Rescuers from Wilderness Search and Rescue responded to an emergency on Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain after a 66-year-old visitor from Belgium collapsed while hiking with her husband on Sunday morning.
The rescuers reached the woman at the gorge and provided immediate care, cooled her and then transported her to hospital for further medical care after the collapse during the couple’s hike.
The couple had walked from the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Lower Cable Station to the base of the gorge in extremely hot conditions when the 66-year-old woman suddenly began to feel weak while with her husband.
She sat down and briefly lost consciousness, before regaining awareness and vomiting, a sign of a possible heat-related illness during their hike.
A passing trail runner from the West Coast Athletic Club, recognised the seriousness of the situation involving the Belgian woman and her husband.
The runner’s name is Stephanie Crossland, who immediately raised the alarm by calling the mountain emergency number at the Platteklip Gorge location.
While waiting for rescuers to arrive at the gorge, Stephanie used a space blanket from her running pack to create a makeshift sun shield, protecting the 66-year-old patient from further exposure to the harsh sun.
When rescuers reached the scene on Platteklip Gorge, the woman was actively cooled using wet towels placed on her neck and back.
A paramedic from Western Cape Government Health and Wellness Emergency Medical Services assessed her condition.
After the initial assessment, rescuers carefully piggy-backed the patient down the trail to a waiting ambulance, before she was transported to hospital for further medical care.
The organisation also acknowledged the runner who raised the alarm. Stephanie Crossland will soon take part in the Cableway Charity Challenge to raise funds for charity.
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