Pensioner’s 20ft mountain fall sparks “challenging” rescue


A 74-year-old woman from Dalston, near Carlisle, was rescued yesterday evening in what was a large-scale response involving the Great North Air Ambulance Service, the RAF and Keswick Mountain Rescue Team.


The woman had fallen about 20 feet at Barf Crag, Bassenthwaite, and had lain undiscovered for some time.

The alarm was eventually raised and the woman had to be removed from the crag in what was a very technically challenging rescue involving the RAF Sea King aircraft (pictured, with GNAAS’ Pride of Cumbria heli) and the mountain rescue team.

The patient was winched into the Sea King and flown down to the Pride of Cumbria air ambulance where an accident and emergency consultant, part of the aircrew, assessed and treated the patient before she was flown by the Pride of Cumbria to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle.

She had sustained multiple serious injuries but arrived in the hospital in a stable condition.

The flight took 26 minutes.

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