A youth was injured while out walking on the Mourne Mountains, Co. Down, when a sheep landed on the young hiker.

The incident happened last Friday, August 17, when – according to the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team Facebook page – a request for assistance was received at 4:29pm from an injured walker.

It is understood that the male youth was out hiking with a group of friends in the vicinity of Hare’s Gap – when he collided with a sheep that had miscalculated a jump from an adjacent crag.

The rescue team responded to the call and located the casualty on steep ground in the Slieve Bearnagh region.

The rescue team then assessed the male hiker and followed protocols for all potential injuries to the head, neck, back and legs. When secured, the casualty was evacuated by stretcher to track access and a team vehicle.

After a short transfer to road access, the casualty was handed over to Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) for further treatment and then onward to the hospital. A total of 17 mountain rescue team members responded and had completed the rescue mission by 8:00pm.

According to the Mourne Mountain Rescue Team, it is believed that the sheep was uninjured during the incident and left the scene unaided.

‘Harrow-ing’ accident

Meanwhile, a tractor driver in the UK was inches away from a serious incident on Wednesday, August 15, just about avoiding an accident – but losing a disc harrow that had been attached to the machine in the process.

The driver had to swerve to avoid a car, causing the implement it was carrying to break away onto the road, blocking it in both directions at about 4:10pm that afternoon. The incident occurred near Wykeham, Yorkshire. Thankfully, no one was injured in the incident and the road was clear by 4:45pm that evening.