A teenager who dislocated his knee after slipping on rocks on the North East coast was saved by life brigade volunteers.
HM Coastguard paged the Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade with a request to support North East Ambulance Service with the rescue of a 19-year-old man who had suffered a suspected dislocated knee after slipping on rocks just to the north of Cullercoats Bay.
The man was part of a group of three who had been exploring the rocks when he had fallen over, injured his knee, and reported that he was unable to walk.
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Two Brigade members quickly reached the casualty and confirmed that his injury meant he required extraction via stretcher – with the casualty located at the seaward end of a set of rocks, and with the tide on the way in, the casualty was at significant risk and needed prompt action from rescue resources.
Additional Brigade members were then sent to the scene wearing full water rescue equipment, including dry suits – with assistance also requested from our colleagues at Cullercoats RNLI. In addition a paramedic from the Ambulance Service’s Hazardous Area Response Team also made his way to the casualty.
Using a stretcher, the casualty was lifted off the rocks and into the Lifeboat from Cullercoats, which then brought him back into the safety of the Bay. The man was then transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital for further assessment and treatment, with all rescue resources stood down at 9.30pm.
A spokesperson for Tynemouth Volunteer Life Brigade said: "This type of incident is one we have trained for with Cullercoats RNLI, and this joint working, along with assistance from the Ambulance Service, led to a quick and effective rescue of the casualty.
"If you see someone in difficulty at the coast, or if you end up in a perilous position or where you think you may need assistance, please always call 999 and ask for the Coastguard."
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