Teen who plunged from Crammel Lin waterfall escapes with broken wrist

August 7, 2019

Moment boy, 17, plunges from a 30ft waterfall onto rocks after a sudden gush of water – miraculously escaping with just a broken wrist

Harry Weatherhead fell 30ft from Crammel Lin waterfall, in Northumberland
A sudden gush of water pushed him over the edge and he plunged onto rocks
It took 18 team members and four hours to rescue him from the difficult terrain
He was taken to Royal Victoria Infirmary and escaped with a broken wrist

A teenager who fell from a 30ft waterfall because of a sudden gush of water miraculously escaped with just a broken wrist.

Footage shows the shocking moment Harry Weatherhead, 17, frantically kicked his legs in the air as he toppled from the top and spiralled down to the dangerous rocks below.

He was visiting the Crammel Lin waterfall, in Gisland, Northumberland, with friends to cool off during the heatwave on July 23.

Unbeknown to the music production student, the remote waterfall is known for the river water there cascading in sudden pulses of power.

Harry Weatherhead fell from the Crammel Lin waterfall, in Gisland, Northumberland, because of a sudden gush of water. He was visiting the waterfall with friends to cool down during the heatwave

Harry, from Corbridge, Northumberland, had already jumped from a lower part of the waterfall, a popular spot for swimmers but when he climbed to the top he slipped when a torrent of water pushed him.

His friends feared the worst when they got Harry out of the water when he told them he could not move.

What followed was a mammoth operation by two mountain rescue teams, that were called in to get Harry out of the difficult terrain, who were called to the scene at 5.15pm.

It took 18 team members and four hours to rescue Harry from the difficult terrain that wasn’t accessible by road, and get him to hospital.

His friends feared the worst when they got Harry (pictured) out of the water when he told them he could not move. Miraculously the the music production student escaped the 30ft descent with just a broken wrist

The North of Tyne Mountain Rescue Team and Northumberland National Park Mountain Rescue Team arrived along with a paramedic and helped to stabilise keen singer Harry.

The Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) from the North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) and mountain rescue doctors, alongside the paramedic, provided pre-hospital care, while an evacuation plan was put in place.

Because of Harry’s suspected serious injuries, HM Coastguard search and rescue requested a helicopter, which arrived from Prestwick, Scotland.

A technical rope rescue system rigged Harry on a stretcher to a location slightly higher up the slope so he could be winched into the helicopter.

He was then winched on board with team members using a high line to stop the stretcher and winchman spinning out of control in the wind.

He was then flown to the Royal Victoria Infirmary in Newcastle for treatment.

Amazingly, several scans and lots of worry over three days revealed Harry had only suffered bruising and a broken wrist.

Harry, from Corbridge, Northumberland, had already jumped from a lower part of the waterfall, a popular spot for swimmers

A strung gush of water pushes Harry over and he frantically kicks his legs in the air falls from the waterfall

Harry said: ‘The first day and a half in hospital I was fearing the worst because I couldn’t move at all. I just lay there motionless.

‘As soon as I got the X-ray scans back, I suddenly felt better as I knew there wasn’t any serious damage.’

Harry said he had been jumping from a low level into the water by the waterfall but then decided to leap off the rocks from higher up.

‘As I went to jump off the rock, a large wave of water hit the rocks and I slipped as I jumped off,’ he said.

‘At first, I had so much adrenaline from the fall it felt like I just had a dead leg. I managed to swim out the water with the help of my friends and lie down.

Because of Harry’s suspected serious injuries, HM Coastguard search and rescue requested a helicopter, which arrived from Prestwick, Scotland

‘I didn’t initially feel any pain. But when I went to stand up, I realised I couldn’t move. The sheer pain kicked in and I knew I needed medical help.

‘I thought I had done something to my pelvis or shattered a hip because the whole right side of my body was messed up.’

Harry added: ‘I’m lucky because it could have been a lot worse considering how high I fell.’

The accident also came as a shock to Harry’s parents who were away for the night.

Mum-of-three Katy, 47, who works with GP dad, Martin, 56, said: ‘We haven’t been away together for three years, so we were on a much-needed break.

‘There wasn’t a phone signal where we were so I had to go back to our hotel room to check on the kids. I couldn’t believe it when I got the call that every mother dreads.

‘We are so relieved that Harry has come out of this as he has and cannot thank all the rescue services enough for helping Harry to safety.’

A technical rope rescue system rigged Harry on a stretcher to a location slightly higher up the slope so he could be winched into the helicopter. Superintendent Andrew Huddleston praised the work of mountain rescue and asked the public to remain vigilant about water safety

Superintendent Andrew Huddleston, from Northumbria Police, praised the work of mountain rescue and asked the public to remain vigilant about water safety.

He said: ‘The Mountain Rescue volunteers do a fantastic job and we can’t thank them enough.

‘Operations like this require a joined up multi-agency approach and this highlights the importance of building on those relationships.

‘At this time of year we also do a lot of work with the fire and rescue service about water safety as these kind of incidents do sadly happen.

‘We need both young people and adults to listen to our advice and remain vigilant around water. We wish and hope the young man makes a full recovery.’

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