Man rescued after falling down crag near Sutton Bank on Christmas Eve

The dramatic operation involved members of the Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team, the North Yorshire Ambulance service as well as coastguard and air ambulance helicopters. 

Emergency services were alerted by a dog walker who heard the man's cries for help and bravely climbed up to locate him before calling for an ambulance.

The injured man had apparently fallen about 75-feet coming to rest against a tree.

Cleveland MRT personnel were alerted with some being deployed in a Team Land Rover but most making their way to an RV-point in their own vehicles.

Both Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team and the Yorkshire Ambulance Service were called out to assist (Image: Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team)

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A spokesman for the MRT said: "The closest team member was asked to go direct to the scene, establishing a route over farmland and meeting up with the air ambulance crew who had just landed at that point.

"The light was starting to fail as other team members arrived. They took with them medical and other equipment.

"As the casualty’s location being on a steep, muddy hillside they set up a rope system to help in getting down to him and to later carry him back up.

"A Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter had also been called owing to the terrain with the potential need to winch the casualty out."

A Maritime and Coastguard Agency helicopter had also been called (Image: Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team)

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He added: "When everything was in place the team members carried the casualty part-way up the hillside in the Coastguard stretcher, to a point at which the helicopter was able to winch him up and then across to a field at the top, adjacent to the Cleveland Way path.

"From there he was carried by other Team members to the waiting air ambulance for onward transport to hospital. We wish him well for his recovery.

"Many thanks to everyone at Dialstone Farm for access across their land and especially to the dog walker who raised the alarm.

"Eighteen team members were involved for approximately 3.5 hours plus up to another one-hour travel back to their homes."

A rope system was used to rescue the man who fell (Image: Cleveland Mountain Rescue Team)

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