Lochinver RNLI tasked to assist in the recovery of an injured young man
Lochinver RNLI lifeboat was tasked by HM Coastguard, Stornoway, at 10.00pm (23 July) to assist the Scottish Ambulance Service in the recovery of a young man who had injured himself after slipping on the rocks. The crew were tasked to the hillside above the beach, just north of Achmelvich.
A group of school friends from Germany were on a cycling and camping holiday in the Highlands when one of the young men slipped on the rocks above the beach and injured his ankle. Unable to walk, his friends managed to help him back to their campsite and called an ambulance.
The ambulance paramedic who attended the scene decided it would be easier to carry the casualty down to the beach rather than over land up to the road and so assistance from the lifeboat was requested.
On arrival at the scene, the volunteer RNLI crew members were all ferried to the beach on the lifeboat’s daughter craft, the Y boat, and made their way up the hill with a stretcher for the young man.
The ambulance paramedic was joined by 3 more of her colleagues and together they prepared the casualty and helped him into the stretcher, ready to be transported. The lifeboat’s volunteer crew then carried the casualty down the hill to the beach and out onto the waiting lifeboat, which quickly returned to Lochinver.
The casualty was then transferred into the waiting ambulance and the lifeboat was tied up and made ready for service again.
Whilst the RNLI is the charity that saves lives at sea, as was the case on this rescue, occasionally volunteer crew members are required to venture on land as well, to support those in the emergency services, such as the Scottish Ambulance Service.
Joe MacKay, RNLI deputy volunteer coxswain in Lochinver says: “Whether you are walking, fishing, camping or any other activity that brings you to the coast, it is always a good idea to have a means of calling for help.”
Notes to editors
· Lochinver RNLI lifeboat station has been operating since 1967. To learn more about the lifeboat station go to: https://rnli.org/find-my-nearest/lifeboat-stations/lochinver-lifeboat-station
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RNLI Press Office, 01202 336789
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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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