Rescuers race against rising tide to help woman hurt on rocks

RESCUE teams raced against time to help a walker who had fallen on rocks at Barton beach as the tide came in.

The casualty, a woman in her 70s, was unable to get up after the accident in the Fisherman’s Walk area, below the Beachcomber Café in Marine Drive, shortly before 7am on Monday.

Coastguard crews from Lymington and Southbourne rushed to the scene, where they helped paramedics remove her from the rocks. She was stretchered up to a waiting ambulance.

The woman was taken to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital, but a South Central Ambulance Service spokesperson told the A&T she had “no obvious injuries”.

“We received a 999 call at 6.51am this morning with the caller reporting that an adult female had fallen on to rocks off Marine Drive East, Barton-on-Sea,” the spokesperson said on Monday.

“She was unable to get off the rocks and the tide was coming in.

“We sent a paramedic team leader in a rapid response vehicle, an ambulance and our hazardous area response team to the location.

“Working with HM Coastguard, the patient was rescued from the rocks and taken to the Royal Bournemouth Hospital for further assessment.

“She had no obvious injuries, but was very cold.”