Portree RNLI assist 12-year-old boy who narrowly escapes injury after a fall

Portree RNLI were launched at 2:48pm last Friday (7 May) to reports of a person in the water in Portree Bay.

12-year-old Gordon and three other friends had been playing on Cuddy point when Gordon lost his footing and crashed onto the shoreline below. Although he suffered a broken bone in his foot, had Gordon landed any other way, the circumstances could’ve been much worse.

Gordon’s parents, Malcolm and Fiona Mackenzie, said: 'We are so grateful Gordon is okay and our thank you goes out to all Emergency Services involved - it could have been a very different outcome. Cuddy Point is dangerous and unfortunately Gordon has learnt the hard way.'

Station Coxswain, Hamish Corrigall added 'As soon as I arrived at Portree Pier and realised the severity and locality of the situation, I immediately launched the boarding boat - a D-class lifeboat in its own right - with three crew. They retrieved the stretcher from our main lifeboat and headed towards the casualty, safely retrieving him from the rocks and onward to the slipway for transfer to the awaiting ambulance.'

Hamish added: ‘We don’t only save lives at sea, we save lives anywhere we’re needed, the coastline can be extremely dangerous and unfortunately this young boy found that out. All at the station are delighted he’s doing well’

For more information on Coastal safety, please visit: https://rnli.org/safety/choose-your-activity

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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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