Plankey Mill
Incident Type: Rescue
On Wednesday afternoon, ourselves and North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team were called out to assist the North East Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust with the evacuation of an injured walker in a remote area near the Tyne Valley. The walker had sustained a shoulder and arm injury following a fall on a forest path and was unable to move unaided.
One of our duty controllers quickly made contact with the casualty’s friend and this helped pinpoint their location, near the river and off the main path. Based on these details and the nature of the injury, a limited initial deployment of mountain rescue resources was initiated, with the full team placed on standby.
Mountain rescue team vehicles—Echo, Foxtrot, and Key Mobile—were dispatched under blue lights due to the severity of the injury, the patient’s high pain level, and the remote nature of the site. At this point, the NEAS paramedic had not yet reached the casualty.
Team members deployed from multiple directions. One approached from Harsondale Farm, whilst another team member reached Plankey Mill and confirmed access challenges, prompting Harsondale Farm to be established as the rendezvous point for incoming personnel.
As the NEAS paramedic reached the casualty, mountain rescue teams continued preparing for a potential stretcher evacuation, with equipment staged at strategic access points. However, after receiving pain relief and a splint, the casualty was able to begin walking with assistance toward the ambulance at Plankey Mill. Additional mountain rescue personnel met the casualty en route to support their progress.
The remaining team members were stood down once the casualty was confirmed to be with the ambulance at 14:25. NEAS expressed their thanks for the swift and professional support provided by the mountain rescue teams. All team vehicles had returned to base by approximately 17:10.
The incident involved 12 Team members for 4 hours and 29 minutes. A further 13 members were on standby in readiness to deploy if the incident escalated.
