Donegal Mountain Rescue volunteers have been praised for assisting a young woman who suffered a painful lower leg injury on Lough Salt at the weekend.
The rescue took place in testing weather conditions on Saturday, forcing teams to alter plans to ensure the casualty was safely transported off the mountain.
Gardaí alerted the DMRT of the injured walker shortly after 1:19 pm on Saturday afternoon. Using location technology from the walker’s mobile phone, a small, rapid response team quickly located the casualty after meeting with members of the walking group waiting at the mountain base.
Upon reaching the scene, the hasty team stabilised the woman’s injured leg and sent the remaining walkers down the mountain as weather conditions worsened. A second DMRT team was dispatched.
Despite encountering heavy hail, the second team was able to secure the injured walker in a stretcher and begin their descent. However, due to the deteriorating weather, the team was forced off the main path, deemed unsuitable for stretcher transport. They navigated several detours to safely bring the casualty down the hill.
Callout coordinators at the base requested an ambulance, and approximately 500m from the pump house, the team were met with a HSE Pathfinder Paramedic. The paramedic was able to administer stronger pain medication to the walker.
The injured walker was successfully transported off the mountain and taken to a hospital for further treatment. The DMRT stood down at 5:50 pm.
“Our thanks to An Garda Síochána, National Ambulance Service (NAS) and the HSE as always,” said a DMRT spokesperson.
