At 11.37hrs this morning we were paged by NWAS (Lancashire) EOC Broughton, Air Desk despatcher, regards our assistance at an incident in the Tockholes area.

Co-incidentally at the same time some members were en route to our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ to carry out some team administration and kit maintenance tasks.

The pager call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, who then passed information to those at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ via Airwave, and sent a detailed pager call out at 11.45hrs.

The initial call out information was to an injured mountain biker, reported to have a serious fracture, on a track near to Tockholes in the vicinity of Cartridge Hill.

The NWAA Helimed 08 was unable to respond due to fog, with an NWAS Emergency Ambulance en route at the time of our first pager call.

Team member Paul Brain who lives nearby in Abbey Village, was on scene (at least at the road head that is) at 12.03hrs followed a minute later by Team member Diane Blakeley.

Meanwhile our first of three responding Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, just prior to arrival at the RVP at the start of the Lyons Den track, from the Tockholes road up on to the flanks of Cartridge Hill, established that the NWAS crew had driven their Ambulance high up the track, and met with the casualty.

The injured 34 years old male mountain biker, whilst riding with two colleagues, had fallen sustaining a serious open fracture to his right elbow.

At 12.09hrs with most responding team members now on scene, we were stood down by NWAS, but remained at the road head until the Ambulance had safely left the moorland track, with this incident concluding on scene at 12.35hrs.

We understand that the farmer from the nearby New Barn Farm, also accessed the casualty site by quad bike, offering help if required.

The following resources were involved directly in this incident:

• NWAS (Lancashire): EOC Broughton Air desk despatcher, one Emergency Ambulance from Blackburn Ambulance Station, two crew on board.
• Bolton MRT: Three Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, radio call signs Bolton Mobiles 1,2 and 3. Twelve team members on scene, with a further three stood down responding.

This incident represents the eighth mountain bike accident attended by the Bolton MRT this current year (2013 – ten mountain bike incidents)