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Date of Incident

21/09/2020

Country

England

Route

Incident

The climber (an experienced leader) was attempting The Toy (graded E1 but really E2, length 7 m). He had two runners at one-third height, and then a wire at half height. He rested on the half-height runner, then continued. With his feet roughly level with the runner he fell. That runner ripped (and the two lower runners were then too low; the belayer was not at fault). Though short in distance, the fall had a high fall-factor; the wire had clear gouge marks afterwards. Unfortunately, the jerk as the runner ripped tilted him backward. Thus he landed largely on his bum/back, with his head then hitting a boulder quite hard, causing him to lose consciousness. He was wearing a helmet. The rescue teams arrived promptly, and he was stretchered to the crag top and helicoptered to hospital.

Lessons

Have more than once piece of gear between yourself and the deck; be wary of high-fall-factor falls even when they're short and near the ground.

Activity

Trad rock climbing

When

Ascending

Injury

Serious injury requiring medical treatment

Causes

Slip, trip or fall

Anonymous?

No

Reported By

Observer

Wearing Helmets?

Yes

Rescue Services Involved?

Edale MRT, Buxton MRT, Derbyshire, Leicestershire & Rutland Air Ambulance (incident 116 on Edale MRT Facebook page)

Author

Coel Hellier

5 October 2020 at 06:04:55

For more advice and guidance on good practices visit BMC skills

All reports are self-submitted and have not been edited by the BMC in any way, so please keep an open mind regarding the lessons and causes of each incident or near-miss. 

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