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Trearddur Bay Volunteers assist man with back injury

Lifeboats News Release

For the second time this weekend, the crew from Trearddur Bay RNLI were tasked by Holyhead coastguard.

Helicopter and Trearddur Bay Crew

RNLI/Lee Duncan

Casualty airlifted from Aberffraw beach
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On Saturday they were asked to assist a small fishing boat, suffering engine problems, near LLanddwyn Island and after a brief assessment took the boat under tow to Rhoscolyn.
At around 3:30pm on Sunday both boats from Trearddur Bay were tasked to assist an injured male at Porth Twyn Mawr. Upon arrival the crew attended to a male with a back injury sustained on his boat and as he was in extreme pain the casualty care trained volunteers administered Penthrox to help with pain relief before putting him into their stretcher and taking him ashore. With no ambulances immediately available and being in an isolated location, not wishing to risk further spinal injury to the casualty they requested an airlift and awaited the arrival of the coastguard helicopter. Shortly after landing by the beach and before the crew had the opportunity to transfer the casualty onboard, the helicopter was immediately tasked to another incident leaving them no option but to transfer the casualty back on to the charities D class boat, the Clive and Imelda Rawlins and then on to the Atlantic 85, Hereford Endeavour. Helmsman Lee Duncan said ‘we had planned to take the casualty to either Rhosneigr or Trearddur Bay for better ambulance access, however, the helicopter returned having been stood down from its previous task and the casualty was extracted from Aberffraw beach and taken to Ysbyty Gwynedd for immediate treatment.’

Crew member and trained casualty carer Steven Williams said, ‘given the circumstances and difficulty of the location, the boys did a great job. The casualty care training really kicked in and showed its value, the poor guy was in a tremendous amount of pain but having given him the Penthrox he was comfortably strapped into the stretcher preventing any further spinal damage.’

Crew member, Mike Doran also noted that ‘it was a long shout in that heat, four hours in all, a member of the public kindly brought the guys drinks and even some cake when we were on Porth Twyn Mawr beach, which was gratefully received!’

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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 142,700 lives.

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About the author

Andy Hodgson
Lifeboat Press Officer, Trearddur Bay Lifeboat Station

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