A 61 year-old walker was airlifted to hospital by a Coast Guard helicopter from the Backstairs mountains in Carlow yesterday evening. The walker had sustained a lower leg injury while out walking with three friends. The alarm was raised at around 4pm yesterday evening, when one of the men contacted the Mountain Rescue team through the 999/112 emergency number.
The team immediately called out all its members in the South East, many of whom are from the Carlow/Kilkenny area. The walkers were able to give a team rescue co-ordinator the exact location of the accident and he contacted the MRCC (Marine Rescue Coordinating Centre)in Dublin and requested their assistance. The Coast Guard S61 helicopter based at Waterford airport, with a crew of four on board, was immediately scrambled and flew directly to the accident site and picked up the injured walker in fading light. He was flown to Waterford Regional Hospital for treatment.
Mountain Rescue Team Leader, Ann Murphy, who comes from Carlow, said "the rescue was well co-ordinated, and knowing the exact location saved a lot of time. SEMRA regularly trains with the Coast Guard helicopter and its crew, based in Waterford, and it is a fantastic asset to have in the South East, not only for incidents at sea, but in the mountains also".
SEMRA would like to thank all involved in yesterday's rescue, its own voluntary members (this is the second time in a week they have been called out), the MRCC Dublin, the Coast Guard helicopter crew for their very fast response, and the friends of the injured man for their help on the mountain.
Labels: Incidents