Arklow RNLI assists injured walkers at harbour side following 15ft wave strike

The volunteer crew members assembled at the lifeboat station and were about to launch the lifeboat when they received the message to cancel the lifeboat launch. It was then reported to the lifeboat crew by members of the public, that two people had been swept from the top deck of the Arklow South Pier to the lower deck by a large wave. The two people were still on scene and had been injured.

After getting the RNLI casualty care equipment and stretcher from the lifeboat, the volunteer lifeboat crew proceeded by car to the area at Arklow South Pier to check on the status of the reported casualties and to ensure there was no further risk of them or others being swept into the water given the very large waves that were hitting the harbour at the time.

Upon arrival it was ascertained there were two casualties who had been on the upper deck of the pier and they had been washed down onto the lower deck by a very large wave strike on the harbour wall.

Casualty care was administered by our volunteers to both people. A short time later two ambulances and Arklow Fire Service arrived on scene. Both casualties were handed over to the care of the Ambulance crews and they were taken to hospital, before the lifeboat crew were stood down.

Following the incident, Mark Corcoran- Community Safety Officer at Arklow RNLI said: 'Luckily both of these casualties were not washed into the sea when this wave hit. Had this been the case we may well have had a very different outcome on this shout.'

'I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anybody going walking in or around harbours, cliff or beaches to please heed the warnings the RNLI and the Irish Coastguard continue to put out nationally;

• Stay Back – Stay High – Stay Dry; when engaged in coastal walks and avoid any unfamiliar routes and be mindful of changes caused by coastal erosion and the risk of trip, slips and falls.

• Ensure that pets are kept under control in case they get into difficulty and cause owners to risk their own safety in attempting to rescue them.'

Further Water Safety Information can be found at www.respectthewater.com

RNLI media contacts

For more information please telephone Mark Corcoran, Arklow RNLI volunteer Lifeboat Press Officer on 086 8260439 or [email protected] or Nuala McAloon, Regional Media Officer on 0876483547 or [email protected] or Niamh Stephenson, Regional Media Manager on 0871254124 or [email protected]

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.