At the conclusion of this afternoon’s David Staff Memorial Fell Race in Darwen (see news article), and as team vehicles were preparing to return to base, at 12:38 today team Training Officer Elaine Gilliland (who was stationed at the fell race Start/Finish point at Sunnyhurst Wood) was asked by one of the race organisers to attend to a member of the public who had slipped on a path within the woods.

At the same time, NWAS Lancashire were contacting the team to request our attendance at the same incident, to which they had already despatched an Emergency Ambulance from the nearby Darwen Ambulance station.

As the NWAS Ambulance arrived, Elaine requested that the team attend as a short carry down a path and steps was required. Two nearby vehicles carrying an additional ten team members which were involved in the earlier fell race cover attended (the other three team vehicles remained at their RVP at Tockholes Information Centre).

Arriving very soon after they were requested, equipment from the first attending team vehicle was sent up the short path to the casualty, who was suspected to have suffered a fractured lower leg/ankle. Painkilling drugs were administered and the casualty’s injured limb was splinted by the NWAS crew and Bolton MRT members. Upon the arrival of the second team vehicle, the team then carried the 58 year old gentleman, who was out walking with his daughter, down to the ambulance on a SAR Alpine Lite MR stretcher.

The casualty was then taken to Royal Blackburn Hospital by the NWAS Ambulance, where one team vehicle also travelled to recover items of equipment from the casualty after he had arrived at A&E.