Man in his eighties rescued by Redcar RNLI after falling into River Tees
A man in his eighties was rescued by the Redcar RNLI crew after he was left clinging to a mooring chain for over an hour in the waters of the River Tees on Saturday 3 April 2021.
The man, from Seaton Carew, was working with another man on a small boat in Paddy’s Hole at the mouth of the Tees when they both fell into the water. One man was eventually able to swim ashore and raise the alarm at the pilot station.
The second man was able to reach a small boat nearby and cling to its mooring chain. The Redcar lifeboat was launched just after 9.25pm to search for this man. Meanwhile, ambulance and coastguard teams were tasked to assist.
The crew of a Tees pilot cutter used their searchlight to try and find the man while the lifeboat searched through the boats moored in Paddy’s Hole. The lifeboat crew heard a weak cry for help, and found the man at the stern of a fishing boat boat.
He was taken aboard the lifeboat and given emergency treatment including oxygen while he was taken up river to the entrance to Tees Dock to await the arrival of an ambulance.
Andy Beevis, helmsman of the Redcar lifeboat, said: ‘When we were told the man had been missing for over an hour we were fearing the worst, so we were really pleased when we heard him call out.
‘He started to fade a bit when we got him into the lifeboat but by the time we reached the dock he was responding to treatment. Considering what he’d been through the outcome could have been very different '.
Ends
Notes to editors:
Attached is a library image of Paddy's Hole, River Tees. Credit RNLI/Dave Cocks
Redcar lifeboat station has been operating since 1802
Redcar currently operates a B-class lifeboat named Leicester Challenge III, paid for by the people of Leicester, and an IB1-class lifeboat named Eileen May Loach-Thomas, paid from the legacy of the late Mr Nick Thomas of Shropshire
Any images used should be credited RNLI/Redcar unless indicated
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