A hermit living in an isolated Scottish forest was rescued after his distress signal was picked up in the USA – for the second time in a year.
Ken Smith made headlines around the world when he was rescued in similar circumstances in February last year. This time he was injured after a log pile collapsed on him.
Four members of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team were airlifted by the Inverness-based coastguard search and rescue helicopter to Glen Nevis on Saturday.
Donald Paterson, deputy leader of Lochaber MRT, said Mr Smith had suffered minor head and chest injuries.
“He did the right thing in activating his personal emergency beacon,” he said. “It is linked to an American satellite and then relayed from the USA to UK coastguards.”
He was flown to the Belford Hospital at Fort William.
Mr Smith, known locally as “the Hermit”, lives “off grid” in a remote part of Lochaber.
He was saved last year after his distress signal was picked up thousands of miles away in Houston, Texas.
He became unwell while in his log cabin, and, instead of activating his beacon to “check-in” with family and friends, he triggered an SOS.
It was picked up at the International Emergency Response Co-ordination Centre in Houston, which notified HM Coastguard Mission Control Centre (MCC) in Fareham, Hampshire.
The MCC sent the Prestwick-based coastguard helicopter to his cabin to check on him, and he was flown to hospital.
