The injured woman is winched into the helicopter. Photo: Keswick MRT
A woman was airlifted from a Lake District mountainside after injuring herself in a fall while scrambling.
The 60-year-old tumbled 50m (164ft) after slipping on broken ground on Raven Crag on the flanks of Grey Knotts on Sunday.
Keswick Mountain Rescue Team was alerted at 10.15am and volunteers made their way to the site in Gillercomb, west of Seathwaite. A team spokesperson said the woman had severe cuts to her head.
“Due to the location and potential serious nature of the incident, assistance from Rescue 895, based at Carlisle, was requested. The woman was treated by the helicopter paramedic and Keswick team, before being packaged and winched to the helicopter for an airlift to hospital.”
The rescue involved 15 Keswick MRT volunteers and lasted 3½ hours.
The spokesperson said: “Many thanks to R895 for their assistance. Some impressive flying.”
The R895 AgustaWestland AW189 helicopter is one of two additional Coastguard aircraft and crews added to the rescue roster during summer months, when demand for search and rescue increases as more members of the public take to the mountains.
R895 is based at Carlisle and a similar aircraft works out of Oban in the western Highlands. The two new helicopters are on call between the hours of 9am and 9pm, April to September.
