Injured walker safe after eight-hour Cairngorms rescue mission

A seriously injured walker being brought to safety after an eight-hour rescue operation high in the Cairngorms. Picture: Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team/PA Wire

The man suffered a serious leg injury when he was blown over by stormy winds and fell into a steep watercourse in the mountains.

Cairngorm Mountain Rescue Team (CMRT) launched a rescue operation when the alarm was raised as darkness fell on Saturday evening.

The coastguard rescue helicopter managed to land a couple of teams close to the casualty but the rest of the team had to “battle their way over the summit of Cairngorm” to reach him.

They then carried him to safety in a “brutal stretcher carry of several miles”, with rescuers in 4x4 vehicles meeting the stretcher party high in the ski area.

CMRT said in a post on Facebook: “The injured walker was high in the cairngorms, on steep ground, soaking wet, and suffering from a serious injury. We needed to get him to safety quickly, but the weather was deteriorating rapidly and darkness was falling.

“The party were survival skills enthusiasts, and had done everything possible to look after themselves, but the situation was very serious.”

They added: “The helicopter did some remarkable flying to get close to the casualty, but in the end they too were defeated by the weather. The aircraft was really being battered by the turbulence, but the crew just kept at it, trying to assist us.

“After a prolonged eight-hour rescue, the casualty was delivered to a waiting ambulance.

“A great outcome. The guys put in a tough shift last night, but it could have been a lot worse. It was a great example of team work with the helicopter.”