First two call-outs this year for Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team
They happened within 90 minutes of each other yesterday
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After a quiet start to the New Year, the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team got two call-outs in the the space of 90 minutes yesterday.
At 12.38pm, the team received its first call out for 2026 at Aira Force. A casualty in their seventies had fallen on slippery ground and injured their hip and was unable to walk. The team located the casualty near the top of the falls. Due to recent rain which has fallen on frozen ground the path had got very slippy. The casualty was treated at scene and given pain relief, transferred to a vacuum mattress and stretcher. They were evacuated to a team landrover and taken to the mountain rescue base. From there she was then taken to hospital via a land ambulance. The rescue involved 14 team members and lasted 3 hours.
While the team were dealing with an incident at Aira Force, it was notified at 2pm by police about a crash on Kirkstone Pass. A car had lost control and crashed in the snow as they descended down Kirkstone Pass towards Patterdale. A second vehicle behind then crashed into the first crashed vehicle.
One of the occupants complained of chest pains, which triggered an immediate response by the team. Two landrovers responded and located the scene near the top of Kirkstone Pass. The fresh snow had caused very slippy conditions on the steep slope.
The occupants of both vehicles were taken down the pass in the team Landrovers. In the meantime North West Ambulance Service had dispatched a fast repose vehicle and a land ambulance. The casualty with chest pains was treated at the mountain rescue base by NWAS paramedics and then cleared to be dropped off at their hotel in Glenridding. The rescue involved six team members and lasted two hours.