Incident 105/2008

This afternoon during the Joint Foundation Course as participants, including our team members, were assembling for the main outdoor exercise element in the Noon Hill Gully area of Rivington, we became aware of a developing incident in the Rivington area.

NWAS (Lancashire) were responding to a report of a motorcycle RTC in the Rivington Lane, Rivington area during the process of which one of our team members in our BM4 vehicle was made aware by a member of the public of a mountain bike accident on the Eastern fringe of Lever Park.

It became apparent that this was one and the same incident and did actually involve a male, 30 year old, mountain biker. From the nearby Joint Foundation Course exercise location our BM3 landrover Mountain Rescue Ambulance with two persons on board and a Rossendale & Pendle MRT Landrover Mountain Rescue Ambulance with four persons on board responded.

Our Deputy Leader Geoff Seddon with team member Matthew Hailwood also jointly responded to this incident.

The actual incident site was in the vicinity of Breres Meadow, Lever Park, Rivington.

The mountain biker in a group of 4 (?) bikers had suffered an accident in which he sustained injuries to his left hip. He was initially treated by an NWAS (Lancashire) RRV Paramedic, quickly joined by responding MRT – SAR personnel and an NWAS (Lancashire) emergency ambulance crew.

The mans injuries were splinted using an MRT vacuum splint and the quick rescue stretcher with Entonox pain killing gas being self administered. (Morphine was then administered by the NWAS staff).

From his location he was evacuated in our BM4 Landrover Mountain Rescue Ambulance to the NWAS ambulance at Rivington Hall Barn ambulance RVP.

This incident took place in steadily worsening misty and heavy rain conditions and was concluded with the man being evacuated to Royal Preston Hospital in the NWAS emergency ambulance (closely followed by our BM3 vehicle which of course had to travel to RPH to collect all the equipment we had used that was still wrapped around the casualty.

In total the following assets were involved in this incident,

• NWAA Helimed 08 which had to stand down its response because of the worsening weather conditions.
• Lancashire Constabulary divisional van (1 officer) and a traffic vehicle (1 officer).
• Bolton MRT (4x + 2 vehicles)

• Cheshire Lowland Search & Rescue Team (2x)
• North East Wales Search & Rescue Team (1x)
• Calder Valley Search & Rescue Team (1x)
• Rossendale & Pendle MRT (1x + 1 vehicle)We would like to make special mention to the casualties colleagues for the efficient manner in which they guided all responding assets to the incident location and willingness to assist at the casualty site. (timings will appear in this report once our incident report process is completed).