Penlee RNLI rescue teenage girl after cliff fall
RNLI Penlee was involved in a multi-agency rescue on Sunday afternoon (19 November) after a 16 year old girl fell 20 feet onto rocks in the sea near Penlee Point.
At 2:42pm Falmouth Coastguard requested the launch of Penlee RNLI’s Inshore Lifeboat Mollie & Ivor Dent. Within minutes the lifeboat was on the water searching for the girl and located her near Bell Rock.
The casualty was being held above the surface of the water by a friend who had bravely alerted the emergency services before entering the water to support her. The casualty was very cold and in a lot of pain as two of the volunteer lifeboat crew entered the water to lift her and her friend into the lifeboat.
Two paramedics, who were by the old lifeboat slip, were brought onto the lifeboat to help stabilise the casualty. The lifeboat then headed to Newlyn, where once alongside the pontoon, transferred the casualty to the Air Ambulance who flew her to Derriford Hospital.
Patch Harvey, RNLI Penlee Coxswain, said:
‘This was a tremendous effort by all the emergency services involved, the teenagers brave friend who kept her above the surface until the lifeboat arrived possibly saved her life.’
As well as volunteers from RNLI Penlee, the Ambulance and Air Ambulance, Penzance Cliff Rescue teams, and Search and Rescue helicopter were tasked to the incident.
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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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