The use of night vision goggles was crucial to complete the successful rescue of a man, who’d fallen 150 feet in the MacGillycuddy’s Reeks last weekend.
The man suffered multiple injuries after falling from the Cummeenpeasta ridge on Saturday.
Kerry Mountain Rescue and the R115 rescue helicopter were alerted to the incident at 2pm.
However, the man couldn’t be winched by the R115 due to strong winds and turbulence at the time.
He was stretchered over steep terrain to a point just above the outlet to Lough Googh by members of Kerry Mountain Rescue and was successfully airlifted to University Hospital Kerry at 11pm.
Night vision goggles were used to complete the rescue operation.
Benny Meehan is a winchman and chief crewman standards and the instructor on night vision goggles with Irish Coast Guard CHC Rescue 115.
He says the operation wouldn’t have been able to be completed at that time without these night vision goggles:
