As team members were just getting into the start of one of our routine Wednesday evening search and rescue exercises (the scenario being a fallen climber and missing informant, in the Ousel Nest Quarry area overlooking Jumbles Reservoir), our Team Leader was contacted directly by NWAS (Greater Manchester Area) Paramedic Emergency Control at around 20:26 requesting the immediate assistance of the team at an incident on the fringe of the moors above Horwich.
The initial report was of an injured Mountain Biker in the vicinity of Georges Lane, near to Rivington Pike, and team members quickly returned to the exercise RVP and as quickly as possible those in their private vehicles followed the responding three Team Landrover Ambulances.
Our first Landrover Ambulances to reach the incident location, BM2 and BM4 arrived on scene at 20:37, locating the casualty site as just off Georges Lane in the vicinity of Wilderswood, above Horwich.
A 24 year old very experienced male mountain biker had fallen from his bike and eventually came to rest face down complaining of back and hip pains.
His equally experienced companion (an ex-RNLI Lifeboatman apparently) correctly made sure his injured friend didn’t move and contacted the Ambulance Service.
Within minutes more team members arrived and very quickly commenced treating the injured mountain biker for suspected hip and lower back problems.
By this stage the responding NWAS Emergency Ambulance also arrived, with one of the crew knowing us from working with us on #article#1619#Incident 89# this year.
The 24 year old man was carefully placed onto a full length vacuum mattress, whilst all the time under the self administration of Entonox pain killing gas.
By 21:05 the injured mountain biker had been carefully transported on one of our mountain rescue stretchers into the Ambulance, which then departed for the Royal Bolton Hospital.
Team member Chris Moody then kindly transported the man’s mountain bike to hids nearby Horwich home.
In all 21 Bolton MRT members were involved in this incident, working alongside the responding NWAS (GMA) Emergency Ambulance crew from Standish Ambulance Station, all with considerable help from the Emergency Dispatchers at NWAS (GMA) Belle Vue Paramedic Emergency Control.
