Eyemouth RNLI lifeboats assist casualty with broken leg

A 65 year old woman had slipped half way down cliffs, just to the south of Horsecastle Bay near St Abbs, and suffered a broken leg in the process.  The paramedics and police, who were already in attendance and had made the casualty comfortable, requested RNLI assistance with the evacuation of the woman, due to her location.  Both of Eyemouth’s lifeboats were then launched and proceeded directly to the scene.

The ILB was landed ashore and its crew helped assist the paramedics administer further casualty care to the woman whilst the ALB stood off in order to provide further assistance if required, and due to the location of the incident, act as a VHF communications bridge with the Coastguard.

Once the casualty had been placed in a stretcher, two additional crew from the ALB were taken ashore by the inshore lifeboat to help recover the casualty.  Working together, the paramedics, police and lifeboat crew moved the casualty from her position, half way down the cliff, down to the shoreline and into the inshore lifeboat.  The casualty, along with a paramedic, were then taken by the inshore lifeboat to St Abbs harbour where Coastguard teams and an ambulance were waiting in order to transfer the casualty to hospital.

Once safely in the care of the ambulance team, both lifeboats returned to the scene of the incident in order to collect the ALB crew members who had stayed ashore during the recovery of the casualty.  Once all aboard, both lifeboats were then stood down and steamed back to Eyemouth, where they were both made ready for service again.


Notes to Editors

• Eyemouth lifeboat station has been operating since 1876.
• Follow Eyemouth Lifeboat on Facebook – search for Eyemouth Lifeboat

RNLI media contacts
For more information please email Eyemouth lifeboat press officer, Adam Ferguson, [email protected] or Richard Smith, Media Relations Manager Scotland on 01738 642956, 07786 668903 or [email protected] or contact RNLI Public Relations on 01202 336 789

Key facts about the RNLI

The RNLI charity saves lives at sea. Its volunteers provide a 24-hour search and rescue service around the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland coasts. The RNLI operates 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and more than 240 lifeguard units on beaches around the UK and Channel Islands. The RNLI is independent of Coastguard and government and depends on voluntary donations and legacies to maintain its rescue service. Since the RNLI was founded in 1824, its lifeboat crews and lifeguards have saved over 146,000 lives.

Learn more about the RNLI

For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.

Contacting the RNLI - public enquiries

Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.