found them after a brief search. We went home quickly before the status of any of the others changed. The organisers had a great plan in place with respect to emergencies, but like all plans they work really well until you introduce people into them! Mountain Rescue Teams in the Lake District share a common dislike for sponsored events on the hills.

Incident Type

Incident Report #15 1999

This location is becoming a favourite, and so are the circumstances. Lost in mist and unable to find their way off, this group of six used a mobile phone to ask for help. They were located by 'Paddy', a four-legged team member, and escorted off by some of our two legged team members. No one was injured. This was Paddy's first find.
 

Incident Type

Incident Report #6 1999

Four separated parties met up on the summit of Long Top and phoned for help on a mobile when they became disorientated and frightened. A couple of fast team members were sent to locate them and start the descent, and a couple of ploddy ones followed up with more lights, hot drinks and a nameless chocolate bar to assist with the walk off. The worrying thing was that several of the party should never have been there in the first place, due to lack of experience.

Incident Type

Incident Report #5 1999

The team members who had managed to avoid the previous incident, (and we know who they were) were sent instead to Grizedale Tarn to check for the source of whistles that had been heard by two descending climbers. A search with dogs and personnel found nothing, but we later found out that an incident had occurred and the party had self-evacuated.
 

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Incident Report #4 1999

If ever we wanted to get revenge for the wild goose chase we had been sent on by Kendal MRT on the previous incident, then tonight was sweet. (We didn't really want revenge; it wasn't their fault). In the blue corner was an 18 stone, 6'8" man with a suspected fractured ankle, teamed up with icy conditions and darkness, and a long way from civilisation. In the red corner were LAMRT and Kendal MRT trying to rescue him. We did it, but it was a close fought battle and nearly a draw. Those involved took three or four days to recover and walk normally again.

Incident Type

Incident Report #3 1999

We were asked to assist Kendal MRT in the search for a 30-year-old man who had gone for a 'short walk' at 12.30 and was now well overdue. Information we received suggested he was in Kentmere, or Scout Scar near Kendal. He was eventually located at Sandside, a small village on the coast, (it's miles away from where we were looking!) so we all went home. You just have to be philosophical at times like this.
 

Incident Type

Incident Report #77 1998

The team was asked to assist Police and Ambulance with a 4 car crash in the snow just below Kirkstone summit. Road conditions were treacherous and our four-wheel drive vehicles, fitted with snow tires, are able to keep going long after others are stuck. All victims were transported to Ambleside for a check up by the Ambulance Paramedics and then arrangements were made for them to continue their journeys.
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Incident Report #73 1998

A man phoned on a mobile phone to say he and his wife were lost and could we give him directions. Now we've been through this before! If you don't know were you are, it's very difficult for us to work out where you are. Fortunately a passing walker, who did know where he was, was able to direct this couple to safety. This type of incident seemed to be on the decline, so it was nice to be reminded that it could still happen. To our surprise, they declined our invitation to a debrief in Ambleside!
Incident Type

Incident Report #72 1998

A man phoned on a mobile phone to say he and his wife were lost and could we give him directions. Now we've been through this before! If you don't know were you are, it's very difficult for us to work out where you are. Fortunately a passing walker, who did know where he was, was able to direct this couple to safety. This type of incident seemed to be on the decline, so it was nice to be reminded that it could still happen. To our surprise, they declined our invitation to a debrief in Ambleside!
Incident Type

Incident Report #70 1998

While descending from the previous callout team members came across a number of other people in various sized groups, all making heavy going of descending without torches. One of these groups included a woman in the advanced stages of exhaustion. All were escorted to the valley bottom and a number were given hot drinks and taken to their cars to prevent a worsening of their exhausted state. Very few of either these people, or the people from the previous group were equipped for the winter conditions that prevailed on this day, or for the early onset of darkness.
 
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Location

Incident Report #68 1998

Eighteen mountain bikers were reported missing en route from Wasdale to Great Langdale. We located 13 of them, the other 5 having not started out. They were all OK, but making slow progress. They were escorted to the valley floor and then transported to their accommodation. A bit of a shambles, and a major under-estimation of the difficulties to be encountered on their chosen route.
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Incident Report #65 1998

A woman reported her husband overdue at their rendezvous, the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel, after his walk in the fells at the end of Langdale. She had dropped him off at the ODG that morning and was to meet him there at around 4pm that afternoon. After being 3 1/2 hours overdue, she reported the matter to the Police. A team member went to the "Old" to interview the woman to get more information, and located the missing man in the bar of the ODG, exactly where he was supposed to be.
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Incident Report #63 1998

A 73-year-old woman with a history of heart problems collapsed with chest pains while out walking with a group. This is normally outside our area, but due to the potential seriousness of her condition and the time delay in standing down our team and mobilising Coniston MRT, we attended. She was treated with oxygen and monitored, then transferred to a county ambulance.
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Incident Report #60 1998

A person was reported to be 'drunk' and unresponsive on Loughrigg by a man out walking early. We were asked to take a look by the Police. When we got there and examined the woman, we found an empty whisky bottle and a very large quantity of Paracetomol unaccounted for. The woman was deeply unconscious. She was stabilised at the scene and then taken to Kendal Hospital. She was very ill and was transferred to Furness General. She remained very ill for a few days, and then started to recover.
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Incident Report #55 1998

A 14-year-old French boy was hit on the head when Ghyll scrambling with a party. If he'd been wearing a helmet, his injuries would have been much less serious, but he wasn't. He ought to have been wearing a helmet, but he wasn't. I'm sure every outdoor centres' code of practice says he should have been wearing a helmet, but he wasn't. Common sense says he should have been wearing a helmet, but he wasn't. Still, his injuries weren't life threatening. Just a few stitches and a big headache. Warning. If you're sending your kids off on an activity holiday, don't take their safety for granted.
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Incident Report #50 1998

We were requested by the Police to recover four elderly people from their car, which had caught fire on Wrynose Pass, rendering it useless. The normal vehicle rescue service was unable to attend for an hour and the occupants were reported to be very cold. They were brought down to our base in Ambleside. The car was recovered later by the RAC.
Location

Incident Report #48 1998

This father and his three sons became lost in mist. They phoned for help, but were not able to give us much idea of their location. The battery on the phone went flat, so we couldn't talk to them any more. With help from Patterdale MRT they were eventually located in Troutbeck, lost and exhausted. Their common sense was never recovered.
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Incident Report #39 1998

A 45-year-old local man fell 40 ft from the third pitch of this route. He sustained a pneumothorax, surgical emphysema, multiple broken ribs, a bruised heart and a flail chest segment( and a small cut to his leg!). He was treated on scene and evacuated by helicopter to Furness General Hospital. He was in a very serious condition and required paralysing and ventilating in intensive care for several days.
Incident Type

Incident Report #37 1998

A 17-year-boy slipped and injured his ankle. The injury was minor and the boy seemed to be milking it for all it was worth. We do have a team member or two who are of the opinion that a good slap is an excellent cure for certain ailments. It may have been appropriate here, but there were too many witnesses. Came from just round the corner from my Mum's old house. It's a small world.
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Incident Report #36 1998

Three young people were on a final hike before an expedition to Kenya, and were being "shadowed" by two supervisors. One of the two females suffered a minor ankle injury. One of the supervisors left them to fetch a car to meet them, so they could descend by an easier route, but took 17 hours to reach Langdale! The group were eventually located by Wasdale MRT and were escorted in to Langdale. Sometimes you have to wonder who supervises the supervisors. A traditional "de-brief" followed at our base. Fortunately the Wasdale team didn't have to walk home.
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Incident Report #35 1998

Two suspected drug addicts went on a bender of methadone and hydrocodeine and were found after two days, lying in the sun, dehydrated and delirious. Their lifestyle had taken its toll and one had a heart condition and the other severe problems with their legs. Because of their conditions a helicopter was requested and it flew them to Furness General Hospital. This was possibly a failed suicide attempt.
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Incident Report #32 1998

A 55-year-old man could not get up the Bad Step and agreed to meet his friends on the summit by going round. Surprise, surprise he never turned up. His friends looked for him. We initially checked the roads, and were just about to scale up the search when he turned up in a taxi having gone down to Brotherikeld. He was unhurt, but £35 worse off.
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Incident Report #2 1998

We were notified by the Police of an incident at a place I'll call Blea Blurr. Two men were lost in a blizzard and one had suffered leg injuries. The Police didn't get the second part of the name. It was lost in the atmospheric fug that accompanies many mobile phone calls in this area. We checked out our Blea Tarn and Rigg and found nothing. Keswick and Wasdale checked out their own Bleas, and found nothing. Penrith Team checked out their Blea water and found them. After a thorough soaking, a bit of exercise and a lot of head scratching we went home.
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Incident Report #90 1997

People camping at Angle Tarn heard shouts for help. They phoned us and went to investigate. They found a husband and wife benighted and without a torch. They contacted us and informed us that they had room for them in their tents and would point them in the right direction in the morning. They had suffered no injuries so we left them to it. They were reported missing from their Grasmere Guest House at 10am the following day, by which time they were well on their way down. Lesson to be learned? Take a torch!

Incident Report #88 1997

A solo man was reported overdue at home. His route card left at home suggested an epic walk, and didn't narrow things down much. With the assistance of Keswick and Furness MRTs and SARDA Lakes he was located by a dog in Rossett Ghyll, benighted. He thought he was on The Band, this being a lot closer to his actual location than some other people we have retrieved this year. No amount of debriefing from us was going to assist him through the "debrief" he was going to get when he got home.
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Incident Report #87 1997

A Father (41) and Son (21) were reported overdue at home. A search was organised with the help of Keswick MRT and SARDA Lakes. They were eventually located by LAMRT on Gunson Knott. They were cold and benighted. Team members stocked them up with hot drinks and food and they were escorted off the hill at first light. Last heard on the phone to home promising to never go walking in the winter again!
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Incident Report #82 1997

We were alerted by mobile phone that these three were unhurt, but lost in the vicinity of Stickle Tarn. A search, using dogs and man power was organised, but nothing was found. A little later we were contacted from the Old Dungeon Ghyll to say that they had found there way down. An interview with them revealed that they had actually been near Angle Tarn (a subtle, but significant difference). Where I went to school, we would have called people like this "Divvies", and there are several popular contemporary expressions, that decency prevents me from using, that would be appropriate.
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Incident Report #71 1997

A voluntary patient from a London Hospital took trip to the Lakes. Her bag was found in Grasmere, with a suicide note. A search was mounted. She was located, semi conscious, by a SARDA handler and his dog, and then treated for Alcohol, Barbiturate and pain killer overdose.
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Incident Report #69 1997

Every now and again a needless and tragic accident occurs, the victim of which will suffer for the rest of their lives. A 30-year-old man fell about 35ft. while climbing, suffering head, arm, leg and very serious spinal injuries in the process. He was lowered to the base of the crag by his second, and then treated by the Team, and evacuated by helicopter to Preston. His spinal cord had been severed. They had set out after dark, after allegedly consuming a substantial quantity of alcohol, and were climbing despite advice from friends.
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Incident Report #67 1997

Four boys on a D. of E. expedition were reported missing overnight. Their supervisor had been to check on them at their campsite at Grisedale Tarn, but had been unable to locate them, so reported them missing. We located the boys making their way to Grasmere, having spent the night at their campsite at......... Grisedale Tarn. They had pitched their tent in the lee of small mound to protect it from the wind, and had heard the supervisor calling them, but had been unable to attract his attention. Boys 1: Supervisor 0.
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Incident Report #66 1997

Three men were injured when they were blown off their feet by a freak gust of wind while trying to escape rock fall. Two of the men had serious injuries, including head, leg and arm. The other was less serious. The two were airlifted to Hospital, and the third was walked down after refusing to go in the helicopter. We were assisted by Bowland \Pennine Fell Rescue Team, who were in the area.
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Incident Report #62 1997

A figure was reported as stationary on "Pluto", a popular and difficult rock climb. He was reported as being in this position for a long time. By the time we arrived he had moved on. We had a brief chat with two men descending from the crag and established that it was them who had been seen, and that no-one was in trouble. A complete lack of knowledge of rock climbing, and a pint or two of beer may have clouded our informants judgement slightly.
Incident Type

Incident Report #61 1997

This 35-year-old man suffered an epileptic fit while descending after a days walk. He had come round by the time we got there, so we walked down with him. It was a hot, sunny day, and we were a little surprised at the amount of clothing he was wearing. We have seen people wearing less when it's snowing.
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Location

Incident Report #60 1997

This Danish woman, having received the dodgy advice that it was O.K to walk on the high fells in modern sports sandals, then went and slipped and fractured her ankle. Again assisted by Kendal MRT on a long and hot carry down. The advice came from two separate sources, both of whom should have known better. It took two team members to carry down here 'luggage'!
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Incident Report #57 1997

A 12-year-old boy was allowed to swim out to an island, but only just made it and became stranded on the island, to exhausted and cold to swim back. The remoteness of the tarn meant that no boat was available, so a Team member donned a life jacket and swam out. Both were then pulled back to safety. A little better judgement of the boys swimming ability by the Father would have prevented this incident.
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Incident Report #45 1997

This 52-year-old American woman suffered a badly dislocated kneecap after she had slipped and landed on it. It's kneecaps in room 101 for me, and eyeballs. I can't do them. For some people it's spiders, for others, flying, for me it's knee caps and eyeballs (and Austin Maestro's, but this is neither the time or the place)