Incident report

On Thursday afternoon both Buxton and Edale MRT’s were called to the Speedwell Cavern, Castleton, by the East Midlands Ambulance Service.

A 74 year old gentleman, from the Bury area, hillwalking with his daughter had slipped and fallen whilst descending a gully between Long Cliff and Cow Low. He sustained a serious fracture to his hip, having slipped on the wet limestone and fallen some 6 metres, landing in a precarious location.

He was treated on site by a rescue team doctor and ambulance service paramedics. Rope belays were set up and the casualty was lowered in a stretcher some 20 metres further down the gully to a more secure location.

An RAF Sea King helicopter had already been requested by the ambulance service and was en-route from its Leconfield, East Yorkshire base. Landing on or near the site was impossible and therefore a winch evacuation was undertaken using a high line. The casualty and a team doctor were winched into the aircraft and flown to the Northern General Hospital, Sheffield, for further treatment.

Neil Carruthers, Buxton Team Leader said “This was an sucessful operation involving 4 agencies working together in appalling weather to recover a badly injured gentleman from a difficult location”.