Mountain rescue volunteer suffers broken back after plunging 20ft from Anglezarke Quarry in Chorley
A volunteer mountain rescuer was rescued by members of his own team after plunging 20ft from a quarry in Chorley.
Bowland Pendle Mountain Rescue Team (BPMRT) rushed to Anglezarke Quarry after being alerted to a climber who had suffered a fall and severely injured his back on Tuesday, May 13
Shortly after receiving the emergency call, the team received a message from one of their own members saying, "I'm the cas guys...sorry"!
The location of the incident and severity of the injuries made it a difficult callout, but volunteers “pulled together” to rescue their stricken team member.
Arriving at the scene in the evening, the casualty was assessed and given Entonox gas for pain relief. The team then used a pelvic binder and a vacuum mattress to prevent any spinal movement while they carried him away from the scene.
He was carefully transported down steep ground and handed into the care of waiting paramedics. He was taken to hospital by ambulance and later required surgery and a pin in his spine for a fractured vertebrae.
In a post on the BPMRT Facebook page, a spokesperson said: "At 6.38pm, the team were called to assist a climber who had fallen 20ft at Anglezarke Quarry and had severe back pain. Shortly after this, we got a message from one of our team members saying "I'm the cas guys...sorry!"
"Knowing we were heading out to rescue one of our own team members, and the potential severity of the injuries, made it a difficult callout for everyone involved, but our volunteers pulled together, supporting each other and talking through decisions to help manage the extra adrenaline that was pumping.
"The first team members to arrive carried out a medical assessment and we then gave Entonox gas for pain relief and used a pelvic binder and a vacuum mattress to prevent any spinal movement. After a careful extraction down some steep ground, we were able to get our team mate to the road to an awaiting ambulance.
"Thank you to the other climbers in the area who helped in various ways during the callout. Our team member is now recovering from surgery to pin his spine after fracturing his L1 vertebrae.
"All of the team wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he'll be back out on the crags soon. We also expect a 5 star review, as well as copious amounts of beer at the next team social!!"