Chiswick RNLI Crew Rescue Injured Woman From Rising Tide

---

After she had fallen more than six metres from the river wall

On Sunday 6 December the crew of Chiswick RNLI lifeboat station rescued a woman from the rapidly rising tide after she had fallen more than six metres from the river wall in Fulham.

Chiswick RNLI lifeboat crew were on exercise near the station in Chiswick when they received a call at 2.19pm from London Coastguard.

Six minutes later, they arrived at the wharf close to Wandsworth Bridge to find the injured woman on the remaining two metres of foreshore which was rapidly disappearing with the rising tide.

Two of the lifeboat crew, assisted by a London Ambulance Service paramedic, stabilised the woman with a neck brace and transferred her onto a spinal board before moving her into the boat on the lifeboat’s stretcher.

She was then taken to a waiting ambulance at Chelsea Harbour Pier and transferred to hospital.

Glen Munroe, Chiswick RNLI duty helmsman said, "Because the river wall is over six metres high at this point, the casualty could only be rescued by water. We were able to place the lifeboat a couple of metres away to effect a rapid transfer."

Ian Owen, RNLI lifeboat mechanic who was on the foreshore, added, "We had only five minutes to stabilise the woman so she could be moved before the water covered her. The woman was confused and vomiting, the large amount of rubbish in the river at this point probably reduced the impact of her fall."

December 10, 2009