TWO MEN had to be rescued off Wicklow’s mountains in separate incidents in 24 hours.
On Friday evening mountain rescue teams were called for assistance after a male motorcyclist sustained multiple injuries after his vehicle crashed into a ditch at the Sally Gap.
Mountain rescue team members provided assistance to ambulance crews attending, but because of the remote nature of the location a Coast Guard rescue helicopter was sought to airlift the man to hospital.
Weather conditions delayed the rescue initially, but the man was eventually picked up and flown to hospital.
On Saturday mountain rescue teams were again called out after a man sustained knee injuries while hiking over steep ground on his own near Lough Dan.
The man, who fell above the Inchavore valley overlooking Lough Dan, had no phone reception, but he succeeded in attraction the attention of walkers down in the valley with his shouts for help and the alarm was raised.
The mountain rescuers located the man quickly and, after receiving treatment from medics, he was stretchered down the mountainside by rescue volunteers using ropes and anchors.
He was taken back to Lough Dan Scout Centre, where he was transferred to a Health Service Executive ambulance crew.