At 8.30 this evening, the Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue Team and the Glen of Imaal Red Cross Mountain Rescue team responded to their third request for assistance in three days. The teams were requested by the HSE ambulance service to assist their staff with a serious cycling accident in the Wicklow mountains.

A 32 year old cyclist had been descending from the communication masts on Kippure with friends on a training spin. Halfway down the steep descent, he lost control of his bicycle on the poor surface and crashed into the embankment. He was travelling with enough speed to be thrown over the embankment, landing finally in a small steep gully. He sustained serious injuries in the process and was unable to move. His friends immediately contacted the emergency services and described the extent of his injuries and his location. Based on this information it was decided to contact Mountain Rescue.

Mountain Rescue medics were first on scene and treated the man for his injuries. They moved the gentleman to a more accessible location as an HSE ambulance crew arrived at the scene. Together the two services provided extensive treatment before carrying the man to the waiting ambulance for transport to hospital.

This is the third operation in three days for the volunteer teams. On Sunday, the Gardaí requested the expertise of the teams to help search a mountainous area for a missing person. On Monday afternoon the teams rescued three teenagers who had injured themselves on a hike in Glendalough.

We would like to thank all agencies involved in these incidents.