Tuesday, September 08, 2009

Ravine rescue drama...

A Nunthorpe man whose dog fell 20 feet became the subject of a dramatic search and rescue operation himself after falling down a ravine in Saltburn Woods.
The 45-year-old, who made an emergency call from his mobile phone after falling, had been walking his dog in Valley Gardens when it fell down a steep slope and into a small ravine. He tried to get down to retrieve the dog but slipped himself and fell about 30 feet, sustaining serious injuries.

He landed in the shallow water of the beck that runs along a footpath close to Valley Gardens and Saltburn Woods. Cleveland Search and Rescue team, along with the Great North Air Ambulance, an RAF Sea King helicopter and Cleveland Police attended the scene after receiving the SOS call.

The Search and Rescue team used a stretcher to move the man to a suitable point where he could be safely winched into the helicopter. The team were up against considerable tree coverage in the Valley Gardens and gusting winds, but an effective winch was carried out and the man, who suffered back and leg injuries, was quickly airlifted to the accident and emergency ward of the James Cook University Hospital.

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