A mountain rescue volunteer suffered permanent injuries after plunging nearly 500ft when he was called out to help campers defying lockdown.
A fundraising drive has now been launched for Chris Lewis, 60, from the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team in the Lake District.
Mr Lewis fell down a steep slope while on a call-out to Red Screes above Kirkstone Pass in the English national park in the early hours of Saturday, February 6.
The team had been called out to help a 47-year-old man from Leicester, about 160 miles away, who was camping with another man from Liverpool, about 75 miles away.
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The casualty, who was taken to hospital with chest pains and quickly recovered, and his companion were fined for breaching Covid travel restrictions.
Mr Lewis suffered multiple facial fractures and damaged his spinal cord – and the fundraiser will help with recovery, rehabilitation and care.
Fundraising efforts
It has already amassed more than £130,000.
Chairman of the Lake District Search and Mountain Rescue Association, Richard Warren, said: “I’ve been in mountain rescue for a very long time and this is the worst accident I have seen in the last four decades, it really is hitting people hard.
“But the support is fantastic and we want to pass our thanks to everybody who has sent messages of support.”
He described Mr Lewis as a “fantastic guy” and said after he was airlifted to accident and emergency the first thing he asked was how the other casualty was.
A statement on a JustGiving page set up to raise funds said: “Chris is one of 40 volunteers in Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team, from all walks of life and a wide range of ages.
“The team typically responds to approximately 70 incidents a year, usually, but not always, with less tragic consequences.
“The severity of Chris’s injuries cannot be overstated and he will need significant support for the rest of his life.”
‘Preventable’
John Stevenson, leader of Lochaber Mountain Rescue Team, warned walkers to think before putting others at risk.
Mr Stevenson said: “It is fine to go out but you are putting other people at risk by doing these things and, at this time, people should be thinking about doing other things rather than dragging so many people out of their comfort zone to come and rescue them.
“It is a difficult situation but people go out there thinking it will never happen to them. Unfortunately, in this situation, that’s what has happened.
“The accident should have been preventable.”
To donate visit www.justgiving.com/campaign/Chris-Lewis-Support-Fund-LDSAMRA-Patterdale-MRT
