Chiswick RNLI Lifeboat crew rescue injured woman stuck in the mud
The woman had slipped and fallen down the abutment on the river bank, banged her head on the way down and ended up unable to move.
Early on Monday evening 15 June 2020 Chiswick RNLI lifeboat was called to a report of an injured woman on the foreshore near Craven Cottage, Fulham FC’s ground. When they arrived on scene the crew saw the woman on the Barnes bank, opposite the football ground and further upstream. She had slipped from the towpath down the sloping abutment into thick mud. Her head was bleeding after striking it on the way down.
RNLI crewman Steve Law was the lead for first aid and carried out the initial assessment. Steve, with crew members Tony Coe and Mark Pusey, moved her into the lifeboat’s stretcher and onto the lifeboat. London Ambulance Service paramedics were already on the towpath but couldn’t safely go down on to the mud. It would also have been hazardous to lift the stretcher up the slippery stone abutment. It was agreed to take the casualty in the lifeboat to Putney embankment where the road is right alongside the river so she could be easily transferred into the care of the LAS paramedics.
RNLI Helmsman James Anthony said ‘This was pretty much a textbook rescue from start to finish. As usual the report of the location was a little vague, but we found the casualty very quickly. She was clearly in need of medical assistance and we monitored her continuously on the short trip down to Putney.’
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 3,700 incidents and rescued over 1,750 people. The RNLI is entirely funded by public donations.
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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 over 238 lifeboat stations in the UK and Ireland and, in a normal year, 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 142,700 lives.
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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For more information please visit the RNLI website or Facebook, X, TikTok and YouTube. News releases, videos and photos are available on the News Centre.
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Members of the public may contact the RNLI on 0300 300 9990 (UK) or 1800 991802 (Ireland) or by email.