At 10:30 on 14th January 2023 Moffat MRT received a call from Police
Scotland requesting the assistance of the team in the rescue of an injured
person in Grey Mare’s Tail waterfall near Moffat.
The original call was made to the Scottish Ambulance Service who mobilised
HM Coastguard Rescue 199 and Helimed Trauma Team helicopters to the
location, as well as contacting Police Scotland. Given the complex terrain, the
local Fire and Rescue Service was also asked to respond in order to help
Moffat MRT place the teams specialist bridge and assist in the extraction of
the casualty if the helicopter teams were unable to do so.
Some members of Moffat MRT were already at the base preparing for
probationer training so were able to respond quickly to the location.
Helimed arrived on location first, passing on a grid reference of the casualty
location to MMRT who were then able to make their way to that location.
Helimed then landed nearby.
A winchperson from Rescue 199 extracted the casualty from the water to a
safe location on the path, then joined by members of MMRT to assess the
casualty.
The casualty had been swept down a burn and over a waterfall sustaining
multiple injuries in the upper section of the Gey Mares Tail. Pain relief was
administered and the casualty was packaged in a vacuum mattress, casualty
bag and stretcher before being winched to Rescue 199 with members of
Moffat MRT tending to the Hi-line to stabilise the stretcher during the winch.
The casualty was then conveyed to a major trauma centre for further care.
Helimed were stood down as the injuries sustained did not require their
involvement, as were Fire and Rescue as Rescue 199 was able to safely
complete the extraction. The Police Scotland MRT arrived on scene but were
also stood down.
The casualty’s rucksack remained in the water therefore Moffat MRT set up a
technical rigging system and retrieved the rucksack before returning to base.
With gusts of wind up to 40mph all teams involved had a challenging day on
the hill before being stood down at 14:30.
The quickest way to get help on the hills if you need it is to dial 999, ask first
for POLICE, then MOUNTAIN RESCUE.
