Fife MSP rescues man who fell 50-feet while guiding parliamentary group in woods

A Fife MSP rescued a man who fell 50-feet while guiding a Parliamentary visit to woodland.

David Torrance, SNP MSP for Kirkcaldy, came to his aid after the drama at Pressmennan Wood, East Lothian, last Wednesday.

He was part of the visit of a Holyrood group out with the Woodland Trust when the worker slipped and fell down a knoll.

The worker only came to a halt when he collided with a large tree stump.

David Torrance MSP in his Scout leader's uniform

Mr Torrance, who is also a scout leader with the 5th Scout Group in Kirkcaldy, went immediately to his aid.

He said: “When I saw how he was lying, I thought it was going to be so difficult to get him out of there.

“He wasn’t just lying on his back -, he was wedged in. He just kept going and going, it was really steep, and he probably went down the hill at least 50 feet.

“He was very lucky, and if it had hit his head any harder on the tree stump it could have been a lot worse.”

Mr Torrance checked for compound fractures and concussion before taking hold of the man’s belt from behind while two other members of the group helped the guide back up the hill.

He said his training from his years with the Scouts enabled him to administer aid immediately, and make a difference during the incident.

“It just naturally kicked in, and that’s one of the reasons it’s so important that people learn first aid,” he said.

“It’s because they’re able to help in situations like that, they can come to somebody’s aid straightaway and that’s really, really important.

“I know they teach CPR in schools now, and I think it’s something that everybody should learn and keep up.

“I never even thought about it and just went into autopilot – it’s only afterwards that I asked myself if I did everything right?”

After the accident the guide was helped into a car driven up the narrow track by another Woodland Trust staff member to be transported to the nearest accident and emergency ward before being released to recover at home.