The Winking Man
- Call out for year: 021
- Date: 10/03/23
- Time: 10:19 am
- Grid ref: SK 02623 63722
- Type of incident: Other()
- Team members involved: 5
- Time taken: 5 Hours
- Total man hours: 25 Hours
Incident report
Called out by Staffordshire Police, to a motorist who was stranded in his vehicle on the A53, his heater had stopped working and he was is 4-5 ft snow drifts and unable to walk anywhere.
Joint response originally Buxton Mountain Rescue Team, who struggled with access issues with the deep snow, Peak 4X4 were also unable to attend.
Staffordshire Fire and Rescue offered to use their Unimog (There is a photo if you dont know what a unimog is… I didn’t either!) all terrain vehicle from Leek, and set off at 07:38, they got stuck in the drifts themselves at 09:50. Buxton Team members managed to drive passed the Fire and Rescue Unimog in a team member’s capable 4×4 up to the Winking Man pub and down the Longnor Road for 200m. The section walked in from there on foot approximately 3 km to assist the motorist who was walked back to the 4×4 vehicle. On the way back the section, with the motorist, were met by Dundonnell Mountain Rescue Team vehicles who transported him back to Leek.
The motorist was rescued well but cold. Team ok, very interested to see a Unimog!
