A red-faced mountain rescuer had to call out his own team to save him after a nasty fall.
They were alerted to a climber who had severely injured his spine.
But soon after setting off the team received a message saying ‘I’m the casualty guys…sorry!’ – from one of their own members.
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Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue Team rushed to Anglezarke Quarry, near Chorley, Lancs, as reported by Need To Know.
Local Pauline Smith said: “Well done all of you.
“Your team member was just giving you extra practice, hope he has a speedy recovery.”
Christopher Moyle added: “Wishing him all the best.
“This incident shows that accidents can happen to anyone regardless of their experience.”
Helen Faraday said: “Amazing.”
A spokesperson said: “Knowing we were heading out to rescue one of our own team members and the potential severity of the injuries made it a difficult callout for everyone involved.
“But our volunteers pulled together supporting each other and talking through decisions to help manage the extra adrenaline that was pumping.
“The first team members to arrive carried out a medical assessment and we then gave Entonox gas for pain relief and used a pelvic binder and a vacuum mattress to prevent any spinal movement.
“After a careful extraction down some steep ground we were able to get our team mate to the road to an awaiting ambulance.
“Thank you to the other climbers in the area who helped in various ways during the callout.
“Our team member is now recovering from surgery to pin his spine after fracturing his L1 vertebra.
“All of the team wish him a speedy recovery and hopefully he’ll be back out on the crags soon.
“We also expect a five star review, as well as copious amounts of beer at the next team social.”
The L1 vertebra is the topmost section of the lumbar spinal column.
Injuries to the L1 spine can affect hip flexion, cause paraplegia, loss of bowel/bladder control, and/or numbness in the legs.
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