During the concluding part of our involvement with providing standby rescue cover on the Winter Hill Fell Race, whilst most of the teams resources were at the Lower House car park area in Rivington, we were approached by a member of a mountain biking party to say his friend had suffered a serious injury nearby.

The 28 year old male casualty (from the Penwortham/Preston area) had suffered a suspected dislocated left shoulder and was barely 100m from our control location.

We were first alerted at 12:40 hours and within minutes team members including one of our doctors (Dr Clare Whitney) were on scene providing casualty care to the mountain biker.

© Carl Silver

With the casualty being in considerable pain morphine and entenox gas were administered whilst his shoulder was being splinted. He was then evacuated the short 100m distance to the main car park where the team was assembled, and then collected by an NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency Ambulance for onward traqnsfer to Royal Preston Hospital.

In total 14 team members were directly involved in this incident from the 36 call out list members on hand in the car park.

© Carl Silver

It was unfortunate for the man involved that he had this accident, but perhaps fortunate that circumstances put us immediately on hand to assist him.