Woman winched to safety in Falls of Bruar rescue
A woman was winched to safety by a helicopter after tumbling 25 feet down an embankment at the Falls of Bruar in Highland Perthshire in an incident which sparked a major rescue operation on Thursday.
The Falls of Bruar.
- By Paul Reoch
- Published in the Courier : 17.06.11
- Published online : 17.06.11 @ 08.56am
The 24-year-old — who was taken by air to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee — is believed to have been part of an organised adventure activities group when she fell down a gully at the falls at around 2.40pm.
She was understood to be undergoing treatment for a back injury.
Tayside Police attended along with five appliances from Tayside Fire and Rescue, a Scottish Ambulance Service specialist operations team from Edinburgh, Tayside Mountain Rescue, and a helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth.
A bystander, who wished to remain anonymous, told The Courier that the woman was initially treated by the winch man from the helicopter.
"The winch operation was successful and the woman was then taken to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee," he said.
"There were many police and fire officers here, along with Tayside Mountain Rescue and an ambulance team. I believe the woman was part of a local adventure activities group."
A police spokesman said the woman was conscious throughout her ordeal.
"A 24-year-old woman fell 25 feet down a gully at the Falls of Bruar," he said.
"We understand she had a back injury and was being winched to safety by a helicopter from RAF Lossiemouth.
"Fire crew, an ambulance team and Tayside Mountain Rescue also attended."
A spokesman for the Scottish Ambulance Service said, "This lady had slipped down an embankment. We had a specialist team there to assist the fire brigade to try to get the lady out.
"Due to her injury a helicopter came to get her and she was then conveyed to hospital."
Three fire appliances from Perth attended, along with an appliance from Pitlochry and one from Dunkeld.
It is understood a secondary plan was on stand-by in case the winch operation was not successful. It would have involved a pulley system at the gorge above the falls.
The Falls of Bruar are about a mile from the House of Bruar and about eight miles from Pitlochry. They have been a tourist attraction since the 18th century.
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