Spectator badly hurt in cliff fall while watching rescue
AN ONLOOKER fell from a cliff while watching the coastguard rescue a fellow walker who plummeted moments beforehand.
Both people survived, but were badly injured when they fell about 30ft, near Driffield in East Yorks.
Rescue services from the Bridlington Royal Lifeboat National Institution along with coastguards from Humber and Hornsea attended the scene on Thursday evening.
A team from the Yorkshire Ambulance Service found the first casualty on the beach and a coastguard helicopter was brought in to winch the victim to safety, near the Skipsea Sands Holiday Park.
However, a crowd had gathered to watch the rescue operation and one of the onlookers strayed too close to the edge and also fell off the cliff, sustaining injuries described as “equally severe” as those of the original victim.
Emergency services airlifted both casualties after the three-hour rescue mission to Hull Royal Infirmary for further treatment.
Bridlington Coastguard has now issued a warning for onlookers to ensure they are careful. Posting on social media sites they said: “We would like to remind members of the public that although watching one of our rescue operations may seem exciting, it is of paramount importance that you don’t place yourself or our rescuers in danger and listen to on-scene guidance.”
Coastguards across England were said to have faced their busiest day in call-outs in four years on Friday while the nation basked in a heatwave.
Teams around the nation dealt with a total of 329 incidents on July 31. Callouts were heaviest along the east and south coast of England. But there were a range of incidents off the Yorkshire coast too.
There were 22 incidents between Flamborough and Cromer in Norfolk.
The Bridlington Coastguard Rescue Team said they dealt with six incidents on Friday, including a search for a 10-year-old boy who had gone missing at around 6.50pm on Spa Bridge, near Scarborough seafront. Two hours later, North Yorkshire Police confirmed the boy had been found safe and well.