- Incident
- 5 in 2001
- Type
- Callout — Injured & Medical
- Location
- Broad Stand, Scafell
- Other Agencies
- RAF Boulmer
- Diagnosis
- Multiple Injuries
The team leader was called just before mid-day by Whitehaven Police. They had received a 999 call from someone with a mobile phone, who reported hearing shouts for help and knew that someone else required Mountain Rescue assistance. They knew the location was at Mickledore ridge, between Scafell and Scafell Pike but phone reception had been cut at that point. Although the nature of the incident was at that time unknown, given the proximity of the accident black spot of Broad Stand, the team leader decided to do a full Team call out immediately. We were able to leave our Base at Gosforth with an advance group of members within 20 minutes of the initial call By then, we also got further information through the Police having managed to re-contact the informant – we now knew that someone had broken both legs and an arm and that he was bleeding. The location given appeared to indicate that this was indeed another Broad Stand incident and the assistance of a helicopter was therefore called for. Twenty members (including two team doctors) of Wasdale Mountain Rescue Team responded to the call. We treated a man (in his thirties and from London) who had indeed fallen around 20m from Broad Stand, Scafell, sustaining severe injuries to his feet and also breaking his right arm. He had been walking alone when the accident happened and had been lying injured for about half an hour before his shouts for help had luckily been heard by other passing walkers. Because of strong winds and difficult flying conditions at the scene, we had to carry the injured man to the nearest point the helicopter could land on. This was about a kilometre away but around 200m up hill ! The helicopter, from RAF Boulmer transferred him to West Cumberland Hospital and the Team returned to base by about 1730 hrs. A truelife rescue story has been written by two of the walkers who raised the alarm – read their story."You have got to help me!" also read the rescuer’s story by one of our team members here. For additional information on Broad Stand accident black spot see …….. another true rescue story 17 April 00 and first ascent by Coleridge 1802"
Incident started at 12:00 and ended at 17:30 making 5.5 hrs in total. There were 20 Wasdale team members involved. Total rescuer hours: 110
