At 14:25 today, Lancashire Constabulary paged the Team for a Lancashire Ambulance Assistance job, at the same time a Team vehicle was also in contact with LAS regarding the same incident. At 14:30 a full Team call out was paged, regarding a 33 year old male with a broken leg, located somewhere near to the Pigeon Tower within the Terraced Gardens in Rivington.
The first vehicle was in the gardens within 3 minutes of the telephone call to LAS, also hovering above us was Helimed 08. The Team members quickly met up with the informant who directed them to where he had come up from the casualty site, and two Team members went with the informant to find the casualty. Alas, the gardens are a very complicated area to navigate in (unless you know them very well), and the informant became confused at a path junction. We called Helimed 08 up on the radio and asked them to do a quick scan of the area. Luckily they located the casualty within 30 seconds. Helimed landed, and by the time the two Team members had arrived at the incident site the casualty was already being comforted by Helimed’s Paramedics. The casualty had slipped whilst walking on a low level walk and had fractured and dislocated his right ankle, a very distressing injury for him and his family – especially as he insisted on walking with it in this state!!
Within 15 minutes of the casualty being found and jointly treated by Helimed and BMRT, other Team members had now arrived on scene, together with two additional Team vehicles. A Bell Mountain Rescue Stretcher was quickly dispatched to the casualty site, from where the casualty was loaded on to the stretcher and then carried some 300 yards to the waiting helicopter. He was loaded on board Helimed 08 and transferred to Royal Preston Hospital, with his partner and children watching as they flew up and out of the Terraced Gardens. We then gave the family a lift back to their vehicle at Lower House car park, but that meant the occupants of that motor had to walk back to Lower House !!
Team members assist with the marshalling of Helimed 08’s landing zone on incident 91/2005.
In all 13 Team members were involved and three Team vehicles, others were stood down responding. This incident lasted for 1 hour and 20 minutes and thanks were received from Helimed and the casualty’s family for our help. It was nice to see Nick & Lee, the Helimed Paramedics, who had been so helpful on the recent Foundation Course (see previous news item).
Reports from the casualty’s family indicate that he has had his foot popped back in line in hospital, after attempts made in the field were unsuccessful. Unfortunately he’ll require two operations and a stay in hospital. From all of us in the Team we hope to see you in Rivington again soon – it’s not that bad a place!!
