Calshot RNLI volunteers launched after girl, 12, injured in jet ski collision

The crew from Calshot RNLI launched at 2.15pm at the request of local coastguards, to respond to reports that two jet skis had been involved in a collision in the sea off Calshot Spit.

The incident happened to be only a few hundred yards from the lifeboat station, but the lifeboat was launched amid concerns there was a medical emergency.

Two volunteer crew members launched the station’s D-class inshore lifeboat (ILB) and went to the scene. The pair, trained in casualty care, found a crowd of people on the beach and learned that a 12-year-old girl had been injured. It is believed she had been riding one of two jet skis which collided.

The crew assessed the girl and found she had minor injuries to her left leg and left arm. However, because she said she had back pain, and amid concerns she may have injured her hips, the crew requested a basket stretcher be brought from the nearby lifeboat station, and placed her in it. They also administered pain relieving gas and air until paramedics could take over.

The girl was then handed over to an air ambulance crew which had already been alerted by the time the lifeboat crew arrived on scene.

A spokesman for Calshot RNLI lifeboat station said: ‘It appears two jet skis had somehow been involved in a collision and the girl was injured. Thankfully her injuries did not appear too serious, or life threatening. She was in pain, and we did what we could to alleviate that until she received further medical help. We hope she is feeling better now and makes a full recovery.

‘We would also express our thanks to Gosport and Fareham Inshore Rescue Service (GAFIRS), the local independent lifeboat service, as they too were involved in this rescue, and we worked together to provide an emergency response and the best possible care for this girl.’

Once the air ambulance had left the scene the lifeboat crew were stood down and the crew returned to Calshot RNLI lifeboat station.

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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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