Late this morning a male mountain biker on a local ride, chanced across an injured competitor, with a serious knee laceration, who was taking part in the 2nd Annual Hell of a Hill Marathon 5 Day Challenge Event (yes it is as hard as it sounds!) in the Rivington area.

We understand that he had no mobile phone with him to summon help, so after making the injured runner as comfortable as he could, he cycled to the Great House Barn / Bottom Barn in Lever Park, dialling 999 at 12.12hrs.

NWAS (Lancashire) Broughton EOC Airdesk then despatched the NWAA Helimed 08 from Blackpool Airport and an Emergency Ambulance.

At 12:21hrs our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was directly contacted by the same EOC, for the team’s assistance.

Fortunately a small number of team members in two team vehicles were nearby on an exercise with nine members of Remote Medic UK, and our Team Leader immediately despatched them to this incident.

A full team pager call out was made at 12.32hrs.

At circa 12.40hrs our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE along with our first responding vehicle Land Rover Bolton Mobile 3, met the mountain biker informant at the front of Rivington and Blackrod High School, learning the accident was on the fringes of Rivington Terraced Gardens, below Roynton Lane.

This mountain biker kindly guided team members Geoff Seddon, Martin Banks and BM3 and its crew up Roynton Lane to the incident site.

Whilst this was occurring, NWAS EOC informed our Team Leader to stand down as the casualty had been otherwise dealt with, and at 12.50hrs Helimed 08 was stood down overhead.

For a short while we were asked to continue our involvement, but by 12.56/57hrs, after contacting the Hell of a Hill Marathon 5 Day Challenge Event organiser, we confirmed the casualty had been dealt with by the events own medical resources, and all MRT and NWAS responding resources were confirmed at 13.00hrs as not required.

It appears that other runners in the event came across the injured man, after the mountain biker had left to make his 999 call.

These runners comforted the injured man, then assisted him and supported him to walk (a relative distance) to an event marshal point at Lower House Car Park, where an event Medic dressed and bandaged the injured mans seriously lacerated knee.

At this stage our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE then realised the mountain biker informant, Eric Taylor of Bolton, was a former work associate of his from Garry’s days at Rochdale MBC (both Garry and Eric now enjoying retirement)

The following resources were involved in this incident:

• NWAS ( Lancashire)  – EOC Broughton Airdesk despatcher, one Emergency Ambulance – stood down responding.
• North West Air Ambulance – Helimed 08, Blackpool Airport, stood down overhead on scene.
• Bolton Mountain Rescue Team – Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles Bolton Mobiles 3 and 4, Ford Transit crewbus / Ambulance Bolton Mobile 5, nine team members on scene before stand down, a further five arriving at stand down, and four more stood down responding. (Eighteen team members in total responding)
• Remote Medic UK – nine members.