Heroic trail runner saves Belgian tourist during heat crisis on Table Mountain
Trail runner Stephanie Crossland helped save a Belgian tourist who collapsed from suspected heat illness on Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain on Sunday. Quick action by the runner and rescuers ensured the 66-year-old woman received medical care.
Image: Blake Dyason/ WSAR/ Facebook
A quick-thinking trail runner helped save the life of a visiting tourist after a woman collapsed while hiking on Platteklip Gorge on Table Mountain in sweltering heat on Sunday morning.
Rescuers from Wilderness Search and Rescue (WSAR) responded after the 66-year-old woman from Belgium fell ill on the lower section of the popular hiking route while walking with her husband.
The couple had walked from the Table Mountain Aerial Cableway Lower Cable Station to the base of the gorge when the woman began to feel weak. She sat down, briefly lost consciousness and then vomited, a worrying sign of heat-related illness.
By chance, a trail runner passing along the route recognised that something was wrong.
Stephanie Crossland, a member of the West Coast Athletic Club, immediately called the WSAR emergency number and stayed with the couple while help was on the way.
Using a space blanket from her running pack, Crossland created shade to protect the woman from the sun as temperatures climbed.
When rescuers arrived, the woman was actively cooled with wet towels placed on her neck and back while a Western Cape Government Health and Wellness EMS paramedic assessed her condition.
Rescuers then piggy-backed the patient down the trail to a waiting ambulance. She was transported to hospital for further treatment.
The incident was concluded shortly after 12pm on Sunday.
WSAR spokesperson David Nel said the runner’s quick response made a significant difference.
“It shows how important it is for people on the mountain to look out for one another,” he said.
Crossland is preparing to take part in the upcoming Cableway Charity Challenge to raise funds for charity.
WSAR wished the patient a speedy recovery and thanked Crossland and the responding rescue teams for their swift actions.