Advertisement

RNLI hovercraft crew rescue trapped teenager

A lifeboat crew from New Brighton managed to free a teenaged girl who was stuck up to the chest in mud on the shore at Crosby on Merseyside.

Rescued teenager being pulled aboard hovercraft
[L to R] Senior Commander Graham Lowe, Pilot Chris Henderson, Crewman Mike Jones, Divisional Operations Manager Matt Crofts.

The casualty, a female, was deeply embedded in the soft mud and had been stuck for approx 40 minutes. She was very frightened and cold, even though it was one of the hottest days of the summer the mud just drains away body heat. Our pilot Chris Henderson skilfully brought the hovercraft to within a few inches behind her. Rescuers then deployed mud mats around her and these gave us a platform to work from. We reached down into the goo and managed eventually to release her legs and haul a very relieved young lady onto the hovercraft. With reassuring words and wrapped in a blanket we flew her to Crosby beach and awaiting ambulance and paramedics.'

– Bob Warwick, RNLI