Coroner pays tribute to mountain rescuer

Mountain rescuer Chris Lewis had to return to hospital with pneumonia

A coroner has paid tribute to a mountain rescue volunteer who was badly injured while going to the aid of two Lake District campers who were breaking lockdown rules.

Chris Lewis, from Ambleside, suffered serious head and spinal injuries after falling 500ft (150m) down a rocky slope in February 2021.

Mr Lewis, who was left quadriplegic and needing 24 hour-care after the fall, died in September 2023 from pneumonia which had been triggered by his injuries.

The retired project manager was part of the Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team which answered an emergency call from two wild campers.

One of the campers was suffering chest pains in what was believed to be a medical emergency.

Cockermouth Coroner’s Court heard Mr Lewis, 62, fell down a slope at Red Screes above Kirkstone Pass after the call-out, possibly after slipping in the wet and cloudy conditions.

'Ultimate price'

Coroner Kirsty Gomersal recorded a verdict of accidental death and paid tribute to mountain rescue volunteers saying they “selflessly assist others” and that “no time on the fells is without risk”.

She added that Mr Lewis had “paid the ultimate price for his selflessness”.

Leader of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team Mike Rippon said Mr Lewis had been a “highly-valued team member and trustee”.

The two campers from Leicester and Liverpool were served fixed penalty notices for breaking lockdown rules.

Mr Rippon said of the campers: “We were at the height of Covid at the time. Technically they shouldn’t have been there, they were obviously breaking lockdown rules."

But he said the campers had a "medical situation" which "us volunteers go and respond to in good faith".

"But unfortunately that had very dramatic and tragic circumstances as a result of that," he said.