Early this morning three very experienced mountain bikers set off for a ride taking in the Tockholes area. At just before 09:00, one of the experienced riders, a 61 year old male from Bolton, took a fall resulting in suspected multiple injuries. His two colleagues immediately dialled 999 and requested the ambulance service.
Very quickly (at 09:07) we were paged by North West Ambulance Service (Lancashire) EOC Air Desk to respond to this incident to assist the responding land ambulance crew.
With team members already mobilising to the location and to collect team vehicles, at 09:19 a more detailed full team callout pager message was sent. Our first team member, David Cook arrived at the Royal Arms Public House, Roddlesworth RVP at 09:23, and made his way to the nearby incident site, joining the ambulance crew, who were already in attendance, at 09:28.
Our first team vehicle Bolton Mobile 1 arrived at the roadhead at 09:36 and equipment was quickly despatched to the incident scene within Tockholes No.2 plantation.
By 09:59 the casualty evacuation commenced arriving at the roadhead just as the North West Air Ambulance Helimed 08 landed in nearby fields at 10:10. Suffering from suspected fractured ribs, a head injury and a possible shoulder dislocation, the casualty was then transferred into the care of Helimed 08 which departed at 10:37 for Royal Preston Hospital.
For a short period the road alongside the Royal Arms Public House was closed to allow the safe passage of the casualty on the stretcher between the woodlands and the helicopter landing zone.
We would like to thank the two friends of this mountain biker, and his partner who arrived from a nearby address, for their understanding whilst we dealt with the injured man.
This incident represents the sixth mountain bike accident attended by the Bolton MRT in 2014. (2013 – ten mountain bike incidents)
The following resources were involved in this incident:
NWAS (Lancashire) EOC Broughton Air Desk despatcher
NWAS (Lancashire) Emergency ambulance – two crew from Blackburn ambulance station
3 team Land Rover Mountain Rescue ambulance vehicles
We would like to thank local tenant farmer John Smith (New Barn Farm, Roddlesworth) for this kind understanding of the requirement to land Helimed 08 in his stock fields and for his immediate assistance in ensuring sheep were kept a distance away from the aircraft.
At the conclusion of this incident we met up with long-standing friend of the team (and former Team Leader of Bowland Pennine MRT) Peter Taylor who was out in the same area for a Sunday walk with a colleague BPMRT member.
Coincidentally in regards to BPMRT whilst a small number of our team members were enjoying a post-incident breakfast at the nearby Vaughn’s Country Café, four passing walkers stopped to make a small donation to us as it turned out that one of the walkers present had been rescued a year ago, after injuring herself in the Dunsop Bridge area by Bowland Pennine MRT. The walkers made this donation as a general thank-you to all who volunteer for Mountain Rescue.
We would like to thank Bowland Pennine MRT for the use of their Winter Hill radio repeater which greatly assisted in the management of this incident.
Kind comments were received via Facebook from one Simon McLean, of the friends of the injured mountain biker today:
“Thanks from Rick and myself for doing a great job today getting our injured friend out of the woods and into the helicopter Get well soon Dave”
At 12.06hrs this very warm (28c) and sunny day, we were paged by NWAS (Manchester) EOC Parkway, regards a mountain biking accident in the vicinity of Rivington Pike.
The call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, with a fully detailed pager call out being made at 12.18hrs, by which time four drivers were already responding to our three team vehicle garage locations.A 48 years old experienced female mountain biker (and road cyclist) had sustained an ankle injury whilst cycling in the company of a group of male young and adult fellow mountain bikers.
Her colleagues, including amongst their midst a first aider had comforted her, whilst contacting 999 for the Ambulance Service.
Our first of four responding Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulance vehicles went mobile at 12.20hrs, with our first team member in Land Rover ‘Bolton Mobile 3’ arriving on scene at circa 12.32hrs.
Team member Steve Fletcher quickly made contact with the group, and guided in his colleagues to the woman’s accident site alongside the hillside Terraced Gardens at Rivington (Whether the group including the injured woman from Penwortham, Preston, were aware that this had formed part of the 2002 Commonwealth Games Mountain Bike Course we do not know)
Her injured left ankle was quickly splinted in a specialist vacuum splint, and at 13.03hrs a short mountain rescue stretcher evacuation commenced back to the waiting Team Land Rovers on the high moorland track of Georges Lane.
Stretcher carry to the waiting ambulance
Here she was met at 13.10hrs by the responding NWAS Emergency Ambulance crew (From Bolton South Ambulance Station) who further assessed her injury.
Placed in to our ‘Bolton Mobile 4’ Land Rover, alongside the NWAS crew, (Who had been transported along the rough track in our BM4 Land Rover) she was driven and then transferred to the waiting NWAS Emergency Ambulance at Wilderswood, Horwich, for onward journey to Royal Bolton Hospital.
In the interim, our Land Rover ‘Bolton Mobile 3’ transported the injured woman’s mountain bike down to Rivington Hall Barn, where she and her companions had set off from earlier this morning.
By 14.00hrs on scene all was completed.
In total ten team call out list members and one Probationary team member were involved on scene with this incident, our fifth mountain bike accident attended this year.
At 17.35hrs this very warm and sunny, fine early evening we were paged by NWAS (Manchester) EOC for our assistance.
The call was immediately answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, whilst our Deputy Team Leader Chris Greenhalgh and two other team members (Steve Fletcher and Dave Marsh) all made their way to our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ and GMFRS Bolton Central Community Fire Station garage, to make ready two of our Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances for the required response.
The initial information was in relation to a very recent 999 call reporting an injured male cyclist at Clifton Country Park, Clifton, Swinton.
NWAS EOC informed our Team Leader a Rapid Response Vehicle was on route, and at 17.45hrs a full team pager call out was made, with both our Land Rovers departing soon afterwards.
At Clifton Country Park, near to the River Irwell, an experienced 50 year old male mountain biker, from the Unsworth, Bury, area, had come unseated at a small timber bridge over a shallow depression.
Initially his female friend, Nicola Latham (A school teacher from Swinton) had apparently missed him, (As she reported to us later) as he was lay injured partly obscured by the small timber bridge.
Nicola then cycled to the nearby Country Park Information Centre car park, in her attempts to obtain a mobile phone signal, with a passing member of the public making the call on her phone which had a signal.
A nearby fisherman, Glyn Berry, also assisted Nicola, and soon the NWAS RRV solo Paramedic was on scene.
At 17.55hrs Phil Crook was our first team member on scene, followed soon by others, and at 18.05hrs both our Land Rovers arrived at the Information Centre car park RVP.
The NWAA Helimed 75, after a period hovering overhead to locate the casualty site, which was under a dense tree canopy, landed nearby at 18.10hrs, and the two crew Paramedics also went to the scene.
By 18.08hrs essential mountain rescue equipment to aid in the evacuation was being despatched to the casualty site.
In a joint operation on scene, the injured mountain biker was treated for head, neck, back, and shoulder injuries, with NWAS / NWAA / BMRT personnel all carefully placing the injured man on to a scoop stretcher and then on to one of our specialist mountain rescue stretchers – SAR Alpine Lite MR Stretcher.
The injured man was also given pain relieving gas, to help with his obvious discomfort.
The experienced mountain biker had been wearing a helmet which was damaged in the accident, but protected his head from further injury.
It was decided to evacuate him to the responding Emergency Ambulance, which had arrived nearby, rather than the Air Ambulance, and a stretcher evacuation involving over twenty team members working in relays on the narrow path, commenced at 18.47hrs.
By 19.00hrs the man was being further assessed and treated in the NWAS Emergency Ambulance, which departed at 19.33hrs for Hope Hospital, Salford.
By 19.45hrs all involved emergency personnel at this incident had left the incident scene.
Our latest update on the mans condition, when we went to Hope Hospital to collect our equipment was that he was being further treated for bruising and rib injuries.
Nicola Latham, the team, NWAS and NWAA would like to thank a nearby fisherman, Glyn Berry, who very kindly assisted initially at the scene of this accident, met our responding members, allowed key access through some barrier gates, and also acted as a guide to the casualty site, your help was appreciated. (Furthermore this kind man offered to look after the injured mans mountain bike until it could be collected later)
The following resources were deployed or involved in this incident ;
NWAS (Manchester) EOC; Performance Managers and Control Room Managers.
NWAS (Manchester) Rapid Response Vehicle from Bolton South (Highfield) Ambulance Station, solo Paramedic.
NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance from Bury Ambulance Station and two crew (One of whom, Tony Berry, is a former Bolton MRT member)
North West Air Ambulance; Helimed 75, City Airport Manchester (Barton) HEMS Paramedic, Paramedic and Aircraft Captain / Pilot.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Two Team Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances, Call Signs Bolton Mobile 2 and 3, twenty four team Call Out list members on scene, and two further members stood down responding.
GMP Force Control Room; Force Duty Officer, who monitored this incident throughout.
As ever we extend our thanks to our colleagues at Bowland Pennine MRT for freely allowing us to utilise their ‘Winter Hill Repeater’ radio channel during our response to this incident, which as always greatly facilitated our intra team radio communications.
This call out was our fourth this year involving a mountain biker – in 2013 we were called out to ten mountain bike accidents in total.
At 13.55hrs this warm and sunny May Day Holiday we were paged by NWAS (Manchester) EOC regards an incident at Philips Park, Prestwich.
The call was answered by our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE, who liaised with NWAS EOC to obtain further details before paging a full team Call Out at 14.05hrs.
A mountain biker in the company of six others had fallen in Philips Park, Prestwich, sustaining suspected serious injuries.
Four team Land Rovers were mobilised, joining NWAS and NWAA Air Ambulance responding resources.
Our first Team member, Alan James, arrived at the main car park RVP to Philips Park, at 14.10hrs, and immediately went to the casualty site to liaise with the attending NWAS RRV and Emergency Ambulance crew.
The NWAA helicopter landed soon after, in fields immediately next to the car park and play area to Philips Park Hall.
By 14.24hrs five team members were on scene, including our Team Leader.
Casualty care was being carried out by the NWAS crews and the Helimed crew, when at 14.31hrs the first of our four responding Land Rovers arrived on scene at the RVP.
The casualty, a 47 years old man from Atherton, had fallen from his mountain bike, we understand whilst on the Mountain Bike Red Trail in the woodland of Philips Park.
He was treated for a suspected fractured jaw, head, right shoulder and clavicle injuries, and bruising to the chest.
Drugs were administered on scene by NWAS and NWAA personnel, with the man being placed on to a Scoop stretcher, which in turn was then placed on to our SAR Alpine Lite MR Stretcher, for a stretcher evacuation back to the RVP.
Arriving here at 14.49hrs, it was decided to take the injured man to Salford Hope Hospital by NWAS Emergency Ambulance, which departed within minutes, followed at 15.04hrs by the departure of the NWAA Helimed 72.
Our last personnel left the car park RVP at 15.25hrs.
The following resources were involved in this incident;
NWAS (Manchester) EOC Parkway.
NWAS (Manchester) RRV – Rapid Response Vehicle, solo crewed by a Paramedic, from Bury Ambulance Station.
NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance, two crew, (Paramedic and EMT) from Swinton Ambulance Station.
North West Air Ambulance Helimed 72, from City Airport Manchester (Barton) Crew consisted of Pilot / Captain, Paramedic, Doctor and one additional crew member to those normally on board, a Nurse from Wythenshawe Hospital, who was ‘observing’ for the day.
Bolton Mountain Rescue Team; Four Land Rover Mountain Rescue Ambulances responded, alongside twenty two team members, with one further team member stood down responding.
We would like to take this opportunity to thank a number of people for their kind help in directing us to this serious incident, including the colleague mountain biker members of the injured mans party, and a passing mountain biker, Al Paton of Heywood, who assisted with information given to Ambulance Control as to the location of this incident.
We would also like to thank once again Bowland Pennine MRT for allowing us the use of their Winter Hill Repeater channel, which greatly assisted us in our radio communications whilst responding to this incident.
This incident today is the third Mountain Biker accident we have attended so far this year. (In 2013 we were called out to ten mountain biker incidents)
With eighteen team members responding to set up to provide standby rescue cover for the Annual Easter Saturday Rivington Pike Fell Race (See above ‘News’ report) NWAS (Manchester) EOC Parkway directly contacted our Team Leader Garry Rhodes MBE (Who minutes earlier had been routinely in contact with the EOC) at 12.27hrs requesting the team’s assistance to deal with the report of an injured male in the vicinity of Pike Cottage, Georges Lane, above Horwich.
Our Land Rover BM3 responded en-route, co-incidentally already on the moorland flanks track of Georges Lane, with four crew on board, and quickly located the casualty site at 12.33hrs.
A 51 years old male Mountain Biker, from Ashton-Under-Lyne, in the company of seven other mountain bikers, had fallen from his bike sustaining a very painful suspected dislocated shoulder.
Our Land Rover BM2 with two crew on board, also responded from nearby as did our Incident Control Vehicle BM6, from our Ladybridge Hall Base / HQ, also with two crew on board.
The casualty site was just ‘below’ Georges Lane, in the vicinity of Wilderswood, and with assistance the casualty was able to walk to our BM2 Land Rover, after being given pain relief.
This Land Rover transferred the casualty to the junction of Matchmoor Lane and Georges Lane, where an NWAS (Manchester) Emergency Ambulance was waiting alongside our Incident Control Vehicle.
By 13.10hrs our part in this incident was over, with the injured man being taken to Royal Bolton Hospital for treatment.
In total eight team members were involved in this incident.
In June 2020 we sent over ten fire engines, to a moorland fire upon Darwen Moor as well as a lot of resources from @unitedutilities@BoltonMRT and other agencies attending this major incident incident. @DCCWoods has confirmed that two Lancashire residents have now been charged. twitter.com/DCCWoods/statu…
A large number of police officers are being deployed to areas within Didsbury alongside colleagues from @manchesterfire to support @ManCityCouncil with evacuating residents at risk of flooding from #StormChristoph
⚠️ Severe Flood Warning covering parts of Didsbury, Chorlton & Northenden ⚠️
Please share the below image with friends, family & networks should anyone need info on how to prepare, what to expect & who to contact for urgent care/support.
Learn more: orlo.uk/xlwsbpic.twitter.com/AMelNkAY5U
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Sep 7 2014
Incident 79/2014 – mountain biker at Roddlesworth
Early this morning three very experienced mountain bikers set off for a ride taking in the Tockholes area. At just before 09:00, one of the experienced riders, a 61 year old male from Bolton, took a fall resulting in suspected multiple injuries. His two colleagues immediately dialled 999 and requested the ambulance service.
Very quickly (at 09:07) we were paged by North West Ambulance Service (Lancashire) EOC Air Desk to respond to this incident to assist the responding land ambulance crew.
With team members already mobilising to the location and to collect team vehicles, at 09:19 a more detailed full team callout pager message was sent. Our first team member, David Cook arrived at the Royal Arms Public House, Roddlesworth RVP at 09:23, and made his way to the nearby incident site, joining the ambulance crew, who were already in attendance, at 09:28.
Our first team vehicle Bolton Mobile 1 arrived at the roadhead at 09:36 and equipment was quickly despatched to the incident scene within Tockholes No.2 plantation.
By 09:59 the casualty evacuation commenced arriving at the roadhead just as the North West Air Ambulance Helimed 08 landed in nearby fields at 10:10. Suffering from suspected fractured ribs, a head injury and a possible shoulder dislocation, the casualty was then transferred into the care of Helimed 08 which departed at 10:37 for Royal Preston Hospital.
For a short period the road alongside the Royal Arms Public House was closed to allow the safe passage of the casualty on the stretcher between the woodlands and the helicopter landing zone.
We would like to thank the two friends of this mountain biker, and his partner who arrived from a nearby address, for their understanding whilst we dealt with the injured man.
This incident represents the sixth mountain bike accident attended by the Bolton MRT in 2014. (2013 – ten mountain bike incidents)
The following resources were involved in this incident:
We would like to thank local tenant farmer John Smith (New Barn Farm, Roddlesworth) for this kind understanding of the requirement to land Helimed 08 in his stock fields and for his immediate assistance in ensuring sheep were kept a distance away from the aircraft.
At the conclusion of this incident we met up with long-standing friend of the team (and former Team Leader of Bowland Pennine MRT) Peter Taylor who was out in the same area for a Sunday walk with a colleague BPMRT member.
Coincidentally in regards to BPMRT whilst a small number of our team members were enjoying a post-incident breakfast at the nearby Vaughn’s Country Café, four passing walkers stopped to make a small donation to us as it turned out that one of the walkers present had been rescued a year ago, after injuring herself in the Dunsop Bridge area by Bowland Pennine MRT. The walkers made this donation as a general thank-you to all who volunteer for Mountain Rescue.
We would like to thank Bowland Pennine MRT for the use of their Winter Hill radio repeater which greatly assisted in the management of this incident.
Kind comments were received via Facebook from one Simon McLean, of the friends of the injured mountain biker today:
By Steven Fletcher • 2014, Incident • Tags: MountainBiker