Multi agency recovery of injured man from foreshore

London Ambulance Service paramedics had already arrived and were carrying out initial assessments. RNLI Helm Mark Turrell manoeuvred through shallow water to let lifeboat crew Andy Butler on shore. As the man had fallen head first onto the foreshore six feet below the towpath, the paramedics were anxious to transfer him into the ambulance but couldn’t get him up off the foreshore; after a brief discussion with the paramedics the lifeboat crew brought their basket stretcher from the lifeboat. Working as a team they lifted the casualty in the stretcher up onto the towpath and then transferred him to the ambulance trolley.

RNLI lifeboat helm Mark Turrell commented ‘This was the latest of many incidents where our ability to approach a casualty from the river, when the landside emergency services can’t easily gain access, made a crucial difference to the time taken to transfer a casualty to hospital.’

Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station is the second busiest in the UK and Ireland. Since The RNLI search and rescue service on the Thames started in 2002, Chiswick Lifeboat has attended over 3,500 incidents and rescued over 1,750 people, and dozens of dogs. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations.

RNLI media contacts

• David Clarke RNLI Volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer (Chiswick), 07951 210500 [email protected]
• Paul Dunt, RNLI Press Officer (London/East/South East) on 0207 6207416, 07786 668825, [email protected]
• For 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

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