MountainBiker

A 999 call was received by the North West Ambulance Service this afternoon concerning the report of a young 12 year old boy from Darwen, reported to be unconscious on the moor, in the vicinity of Darwen Tower.

At 14:39 the Bolton MRT was contacted by the Team Leader of Rossendale & Pendle MRT regards this call which had been passed to their team a minute beforehand by the North West Ambulance Service, however it transpired that the incident had occurred within BMRT’s operational area.

Also despatched to attend this incident was an aircraft from the North West Air Ambulance (Helimed 72) from City Airport Manchester.

It was soon discovered that the young male had fallen from his bike whilst riding in the company of his father and younger brother, on the gravel track near to an area known locally as Lyon’s Den. Coincidentally this was the exact same location as the last mountain bike accident which had occurred on the 12th October 2014 (see our incident report 86/2014)

Once the initial rendezvous point had been established, the Bolton MRT were called out to attend at 14:42. Twelve team members and three team Land Rover ambulances made their way to the Roddlesworth Information Centre at Tockholes, Darwen, to assist NWAS and the crew of the North West Air Ambulance with the treatment and evacuation of the young casualty.

Our first responding team Land Rover arrived on scene at 15:08 and drove onto the moor to meet with the NWAA crew. Unfortunately just prior to this, the weather had taken a turn for the worse, and torrential rain ensued throughout. Team members deployed a casualty shelter whilst treatment was given by the NWAA crew, and the casualty’s 10 year old younger brother was given shelter in one of our team Land Rover ambulances.

With suspected head, spinal and pelvic injuries sustained by the 12 year old male, he was splinted, immobilised and loaded onto a specialised “scoop” stretcher and pain relief was given. He was then carried by team members and the NWAA crew a short distance to the waiting helicopter, which departed for the Royal Manchester Children’s Hospital at approximately 16:00. Due to the suspected severity of his injuries, the casualty was accompanied by his father on the flight to hospital.

Bolton MRT team members present then conveyed the younger brother and the family’s three mountain bikes to their home address in Darwen, where team members were met by the casualty’s mother (owing to communication difficulties it had not been possible to get in touch with her beforehand).

The team’s best wishes are expressed to the young boy and his family, with the hope of a speedy recovery and return to mountain biking.

The following resources were known to be deployed on this incident:

• Bolton MRT
  • 12 team members
  • 3 team Land Rover ambulances
  • 2 additional team members were stood down whilst responding
• North West Air Ambulance
  • Helimed 72 from City Airport Manchester
• North West Ambulance Service
  • Emergency Operations Centre (Broughton) Air Desk
  • Ambulance vehicles (stood down en-route)

This incident marks the ninth mountain bike accident attended by Bolton MRT so far this year (2013 – ten mountain bike incidents).

At 11.37hrs this morning we were paged by NWAS (Lancashire) EOC Broughton, Air Desk despatcher, regards our assistance at an incident in the Tockholes area.

Co-incidentally at the same time some members were en route to our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ to carry out some team administration and kit maintenance tasks.

The pager call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, who then passed information to those at our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ via Airwave, and sent a detailed pager call out at 11.45hrs.

The initial call out information was to an injured mountain biker, reported to have a serious fracture, on a track near to Tockholes in the vicinity of Cartridge Hill.

The NWAA Helimed 08 was unable to respond due to fog, with an NWAS Emergency Ambulance en route at the time of our first pager call.

Team member Paul Brain who lives nearby in Abbey Village, was on scene (at least at the road head that is) at 12.03hrs followed a minute later by Team member Diane Blakeley.

Meanwhile our first of three responding Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, just prior to arrival at the RVP at the start of the Lyons Den track, from the Tockholes road up on to the flanks of Cartridge Hill, established that the NWAS crew had driven their Ambulance high up the track, and met with the casualty.

The injured 34 years old male mountain biker, whilst riding with two colleagues, had fallen sustaining a serious open fracture to his right elbow.

At 12.09hrs with most responding team members now on scene, we were stood down by NWAS, but remained at the road head until the Ambulance had safely left the moorland track, with this incident concluding on scene at 12.35hrs.

We understand that the farmer from the nearby New Barn Farm, also accessed the casualty site by quad bike, offering help if required.

The following resources were involved directly in this incident:

• NWAS (Lancashire): EOC Broughton Air desk despatcher, one Emergency Ambulance from Blackburn Ambulance Station, two crew on board.
• Bolton MRT: Three Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, radio call signs Bolton Mobiles 1,2 and 3. Twelve team members on scene, with a further three stood down responding.

This incident represents the eighth mountain bike accident attended by the Bolton MRT this current year (2013 – ten mountain bike incidents)

At 16:48 this fine and sunny late afternoon, we were paged by NWAS Lancashire EOC Air Desk for our assistance with a mountain bike accident in the Roddlesworth plantations at Tockholes.

The call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, with initial information leading the team to consider the Slipper Lowe car park as the incident RVP.

A full team callout message was paged at 16:55 and during the response of team members, Steve Fletcher in liaison between our Team Leader, NWAS EOC and the on-scene NWAS crew established that the incident was actually better accessed from Halliwell Fold bridge within the Roddlesworth woodlands.

Our Bolton Mobile 3 Land Rover with team members Mike Marsh and Paul Copley was first on scene at Halliwell Fold bridge RVP where they met with the colleague of the injured mountain biker and one of the NWAS crew members at 17:25.

Team member Mike Marsh went to the casualty site to find out the 46 year old injured male mountain biker (from the Sabden area) had suspected head, arm, chest and knee injuries, after falling with his bike over a short drop and landing in the stream of the Roddlesworth Woodland trail north of Halliwell Fold bridge.

With the arrival of further team members and another team Land Rover the injured male was quickly stretcher evacuated back to the MRT RVP where at 18:00 he was placed on a stretcher in the rear of our BM3 vehicle. This vehicle then transferred the casualty to where the NWAS emergency ambulance had parked, at Rake Cottage alongside Rake Brook reservoir. Here the casualty was further assessed and taken by NWAS to Royal Preston Hospital.

By 19:05 all team vehicles involved had departed the scene after the collection of equipment from the MRT RVP.

All that remained was the collection of some team equipment from Royal Preston Hospital by our BM3 vehicle and its return to our Ladybridge Hal Base/HQ at 20:10.

The team and NWAS would like to thank the experienced male mountain biker colleague of the injured man who provided initial care for the man, including a short period when he lost consciousness.

The following resources were involved in this incident:

• NWAS Lancashire EOC Broughton Air Desk despatcher
• NWAS Lancashire Emergency Ambulance and paramedic, technician crew from Blackburn ambulance station
• Bolton MRT, 2 team Land Rover Mountain Rescue ambulances, 15 team callout list members involved on scene, with a further three team members stood down responding.

This incident represents the seventh mountain bike accident attended by the Bolton MRT in 2014. (2013 – ten mountain bike incidents)