The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Woman rescued after falling on elie chain walk
Lifeboat attended to woman who is believed to have injured her shoulder
A woman was airlifted from cliffs on Thursday afternoon after falling on the Elie chain walk.
The Coastguard air ambulance was dispatched from Prestwick and two RNLI lifeboats rushed to the scene shortly before 2.50pm.
It is understood she was walking along the coastal cliff path with her husband when she slipped, suffering a suspected dislocated shoulder.
The crew of the Anstruther lifeboat decided, once providing first aid to the woman, that the safest way to evacuate her was to call in the air-ambulance helicopter.
Once she was winched on to the aircraft, she was flown a short distance up the cliff face where the helicopter landed and she was handed over to waiting paramedics.
A spokesperson for the Anstruther RNLI lifeboat said: “We were tasked by the UK Coastguard at 2.47pm on Thursday to send both the inshore and all-weather lifeboats to Shell Bay to attend to a woman who fell with a suspected shoulder injury.
“The inshore lifeboat was the first to attend the scene and a crew member was able to perform first aid.
“UK 199 was then called for from Prestwick after the Coastguard ground team took over the call.
“The woman was helicoptered off the cliff to the top and into a waiting ambulance and paramedics. Both boats were stood down at 5.15pm and returned to the Anstruther station.
The RNLI last year highlighted the risks associated with the chain walk after a number of call outs received by the service that resulted in both boats and a helicopter being sent out to rescue stranded users.
A total of four people, including a teenager and two eight-year-old children, were helped to safety last August after getting into difficulty at the popular attraction west of Earlsferry.
The two younger children managed to scramble to the top of the cliff, but a 40-year-old woman and a 14-year-old teenager had to be winched to safety by the coastguard helicopter.
Thursday’s incident is understood to be the first time this year RNLI boats have had to rescue someone from the cliffs.