Woman, 72 rescued after 25-foot fall

The woman was with her family when she fell around 25 feet off a cliff-top path near the Druid’s Inn in Birchover, onto a very steep, hard-to-access slope densely covered in woodland.

Derby Mountain Rescue, Derbyshire Leicestershire and Rutland Air Ambulance and East Midland Ambulance’s Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) were called to the scene to treat the woman.

A mountain rescue spokesman said: “The lady was placed on a rigid spinal board and then on to a specialist mountain rescue stretcher and passed “hand-over-hand”, approximately 200 feet, down a steep, terraced, incline; backed up by a protective rope system.

“Although this was very steep, difficult, ground, Derby Mountain Rescue train throughout the year for exactly this type of scenario. All four emergency services worked together to ensure the swift and safe evacuation of the casualty; a brilliant example of everyone working well together.”

The Helimed 54 air ambulance transported the lady to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham for further treatment. She had suffered injuries to her arm and head.

Thirteen mountain rescue volunteers responded to the incident.