Mud Rescue

A convoy of fire appliances, with sirens and lights working overtime, followed soon by police cars and a police helicopter was the first indication that something was happening in Saltburn yesterday and as I headed to the area under where the helicopter was hovering it became apparent that all was not well in the Valley gardens area of the town.

An elderly gent, out for a walk in the woods, had become stuck to his knees in mud and had become disorientated as to where exactly he was and had called the emergency services for assistance.

I made my way, following my nose at first, until I saw a couple of the police officers walking back up the path to the main road. They told me that the chap was a little further along the path near the river and that I should see the Fire and Rescue guys once I walked further along.

As I approached the scene I identified myself to the Fire & Rescue and started to shoot a couple of GV’s (General View’s – showing the wider scene of an incident) but it quickly became apparent that I wasn’t in the best place and that I had to cross through a small river to the other side for better pictures. So, one pair of soaking boots and a pair of wet trousers (but dry cameras!) later, I sloshed my way up the muddy hill and came across the scene.

As the pictures below will show the light was failing so it was a good thing that they found him and were able to extract him from the mud before darkness fell. The chap was taken on the back of a 4×4 vehicle to a waiting ambulance from where he was then taken to a local hospital for a check-up. At the time of writing this, all was well with the man, and as far as I know he didn’t have any major injuries.

Click on the first image to view then click anywhere on the picture to see the next…