Patterdale mountain rescuer Chris Lewis inquest opened
BBC 2023-09-19 11:46:49 • 2 mins
An inquest has begun into the death of a mountain rescue volunteer who was badly injured on a call-out.
Chris Lewis had been trying to help two wild campers who had broken coronavirus lockdown restrictions.
Mr Lewis, 62, a member of Patterdale Mountain Rescue Team (MRT) in the Lake District, fell 500ft (150m) in 2021, severely damaging his spine.
After months in intensive care, Mr Lewis returned home but on 2 September he contracted pneumonia and died.
Assistant Cumbria coroner Dr Nicholas Shaw said an inquest was "clearly required".
He said: "The brief circumstance is that, following a serious fall in February 2021, whilst on the hill, Chris has sustained a traumatic spinal injury at level C5 and was quadriplegic, requiring 24-hour care.
