Incident reports
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February 2021
1 incident fallen climber Peak District Serious incident
A man fell approximately 200 feet from the Trinnacles rock formation on Saddleworth Moor in February 2021 after fainting while posing for photographs. He sustained multiple fractures including a fractured skull and internal bleeding, and was rescued by Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and Yorkshire Air Ambulance. After months of intensive hospital care and rehabilitation, he made a full recovery and is now fundraising for the rescue services that assisted him.
Outcome: rescued by helicopter and ground team, evacuated to hospital, made full recovery after months of rehabilitation
January 2021
12 incidents Sledging Accident Skye
Mountain rescue teams were called out after reports that an individual had seriously injured themselves while sledging near the Old Man of Storr. The attending team was able to administer pain relief and immobilise the casualty before they were airlifted to a hospital in Glasgow.
Outcome: Transported by air
Fall/Injury Peak District
The team responded to two callouts on Sunday, 31st January. The first involved assisting with a fall near Stocksbridge resulting in a lower leg injury. The second incident occurred in Bolsterstone following a fall from a horse, which resulted in multiple injuries requiring air ambulance assistance.
Outcome: Casualties were treated and transferred to appropriate medical services.
hypothermia exposure Brecon Beacons
A man was rescued from a mountain above Aberdare after spending the night in sub-zero temperatures unable to raise the alarm. A passer-by alerted emergency services, and a joint operation involving South Wales Police, Central Beacons Mountain Rescue, and the Welsh Ambulance Service brought him to safety. He was treated for prolonged hypothermia.
Outcome: rescued and treated for prolonged hypothermia, evacuated by stretcher to ambulance
walkers in difficulty Highlands
Two women in their twenties were rescued from Ben Lomond after getting into difficulty in poor weather. They were assisted by Lomond Mountain Rescue Team and emergency services and walked off the hill uninjured. The women were subsequently charged with breaching coronavirus travel restrictions.
Outcome: walked off uninjured
missing person Southern Uplands Serious incident
A body was discovered near Leaderfoot Viaduct in Melrose during a search operation for a missing woman from Jedburgh. Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue assisted Police Scotland with the search, which was initiated after the woman was reported missing on Thursday morning.
Outcome: body recovered
fatal climbing accident Highlands Serious incident
A climber died on Ben Nevis. The post references press coverage but does not provide details of the incident itself.
Outcome: fatality
multiple incidents: climbers in difficulty, vehicle stuck in snow Southern Uplands
Police reported that mountain rescue teams attended 46 search and rescue incidents over two months during lockdown restrictions in Scotland. Six people were charged with culpable and reckless conduct after breaking travel restrictions to access mountains; incidents included four men who got into difficulty on Ben More on 16 January and required helicopter assistance, and a family whose vehicle became stuck in snow near Biggar on 9 January.
Outcome: four men on Ben More guided to safety by phone; family rescued by police and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team
Lost Person/Hypothermia Peak District
A mountain biker became disoriented on Black Hill and called for assistance. Due to the cold, the casualty was treated with warmth and food before being safely walked back to a car park.
Outcome: Safe recovery
vehicle recovery Southern Uplands
A family's car skidded off an untreated road and became stuck in the verge in Tweed Valley during icy conditions. Seven mountain rescue team members, along with police, attended the incident to recover the vehicle. The rescue team subsequently issued a plea for people to adhere to lockdown travel restrictions, highlighting the Covid-19 exposure risks their members faced during the extended close-contact operation.
Outcome: vehicle recovered
Search and Rescue Lake District
A search operation was conducted for an overdue father and son on Scafell. The rescue effort involved multiple personnel over several hours.
Outcome: Overdue persons located/assisted
Fall/Injury Highlands
Mountain rescue teams were called out to assist with the rescue of a walker who had fallen in the Craigmead area of West Lomond. The injured individual was successfully moved off the hill using specialized equipment and subsequently transferred to hospital.
Outcome: Transported to hospital with non-life-threatening injuries
medical emergency / collapse Northern Ireland Serious incident
A walker collapsed and died at Mourne Mountains during descent from the Donard Commedagh Saddle on 1 January 2021. Despite a large coordinated emergency response involving multiple rescue teams, ambulance services, and local walkers, the casualty could not be saved and was pronounced deceased at the scene.
Outcome: casualty pronounced deceased at scene, evacuated by stretcher
December 2020
7 incidents multiple incidents: unwell walker, walkers in difficulty, lower leg injury Northern Ireland
Mourne Mountain Rescue Team attended five separate incidents on Wednesday, including three walkers airlifted by rescue helicopter from Slieve Donard. Additional incidents involved walkers in difficulty on Slieve Binnian and a walker with a lower leg injury in the Glen River area, all attributed by the team to inadequate preparation for winter conditions.
Outcome: three airlifted by helicopter, walkers assisted or handed to NIAS
slip on icy ground, broken ankle Southern Uplands
A woman suffered a broken ankle after slipping on ice near the summit of Caerketton Hill in the Pentland Hills on 29 December 2020. More than 35 mountain rescue and firefighters attended in severe winter conditions with wind chill of minus 10°C. She was evacuated by helicopter after rescue teams determined that a stretcher-based descent would have taken too long.
Outcome: evacuated by helicopter, recovering from broken ankle
medical emergency Northern Ireland
A woman was rescued by Mourne Mountain Rescue Team after becoming unwell while ascending Slieve Donard in the Mourne Mountains on 28 December 2020. Team members who were nearby provided immediate support and shelter whilst awaiting the full team response, and the casualty was assisted down the mountain and transported to family care.
Outcome: casualty assisted down mountain and transported to care of friends and family
Injury (Ankle) Peak District
The team was called out on Sunday, 27th December, to assist neighbouring Edale Mountain Rescue Team with an injured walker at Dale Dyke Reservoir. The individual slipped on muddy ground, sustaining an ankle injury that prevented them from bearing weight. They were treated on-scene and prepared for a stretcher carry back to the road head.
Outcome: Transported from scene to hospital
flood evacuation South West
A resident in Gloucester was evacuated from their flooded home on Sandhurst Lane by the SARA Sharpness lifeboat team during flooding caused by the River Severn. The rescue was completed at 7:36 am on 26 December, with the resident safely removed from the property as water from the swollen river inundated the residential area.
Outcome: resident evacuated by lifeboat
injured walker Peak District
A woman slipped and injured her ankle while walking on Crompton Moor on Saturday. Oldham Mountain Rescue Team and North West Ambulance Service paramedics jointly provided medical care, packaged the casualty on a stretcher, and transported her to hospital. The team was engaged for two hours and sixteen minutes.
Outcome: casualty evacuated to hospital by ambulance
lost walker Lake District
A 56-year-old man became lost in darkness while attempting to reach Wasdale Head in the Lake District. He was located near Black Sail Youth Hostel and was unable to continue safely, so he requested assistance. Two team members collected him by vehicle and delivered him to Ennerdale Bridge for collection by his accommodation provider.
Outcome: man collected by rescue team and taken to Ennerdale Bridge
November 2020
4 incidents walkers injured in fall Lake District Serious incident
Two walkers suffered head and back injuries after falling approximately 50 feet while descending Pillar in the Lake District on Sunday 29 November. A trio of walkers became disorientated during descent, with two sustaining significant injuries in what Cockermouth Mountain Rescue Team described as a complicated six-hour operation involving 22 team members, a coastguard helicopter, and ambulance services.
Outcome: both casualties evacuated by helicopter and road ambulance to hospital
Missing Person Search Peak District
The team was called out by South Yorkshire Police to conduct a search for a 25-year-old male who was reported missing from the Doncaster area. Searches were carried out throughout the day with assistance from other rescue groups and search dogs, but the individual remained unlocated at the time of writing.
Outcome: Unsuccessful (at time of report)
injured kayaker Brecon Beacons
A kayaker suffered a back injury on the River Mellte in Pontneddfechan and was winched to safety by coastguard helicopter. Central Beacons Mountain Rescue Team assisted Dyfed-Powys Police and an ambulance hazardous area response team in the rescue. The casualty was flown to hospital.
Outcome: winched by helicopter and flown to hospital
Peak District
A mountain rescue operation on the moors involved two helicopters. The details of the incident are not accessible from the provided source material.