INCIDENT IN THE COMERAGHS
-- REMINDER AS TO THE RISKS ON THE
MOUNTAINS
On Saturday last whilst ascending at the back of Coum Eag in
the Comeraghs we had an incident resulting in a serious injury to Patricia
O’Connor, one of our members. Whilst
ascending up a grassy slope a large rock was dislodged from on high and rolled
downhill striking her on the lower leg. Thankfully everyone else managed to
avoid being struck. Once everything settled down it was obvious from her pain
that she had suffered a serious injury, most likely a fracture/break in the
ankle. Initially we treated her for
shock,(shaking, vomiting sensation, breathing), which she recovered from in a
short time thanks to excellent care from the members present. Having assessed the injury, the weather, the
surrounding terrain and the experienced members present it was determined that
we should evacuate her off the mountain ourselves. We improvised a stretcher from walking poles
and a fleece, dressed her in additional layers of clothing to keep her warm and
proceeded to descend the mountain stopping at regular intervals to give the
bearers rest. Once down she was driven
to Cork when they established that she had suffered a fractured ankle. We wish her a very speedy recovery.
From a personal viewpoint, a big thanks to all who assisted
on the day – people remained calm, assessed the situation, decided and
implemented a course of action. Special
thanks to Colin, Tommy, Declan, Ger, Tony, Michael and Louise who executed the
carry-out.
There are lessons to be learned here. There are constant
dangers on the mountains and we must remain vigilant at all times. Accidents can and will occur from time to
time. We must be constantly assessing
situations and be aware of any risks to ourselves and to others.
In this particular case, when ascending a gully, no matter
what the risk, it is better for the group to stick close together thus
lessening the risk of being struck by falling rocks. In particular, at this time of the year
rocks, loosened by snow and ice can become unstable.
Michael Carey
