Incident reports
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June 2018
1 incident wet walker - refused callout; teenager trapped in gully Highlands
Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team refused assistance to a walker who became wet on Ben Nevis during midsummer conditions without waterproofs, advising him to descend himself; he remained in the summit shelter and walked down with another climber the following morning. The post also reports a separate incident in which a teenager was rescued by helicopter after becoming trapped in a gully during a river crossing near Ben Nevis whilst on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition, and mentions the ongoing search for a climber who fell through a cornice in January.
Outcome: wet walker descended unassisted with another climber; teenager rescued by helicopter winch with mild hypothermia
May 2018
4 incidents injured walker Snowdonia
A couple poorly equipped with gym shoes, trainers, shorts and no map was airlifted from Moel Siabod in Snowdonia after a woman twisted her knee while descending. Despite being unable to walk initially, she walked unassisted after being winched from the mountain by helicopter, prompting rescuers to criticise the callout as unnecessary and irresponsible.
Outcome: casualty airlifted by coastguard helicopter and walked off uninjured
Body Recovery Pennines
Mountain rescue teams were called out to assist with the recovery of a body from Horrocks Moor near Smithills. Fifteen team members attended alongside police colleagues and used a stretcher to carry the person approximately 400 metres across the moor to an awaiting ambulance.
Outcome: Recovery completed
injured person - broken leg from quad bike fall Southern Uplands
Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team were conducting a first aid training exercise on Saturday when they were called out to assist a casualty with a broken leg who had fallen from a quad bike near Megget Reservoir. With support from Moffat Mountain Rescue Team, they carried the casualty to an air ambulance that could not land at the incident site.
Outcome: casualty evacuated by air ambulance
fatal fall Snowdonia Serious incident
A solo female hiker was found dead on Glyder Fawr in Snowdonia after being reported missing. She was recovered from an upper cliff in the Ogwen Valley and is believed to have slipped and fallen. The woman was well-equipped and had been sending messages to friends before the incident.
Outcome: casualty found dead and airlifted to hospital
April 2018
1 incident mountain bike crashes Southern Uplands
Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team responded to two mountain bike crashes within half an hour in the Scottish Borders. A woman suffered head injuries and a broken wrist at Innerleithen, while a 12-year-old boy sustained a suspected broken shoulder on the Eildon Hills. Both casualties received first aid from other riders and were successfully evacuated by the rescue team.
Outcome: both casualties evacuated and taken for treatment
March 2018
4 incidents medical emergency Snowdonia
A man in his 60s from a training group became unwell at a high-altitude camp in Snowdonia during blizzard conditions. A coastguard rescue helicopter evacuated him in poor weather, and he was assessed at hospital but did not require treatment and was able to rejoin his group.
Outcome: evacuated by helicopter, no treatment required
stranded ambulances in snow South West
Two ambulances became stranded in heavy snow on Foxcote Lane near Stourbridge on 4 March 2018. Severn Area Rescue Association volunteers assisted in freeing both vehicles, which were blocking access to patients requiring emergency care. All patients were eventually reached and provided medical care.
Outcome: both ambulances recovered and towed to main road; all patients reached and treated
elderly couple trapped by snowdrifts Southern Uplands
An elderly couple aged 70 and 71 living in a remote home near West Linton became isolated when heavy snowdrifts up to 12 feet high surrounded their property. They were rescued by police officers and Tweed Valley Mountain Rescue Team after losing heating due to depleted firewood supplies. The couple and their two dogs were safely freed and are now staying with friends.
Outcome: couple freed safely with their two dogs, now staying with friends
missing person Highlands Serious incident
A 51-year-old woman from Alloa went missing on 1 March 2018 after becoming lost in the Ochils near Menstrie during blizzard conditions. Despite a major search and rescue operation involving police, coastguard and mountain rescue volunteers, her body was recovered the following afternoon near Dumyat Farm.
Outcome: casualty found deceased
February 2018
9 incidents fall from vehicle with serious injury Lake District Serious incident
A 50-year-old man fell from a gritting lorry near Dockray in the Lake District and sustained a broken femur and suspected broken pelvis. Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team attended the scene, treated the casualty, and transferred him to an ambulance for evacuation to hospital.
Outcome: casualty treated and transferred to ambulance for hospital evacuation
injured walker (serious fall) Lake District Serious incident
A walker suffered serious injuries, including a suspected broken pelvis and shoulder, after sliding a long distance on a fell near Grisedale Tarn on Monday. Members of the public located the casualty and alerted Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team; the walker was airlifted by the Great North Air Ambulance and Coastguard helicopter to Royal Preston Hospital.
Outcome: casualty airlifted by helicopter to Royal Preston Hospital
fatal fall Highlands Serious incident
A man died after falling from a Highland mountain, and the body of a missing climber was also discovered during this incident. The circumstances indicate serious mountaineering accidents in the Highland region.
Outcome: fatality
climber fall Highlands Serious incident
A climber fell several hundred feet on Lochnagar in the Scottish Highlands and was airlifted to hospital with multiple injuries. Braemar and Aberdeen Mountain Rescue Teams, assisted by a Coastguard helicopter, stretchered the casualty from a steep gully to the aircraft for evacuation.
Outcome: airlifted to hospital with multiple injuries
fatal mountain fall Highlands Serious incident
Two bodies were recovered from Lochaber mountains on Saturday. One was found on Sgurr Thuilm following a fall, and the second was located on Beinn a'Chaorainn after a two-week search for a man who had fallen through a cornice. Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team attended three call-outs that day with assistance from Tayside, RAF, and Coastguard teams.
Outcome: two bodies recovered
fatal fall Snowdonia Serious incident
A walker died after falling approximately 800 feet down a steep snowy slope at Clogwyn Coch on Snowdon. The incident occurred in snowy and icy conditions on the Llanberis Path. Llanberis Mountain Rescue Team and a helicopter were called out on Saturday.
Outcome: casualty died
missing persons Highlands Serious incident
Mountain rescue teams in the Scottish Highlands located the body of Jim Stalker, missing since 11 February near Beinn a Chaorainn, with assistance from Lochaber, Tayside and RAF teams. Two other men remain missing: Marcin Bialas (missing since 21 January after falling through a cornice on Ben Nevis) and Neil Gibson (missing since 8 February in the Achnashellach area), with search efforts hampered by severe winter conditions and high avalanche risk.
Outcome: one body recovered; two still missing
missing person Highlands Serious incident
Two brothers and their dog went missing on a hill walk in the Wester Ross area on Thursday morning. Mountain rescue teams found the body of one brother, Alan Gibson, on Saturday, while the search for his brother Neil continued. Weather conditions during the search were described as tricky with frequent snow showers.
Outcome: body recovered
man stuck in bog Peak District
A 56-year-old man from Stalybridge became stuck in a peat bog at Dovestones, submerged to his waist and gradually sinking. Police and Oldham Mountain Rescue worked together to excavate him using straps and heather, freeing him after approximately one hour. He was treated for exposure but sustained no injuries.
Outcome: casualty rescued uninjured, treated for exposure
January 2018
5 incidents missing person Peak District
A 51-year-old man from Oldham was reported missing on 26 January 2018 and was last seen in the Dovestone area on the following afternoon. Mountain rescue teams from Oldham MRT, supported by police, conducted search operations in the reservoir area.
missing person Highlands Serious incident
A 65-year-old hillwalker went missing on Lochnagar on Friday evening after failing to return from a walk. The search was suspended on Saturday due to extreme weather conditions with winds exceeding 100mph, and was to resume on Sunday morning. The walker had not been located as of the publication of this report.
Outcome: search suspended pending resumption
missing person Highlands Serious incident
A group of three walkers got into difficulty on Ben Nevis in severe blizzard conditions on Sunday afternoon. Two were located and rescued after seven hours in waist-deep snow, high winds and poor visibility, but their companion remained missing. Further searches were hampered by avalanche risk and poor visibility.
Outcome: two casualties rescued by stretcher; one person missing, search ongoing
climber fall Highlands Serious incident
A climber who fell through a snow cornice into Observatory Gully on Ben Nevis in January was found deceased following an extensive search by Lochaber Mountain Rescue. The body was recovered from the gully in June after previous search efforts had been hampered by deep snow conditions.
Outcome: body recovered
trapped persons in confined space Peak District Serious incident
Two men in their twenties became trapped at the bottom of a 50-foot sewer shaft in Oldham town centre after abseiling down on makeshift equipment as a prank. Fire crews and Oldham Mountain Rescue Team attended and used ropes and harnesses to rescue both casualties, who suffered only minor cuts and bruises.
Outcome: both casualties rescued uninjured; minor cuts and bruises only