Gt Langdale

A 45-year-old local man fell 40 ft from the third pitch of this route. He sustained a pneumothorax, surgical emphysema, multiple broken ribs, a bruised heart and a flail chest segment( and a small cut to his leg!). He was treated on scene and evacuated by helicopter to Furness General Hospital. He was in a very serious condition and required paralysing and ventilating in intensive care for several days.

A 17-year-boy slipped and injured his ankle. The injury was minor and the boy seemed to be milking it for all it was worth. We do have a team member or two who are of the opinion that a good slap is an excellent cure for certain ailments. It may have been appropriate here, but there were too many witnesses. Came from just round the corner from my Mum's old house. It's a small world.

Three young people were on a final hike before an expedition to Kenya, and were being "shadowed" by two supervisors. One of the two females suffered a minor ankle injury. One of the supervisors left them to fetch a car to meet them, so they could descend by an easier route, but took 17 hours to reach Langdale! The group were eventually located by Wasdale MRT and were escorted in to Langdale. Sometimes you have to wonder who supervises the supervisors. A traditional "de-brief" followed at our base. Fortunately the Wasdale team didn't have to walk home.

A 20 year old American was reported as suffering from a heart condition after camping the night at Red Tarn. He was monitored and found to be tachicardic. This may have been a medical condition, or may have been caused by his hideously overweight rucsac.

A 55-year-old man could not get up the Bad Step and agreed to meet his friends on the summit by going round. Surprise, surprise he never turned up. His friends looked for him. We initially checked the roads, and were just about to scale up the search when he turned up in a taxi having gone down to Brotherikeld. He was unhurt, but £35 worse off.

A man descending a gully after completing a climb took a tumble and sustained injuries to his spine, leg and hand. He was immobilised with our vacuum mattress and a cervical collar and evacuated to the valley bottom. It turned out that he had fractured his C5 and C6 vertebrae. It's a good job we didn't let him walk down, as he wanted to.

A 68-year-old woman suffered a recurrence of an old knee injury. Someone was sent on ahead to get us, but she made good time and arrived at the Old Dungeon Ghyll Hotel at the same time as we did. The woman was examined at our base and allowed to go home.

The team were called to a climber who had fallen a considerable distance from the top of Raven Crag, Walthwaite. He fell around 75 metres, sustaining serious multiple injuries. His second also sustained minor injuries , including rope burns, because he was pulled off his stance. We worked with paramedics, air ambulance and RAF to treat and evacuate the man

The husband of a 38-year-old woman phoned 999 when she slipped and dislocated her finger a few hundred yards above the bridge near the bottom of the Ghyll. We were a little surprised at their apparent inability to deal with this one themselves.

Three climbers were reported overdue. We looked for them, but they outflanked us and turned up safe at the New Dungeon Ghyll Hotel.

We were on our way home from the previous incident when we were notified of a second incident. The helicopter returning from the previous incident assisted again, making our lives a lot easier.

This man found himself at the top of this popular crag. He slipped and fell off, falling over 100 ft. He was seriously injured, sustaining head, arm, leg and spinal injuries. It really is amazing what the body is capable of surviving. He was airlifted to Furness General Hospital.

A 67-year-old man collapsed on a bridleway just above Elterwater Hall. He was treated on scene and transferred to an ambulance for transport to hospital in Kendal.

A young man with a history of blackouts suffered one on the bank of Mill Ghyll, causing him to fall 25 ft into the Ghyll. He sustained a suspected jaw fracture and spinal injuries. He was treated and evacuated by stretcher to an ambulance.

A man reported his Grandfather overdue for a rendezvous at Silverthwaite Car Park. He was tracked down in the Britannia Inn, Elterwater, well on his way to inebriation.

A man slipped on Jacks Rake and sustained a dislocated shoulder and collar bone injuries. He was treated for pain and immobilised at the scene and then airlifted to Furness General Hospital.

Three experienced walkers were struck by lightning while descending The Band. All three suffered burns and shock. They were evacuated to Furness General Hospital by helicopter.

We were notified by the Police of an incident at a place I'll call Blea Blurr. Two men were lost in a blizzard and one had suffered leg injuries. The Police didn't get the second part of the name. It was lost in the atmospheric fug that accompanies many mobile phone calls in this area. We checked out our Blea Tarn and Rigg and found nothing. Keswick and Wasdale checked out their own Bleas, and found nothing. Penrith Team checked out their Blea water and found them. After a thorough soaking, a bit of exercise and a lot of head scratching we went home.

A father and son were reported overdue. A search was organised, involving Keswick MRT, Wasdale MRT and SARDA. They were in the Calf Cove area by a search dog, unhurt, but cold. They were lucky, because information about their route was sketchy, and the area covered was very large.

A couple in their 20s got into difficulty when they overestimated their ability and became benighted, cold and wet. They phoned for help on their mobile phone. We located them after a brief search, and assisted them from the fell. Apart from some damage to clothing, they were unscathed. Unfortunately, if they learned anything from their experience, it wasn't immediately obvious.

A couple in their 50s phoned 999 on their mobile phone when they became lost in mist. They had no idea where they were, but our shrewd detective work pinned them down to the Stickle Tarn area. Once they were guided to the tarn, they were able to find their way off the hill. We really have got better things to do with our time!

A 58-year-old man slipped while descending and sustained injuries to his head and hip. He was stretchered from the fell and taken to Ambleside Health Centre for a once over by a doctor. We were assisted by Kendal MRT.

An 83-year-old man got into difficulty and became exhausted while descending The Band. His party was overtaken by darkness. We stretchered him off and escorted the rest of the party down.

A 57-year-old South Cumbrian woman tripped and fell 100 ft. into the upper reaches of Dungeon Ghyll. She suffered very serious multiple injuries and despite our best efforts, sadly, died during the evacuation, We were assisted by RAF Leeming and three members of Furness MRT.

Lights were spotted and we went to check them out. Nothing was found, so we went home at midnight. A well-intentioned false alarm.

This 39-year-old man slipped on steep, loose ground and sustained a suspected ankle fracture. Once we actually located him, we did the usual sort of stuff.

A 51-year-old man slipped and fell, sustaining a suspected wrist fracture and multiple lacerations. He was treated on the hill and then evacuated to the valley by stretcher.

We were requested by Keswick MRT to open our base to assist with communications and provide a search dog to assist in finding two young men missing in the Central Fells. They turned up later that morning, unharmed.

While the previous incident was in progress, we were alerted to cries for help from a steep slope on the side of Harrison Stickle. We spent 3½ hours checking the area before all persons were accounted for and we could return home. A good example of inappropriate use of a mobile phone.

We were called to assist a blind man and his wife who were making very slow progress. They had been delayed after getting lost and having to retrace their steps. Two men came across them. One stayed to help while the other one went ahead to get help. When we arrived at Stool End Farm the farmer had gone up on his quad-bike and brought them all down. The two men who helped then realised they had lost their car keys when one of them had slipped. They were put up at the farmhouse and they went home next day. It was unfortunate that they should suffer this inconvenience after helping the others.