Red Gill, Scafell – Thu 21st Sep 2023

As the first callout was nearing completion, a second call was received. Multiple 999 calls had been made about shouts and whistles on the flanks of Scafell, heard by walkers on the tourist path of Scafell Pike.

Helimed support was requested and they agreed to mobilise quickly to help establish exact location, and directly support if possible. Unfortunately despite several attempts they were thwarted due to unfavourable winds and they were unable to get close enough to make visual contact with the casualty. The landed in the valley, subsequently standing by for a long time in case advanced medical support was required.

Coastguard helicopter support was also agreed and deployed from Prestwick with Rescue 199. With different aircraft capability and technology on board they were able to get a visual and confirm exact location. Unfortunately they were also unable to directly help and provide a winch rescue due to the proximity of the crag face.

The Rescue 199 crew then helped hugely by lifting three sets of team members to the closest location possible, from which they walked uphill to Red Gill. On arrival the walker was unfortunately located in the gully itself, very close to a 10m drop. As such, a technical rope rescue was required. The casualty was unable to move by himself, but was able to talk and had managed to wrap a survival blanket around him. As a technical and labour intensive rescue was now likely, additional team members from our friends at Duddon and Furness MRT was again requested. R199 again obliged and lifted four of their team members and additional rope and medical supplies from Devoke Water en-route to Wasdale. Other DFMRT members followed in team vehicles.

Once Wasdale team members had secured sufficient rope protection in a difficult environment for firm ‘anchors’, they were able to descend to the casualty and make an assessment. Despite taking two significant tumble falls there fortunately was no evidence of any significant life threatening injuries. It was agreed that the walker would attempt to move himself slowly from the gully with support from the rope system and team members. This was able to be done and once off the more technical ground, a more straightforward descent with support was made to get to a location that was suitable for a helicopter winch.

Rescue 199 again returned to the scene, winched the walker and transported to hospital for full assessment and treatment. This left the teams to de-rig and walk back down to the valley and then to respective bases.

We would like to offer our huge thanks to all the teams involved, and especially the Rescue 199 crew who did everything they possibly could to speed up the effort to locate, enable access and then transport the walker to a hospital setting. Also to the many members of the public who helped and provided information at the start of the callout. We wish the walker a speedy recovery.