Incident 53/2010

At 11:44 today, the team was paged by NWAS (Manchester) Control regarding a 9 year old male cyclist reported to have fallen down an embankment in the Clifton Country Park area of Swinton.

A full team pager callout was initiated at 11:53, with one vehicle mobile almost immediately as a small number of members were present at our Ladybridge Hall Base/HQ.

Our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE was the first MRT member on scene at 12:07 to meet the responding NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance crew (from Eccles ambulance station), and the two-man NWAS (Manchester) HART crew, who reported that the 9 year old youth had accidentally cycled over a sheer 20 foot drop, down a vertical rock face, landing on the bankside of the River Irwell (which thankfully was flowing at low levels).

The NWAS personnel on scene had splinted the young boy’s injuries (suspected spinal injuries) and stabilised his condition, awaiting our help with extricating him from the riverside location.

The youth was placed on a mountain rescue stretcher and with a joint BMRT and NWAS stretcher party was evacuated along the riverbank, up the steep riverside, to the waiting NWAS Emergency Ambualance alongside the lake in Clifton Country Park (the evacuation was completed by circa 12:50).

The 9 year old youth involved, from Swinton, was then taken to Hope Hospital, Salford, for treatment (his parents were also present on scene, along with the three other young cyclists also in his group).

Thanks are expressed to the two staff members of Salford Ranger Service, based at Clifton Country Park, who kindly guided team members to the scene, and also assisted with redirecting traffic at the equestrian event also being held at the park, to give priority to our responding emergency vehicles.

The following resources were deployed to this incident:

• Bolton MRT, 19 team members, 3 MRT Landrover Ambulances, and our Team Leader’s vehicle
• NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance (two crew) and NWAS HART vehicle (two crew)
• Salford Ranger Service (two members)

All team members wish the young boy involved best wishes in his recovery.