Pensioner trapped for two days after gully fall
A 73 year old man is recovering in hospital after falling down a gully close to Coldingham Bay and being trapped for two days.
The pensioner was seen picking up his daily newspaper in Coldingham on Friday morning but concern was raised for his well being after he failed to attend an appointment later in the day and meet up with relatives.
Family members searched for him all day on Saturday but after finding no trace he was officially reported as missing that night.
By the time Border Search and Rescue were called in on Sunday morning, hopes for his survival were slim. After several days of heavy rain, local burns were in spate, and the fear was that he had fallen into a waterway.
However, within an hour of the deployment of eighteen members of the team, the man was found by a local farmer, still alive but only just, having fallen into a gully and come to rest on a fence, which prevented his falling further into the burn and almost certainly saved his life.
His pet dog was still by side, untethered.
The man was deeply hypothermic and unconscious, and required urgent medical attention. This was provided in the first instance by two members of the Search and Rescue team.
This immediate life-saving first-aid was followed by a speedy evacuation from his precarious position to a waiting ambulance, which whisked him off to the Edinburgh Royal Infirmary.
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Weather for Duns
Friday 24 May 2013
Today
Light showers
Temperature: 2 C to 11 C
Wind Speed: 21 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 5 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 9 mph
Wind direction: West
