Walker rescued 12 hours after mountain fall

Twelve hour ordeal for walker after mountain fall


Anton McNulty

A WALKER was rescued and taken from Sheeffry Mountain some 12 hours after she sustained a knee injury following a fall on Saturday afternoon.
The 50 year-old woman from Northern Ireland was part of a walking group which were on an outing on the mountain on Saturday when she fell and injured her knee. The incident occurred at approximately 12 noon and she was finally brought to the foot of the mountain at 12 midnight, after a challenging rescue.
The first obstacle to a quicker rescue was the lack of a phone signal in the area, forcing members of her group to descend the mountain and raise the alarm at the Delphi Adventure Centre.
Mayo Mountain Rescue received the call around 2pm and immediately dispatched a first response team, who quickly ascended the mountain to reach the casualty.
The medics found that she needed to be stretchered from the mountain, an operation which was complex and hazardous due to the extremely steep ground. The rescue mission was further hampered by horrendous weather conditions, with winds gusting up to 120km per hour, accompanied by driving rain. This, coupled with darkness and dangerous terrain, made the mission very difficult and time consuming.
The casualty finally arrived at a waiting ambulance around midnight, some 12 hours after the initial incident occurred.
Mayo Mountain Rescue thanked everyone involved in the operation and the Delphi Centre for their assistance.