10/07/10 65 year old man falls from Swirral Edge Location: Swirral Edge, Helvellyn
On Saturday 10th July, Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team rescued a 65 year old walker from Oldham who had slipped and fallen 200 feet from Swirral Edge, Helvellyn.
The man had fallen into Brown Cove and sustained head and facial injuries.
The Great North Air Ambulance also attended, but due to low cloud was unable to reach the casualty site. The team climbed on to Swirral Edge with a paramedic and doctor from the Air Ambulance to locate the man, who was being cared for by passing walkers. An RAF Seaking helicopter was also requested due to the reported site of the incident. The Seaking was not able to get to the casualty’s position due to low cloud and therefore waited for the weather to improve to assist the rescue team.
The team placed the casualty in a full body splint and strapped him into a stretcher. He was then lowered for several hundred metres to the valley bottom and carried to the aircraft which had managed to land in the valley. He was then flown to Cumberland Infirmary for further treatment.