Praise for walking party after girl falls
Ryan Taylor
A group of youngsters have been praised by coastguard officials for doing “absolutely the right thing” after one of their party suffered a fall.
The 15 year-old was one of four people taking part in a Duke of Edinburgh Awards excursion on Saturday.
But she fell while walking near the Deepdale burn near Maywick on Saturday afternoon, and suffered knocks to her head.
The group had earlier set out from Ireland and were heading for Quarff. Two of the party went and summoned help, while another stayed with the youngster.
The rescue helicopter was summoned from Sumburgh and managed to land in a field nearby to where the incident had taken place.
The girl was then taken to the Clickimin and transferred to the Gilbert Bain Hospital. Her condition has been said to be stable.
Coastguard spokesman, Mike Smith, said the party of youngsters had been “brilliant”.
“We got a 999 call at 1.20pm yesterday from a lad on the Duke of Edinburgh award scheme excursion, during a trek from Ireland, through Bigton and Maywick,” he said.
“They were due to come out at Quarff. But north of Maywick at the burn of Deepdale one of the girls had a collapse and rolled down the hill, banging her head on the way down.
“Two [of the party] had phoned us while one stayed with her. They were brilliant. They did exactly what they should have done.
They were brilliant. They did exactly what they should have done. – MIKE SMITH
“We scrambled the helicopter from Sumburgh, and put paramedics down to the site.”
He said the paramedics were then able to make the girl comfortable before she was flown up to Lerwick.
A coastguard team had come together to help get the remaining team members away from the area.
“I can’t emphasise enough, they did absolutely everything right,” said Mr Smith.
