A 76-year-old man who fell 19ft while out on a walk in the Lake District has praised the care he was given by the Great North Air Ambulance.
John Hughes, of Cambridge, was enjoying a holiday in the Borrowdale Valley with his wife Jo in June when the accident happened.
Mr Hughes said: “My wife and I rented a cottage in Seathwaite. We got there on a Friday and we did our first walk on Saturday morning. We love the Lakes and always take our black Labrador Juno with us.”
The retiree said it was a lovely morning and was taking the lead on the walk with Mrs Hughes following behind as the path was narrow.
Mr Hughes said: “I was looking for a way across the river and it seemed that the path had disappeared, so I turned around to walk back but lost my footing.
“I rolled about 16ft and then dropped from the edge and fell onto the rocks below, which must have been around a 19ft drop.
“Jo was able to find a safe way to where I had fallen. She told me later that I was bleeding heavily. We didn’t have a phone signal, so she took her jacket off and wrapped it around me and went to look for help.”
Luckily, Mrs Hughes met a group of walkers, two of whom were medics and were doing the same walk so came to help. Other members of the group walked for an hour to the nearest village to call outa mountain rescue team.
Mr Hughes said: “The medics were keen to keep me conscious. One of the doctors said I had definitely broken a few ribs. Several hours later the mountain rescue team arrived as well as a couple of local people who brought blankets.
“That’s when I heard the Great North Air Ambulance Service helicopter.”
Mr Hughes said: “Paramedics and mountain rescue team members actually waded through the river while carrying me to get me to the helicopter safely.”
The 76-year-old was checked over by the critical care team before being moved to the aircraft.
Mr Hughes said: “I was flown to Preston Hospital where the main concern was my neck. They found that I had cracked vertebrae and that all my ribs down my right side were broken. I also had a nasty cut to the head which explains why there was so much blood.”
He added said: “The Great North Air Ambulance and mountain rescue teams were very caring and demonstrated great professionalism working in the most difficult of circumstances. I received wonderful care.”
