Today at 12.04hrs we were contacted by NWAS (Manchester) Parkway Emergency Operations Centre regards our assistance being required at an incident on Winter Hill.

A 40 years old male mountain biker (From the Whittle Le Woods area) in the company of a colleague mountain biker, whilst biking downhill on the track from Winter Hill summit to San Marino Restaurant, (Older readers will know this as the Wrights Arms track) came to grief after his bike hit a rock step, with the man sustaining a suspected fractured left collar bone.

Two passing hill walkers, Steve Clark and Sue Boardman, initially kindly came to his aid, rendering comfort and some environmental protection. (It turned out that Steve Clark’s son Jake is in Rossendale and Pendle MRT)

NWAS (Manchester) besides calling out the Bolton MRT had also despatched an Emergency Ambulance and the NWAA Helimed 08 (At Preston when mobilised)

A full team pager call out was initiated at 12.15hrs, with our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE arriving first on scene at 12.35hrs at the Winter Hill summit RVP on the private road just beyond the main TV Transmitter Station buildings.

Our BM1 Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance, solo crewed by team member Steve Fletcher, then arrived at 12.36hrs, closely followed by the Air Ambulance helicopter, the responding NWAS Emergency Ambulance and further team members.

Some passing mountain bikers kindly indicated the nearby incident scene near the top of the track from Winter Hill summit heading downhill towards the Bolton to Belmont main road. (And the San Marino Restaurant, formerly the wrights Arms Public House)

At this stage, family members of the injured man were also on scene, and all watched as the Air Ambulance helicopter managed to land on close to the incident scene.

As the team holds access gate keys to the many tracks in the area, we were able to unlock the gate at the top of the track on which the man was injured, and our first responding Land Rover drove downhill to the mans position.

The injured mountain biker was given a combination of strong pain killing drugs, whilst his injuries were assessed and treated, all under the protection of a casualty shelter tent.

Team members carry the injured male to the nearby air ambulance, Helimed 08He was then placed on the Air Ambulance’s orthopaedic scoop stretcher, which was then put in turn on our SAR Alpine Lite specialist mountain rescue stretcher, and carried by team members to the nearby Air Ambulance, which duly departed for the quick evacuation flight Royal Preston Hospital at 13.16hrs.

The following resources were involved in this incident;

• NWAS (Manchester); Parkway EOC despatchers, Emergency Ambulance (Two crew) from Highfield (Bolton South) Ambulance Station.
• North West Air Ambulance, Helimed 08; Two crew Paramedics and Pilot.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Thirteen Team Call Out list members and one Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance BM1 on scene, six other Call Out list members and two further Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances stood down responding. (Including our BM4 vehicle and team members who had been training with our SAR Boat at Jumbles Reservoir – see separate report also dated today)
• Two passing hill walkers, the colleague of the injured man and family members.

Yet again this incident illustrated the excellent close working relationship between NWAS Emergency road crews, the North West Air Ambulance and the Bolton MRT, which was summed up later this same day by Air Ambulance Paramedic Patrick Selby who was present on this incident and tweeted; “NWAirAmbulance working seamlessly alongside @BoltonMRT today. #teamwork#thanks.”