A walker who fell three metres into a stream and broke part of his pelvis has thanked the emergency services who rescued him from the Long Mynd.
Retired IT manager Ian Dutton (71) was on the first day of a four day walking holiday in the Shropshire Hills when the accident happened.
He and his party had stopped for lunch in Carding Mill Valley at the picturesque Lightspout Waterfall with its four metre water cascade.
“We were on our way down from the waterfall when I lost my footing, and fell about 10ft and ended up sitting in a stream at the bottom,” said Ian, who fractured the socket of his pelvis.
“The pain was excruciating. I just slipped on some rocks.”
Fellow hikers called 999 but they didn’t have map co-ordinates of exactly where they were. Fortunately three young men, who came to help, had maps and compasses and pinpointed the spot for the emergency services.
Helpers lifted Ian out of the stream to prevent hypothermia and an ambulance and fire crew from Church Stretton Fire Station arrived on the scene.
“They gave me oxygen, put me on a stretcher, and six firefighters had to carry me for an hour the rest of the way down along a narrow path. It was surreal.”
“I want to express my thanks to the firefighters who carried me down the mountain. They were very professional, reassuring and positive under what must have been very difficult circumstances. I want to convey my sincere thanks to them.”
But Ian’s rescue was not completely over. His rescuers had to put him on the back seat of a National Trust Land Rover to get him to a waiting ambulance.
“They strapped me across the back seat, head against the door and my feet out the door with a firefighter holding the door open. I don’t know how they did it. The firefighters were brilliant as were all the emergency services. I am so grateful to them all.”
Church Stretton Crew manager Daran Chard, who works as a produce team leader at the Co-op in Church Stretton, said they had wanted to get Ian off the hillside as soon as possible as he was in a lot of pain.
”The problem we faced was the path was wide enough just about for one person with banks high and low either side. After planning the route, the crew got hold of Ian on the stretcher and we carried him through the stream and around the rocks. It was time consuming but it was the safest and most comfortable for Ian,” added Daran, who praised his fire crew for their actions during the rescue.
He thanked the National Trust for helping to co-ordinate the rescue by transporting equipment up to the remote beauty spot and for safely carrying the patient in their vehicle to the waiting ambulance.
“On call” firefighters involved in the rescue included a postman, mechanic, shop assistant, garage owner, school caretaker, builder and fitness instructor.
Ian, a widower, spent two weeks in the Royal Shrewsbury Hospital and a further week in the Royal Hospital in Liverpool. He is now recovering at home in Mossley Hill, Liverpool, on crutches after the drama on April 19.
Ian, a grandfather, (pictured below) had been taking part in the group tour organised by the University of the Third Age (U3A), an international organisation set up for mainly retired members.
