Brighton RNLI volunteers launched after collision between two jet skis

The station was requested to launch by local coastguards at 1.58pm and the crew - Conrad Levy, Tony Parsons, Joe Sampson, and Nick Clamp – responded to their pagers immediately. They launched the inshore lifeboat, Random Harvest, at 2.02pm and were on scene just minutes later.

Two men had been using jet skis approximately 150 metres offshore, 50 metres west of the breakwater of Brighton Marina, when they were involved in a collision.

The lifeboat crew arrived to find the two men, aged approximately in their 20s, had made their way onto the beach. Three volunteer crew members went ashore and helped a crew from South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAMBS) as well a coastguard rescue team give first aid to one of the men.

Roger Cohen, Lifeboat Operations Manager, said: ‘We arrived to find one man injured with, the ambulance crew said, a fractured leg. My crew helped give first aid and transfer him in a basket stretcher from the beach to the pavement.

‘Once he was safely in the hands of the ambulance crew we did a visual inspection of the jet skis - the damage suggests this was a near head-on collision.

‘This incident just goes to show that accidents can and do happen. The RNLI encourages anyone who uses the water to take the necessary precautions; wear a lifejacket, take a means of calling for help, make sure your equipment is fit for purpose, and remember that alcohol and water don’t mix.’

These safety messages, and more, are all part of the RNLI’s Respect the Water campaign to reduce the number of preventable drownings around the coast.

For more information on the Respect the Water campaign visit www.rnli.org.uk/respectthewater

• While heading back to the lifeboat station Brighton RNLI were tasked almost immediately to investigate reports of a sinking powerboat off Shoreham Power Station. The crew arrived but found nothing and were stood down at 3.30pm and returned to the lifeboat station at Brighton Marina.

RNLI media contacts

- Tim Ash, RNLI Public Relations Manager (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207426, 07785 296252  [email protected]
- Sophie Coller-Nielsen Press Officer (London/East/South East), 0207 6207416, 07824 416615 email [email protected]
- For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789For enquiries outside normal business hours, contact the RNLI duty press officer on 01202 336789

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.

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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.