A CYCLIST suffered a broken ankle while riding on the Malvern hills last night (Tuesday).
The man in his 30s was riding with his friends when he fell off his bike sustaining a leg injury at about 7.30pm.
Due to the difficult location of the hillside, ambulance staff were directed to meet a friend of the injured man on Jubilee Drive near to the Malvern Hills Hotel. It meant ambulance staff had to do around a 15-minute walk to get to the injured cyclist.
An ambulance, paramedic, the Midlands Air Ambulance and Worcester and Hereford Rire and Rescue service were called to the scene.
The man was given pain relief to help ease discomfort and was taken down from the hills to the ambulance who then took him to Worcestershire Royal Hospital.
Ambulance staff thanked the quick-thinking actions of his friends to give him treatment as quickly as possible.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “Crews arrived and were met by the injured man’s friend who then directed them to the patient located on the hillside, approximately 15 minutes’ walk away from the road.
“The air ambulance landed as close to the patient as possible on the hillside but, due to a lack of a suitable clearing to safely land, the air crew also ended up walking a distance to reach the patient.
“Once with the cyclist, a man in his 30s, it was obvious to ambulance staff that he had sustained a fractured ankle. He was given pain relief to help ease his discomfort before his leg was immobilised.
“Once stable, the cyclist was safely bought down from the hillside along narrow steep paths using the fire service’s all-terrain vehicle. The awaiting land ambulance then took the man to Worcestershire Royal Hospital for further trauma care.
“The quick thinking of his friends ensured we were able to reach the patient as quickly as possible. This was an excellent example of joint working between emergency services which ensured the patient received the best possible care despite the difficult location.”
