A multiple national cycling champion has praised the emergency services who came to her aid following a fall while on holiday in the Lake District.
Julia Shaw, 59, a former full-time racing cyclist, who specialises in the individual time trial, had travelled from her home in Hampshire with her partner Andrew to a cottage in Ullswater, for a short break away.
On 3 September they had embarked on a long walk and were approaching the summit of Place Fell when Julia slipped and fell onto rocks.
Recalling the incident, she said: “Because I am sporty I tend to go ahead of Andrew, so I was on Place Fell, close to the summit waiting for him to catch me up and there was a stream so I went to fill my water bottle.
“I had very good walking boots on and the right kit in case something went wrong. I stepped onto the edge of the stream onto some wet rock and somehow, I managed to fall really heavily on my left-hand side.
“I’m not sure if it was my hip or shoulder but there was a crack, and the pain was off the scale. I’ve fallen off my bike a few times, but I’d never felt pain like this.”
Julia had fallen into the stream and due to the amount of pain she was in, she struggled to get out of the water.
She said: “It became apparent we weren’t going to get off the mountain on our own, so after about half an hour Andrew phoned 999 and mountain rescue, while I continued to try and get myself out of the water. Between us he was putting rocks underneath my good leg and I tried to push myself upwards and slowly but surely I inched my way out, and got to the stage where I was more or less out of the water.”
A critical care team from the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS) flew from their base in Langwathby, Penrith and were able to land close by.
Julia said: “I was soaking wet and at risk of getting too cold, so I was lucky they requested the air ambulance.
“When I heard the helicopter it was such a massive relief. I burst into tears, probably in shock. I was so pleased to see them they did an amazing job.”
Two doctors and a paramedic from GNAAS administered advanced pain relief to Julia, before members of the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team arrived on scene to help with the extrication.
Penrith Mountain Rescue Team were also contacted to assist with the rescue.
Julia was carried on a stretcher to the helicopter and airlifted to the Cumberland Infirmary in Carlisle.
An X-ray revealed she had a broken hip, which was displaced, and a broken humerus (upper arm). She spent 15 days in hospital before returning home to continue her recovery and hopes to get back on a bike as soon as she can.
She said: “The team did an amazing job getting me to safety quickly and in comfort and I will always be grateful for this.
“As an ex-full time cyclist, a speedy and successful recovery from my hip injury is very important to getting back to training and normal life.”
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