A 28-year-old woman was rescued after falling from a cliff ledge at Porth Melgan Cove, near Whitesands Bay, St David’s, Pembrokeshire, on the afternoon of Sunday 2 May.
Her swift rescue and transfer to Withybush Hospital, Haverfordwest, with a suspected broken ankle, was made possible by the rapid response of RNLI lifeguards from Whitesands Bay working in conjunction with Coastguard, St David’s RNLI lifeboat and paramedics from Wales Air Ambulance.
RNLI lifeguards Ali Richards and Sean Ellison were alerted to the predicament and danger facing a young woman after members of the local surf club had notified the Coastguard of an incident – just after 13.30 on Sunday – where the woman had fallen off a cliff ledge.
The two lifeguards ran from Whitesands Bay to assist the stricken woman in Porth Melgan Cove – taking about 15 minutes running across the beach and scrambling over difficult rock surfaces to get to her – while at the same time their RNLI lifeboat colleagues from St David’s were racing to the scene.
The lifeguards found that the woman had lost her footing and had fallen more than 6ft from one ledge to another ledge lying immediately below, while out walking with her partner and their dog along the coastal path.
The lifeguards saw the casualty was in distress and not able to move, visibly shocked and suffering from dizziness and a lot of pain.
Although the woman was in an awkward position, the lifeguards felt it best not to move her but alerted their colleagues Megan Jones and Jeff Rogers, who were at the lifeguard station on Whitesands Bay, to contact the paramedics of the Wales Air Ambulance.
The lifeguards had taken a trauma pack with them and were able to give the casualty oxygen. Lifeboat crew from St David’s had also arrived at the scene by this time and were assisting their RNLI lifeguard colleagues.
The woman was airlifted from the accident scene at just after 3pm by Air Ambulance 57A to Withybush Hospital where she is being kept overnight.
The woman and her partner had been on holiday in the area and staying at a nearby campsite.
