'I was trying to claw at the grass' - woman survives 50ft cliff fall in Cornwall

A woman who fell 56ft down a cliff has said she ‘owes her life’ to Cornwall Air Ambulance.

Rebekah Crawford was walking with her family near Lamorna Cove on 24 June last year when she rolled her ankle on a narrow coast path and fell over the side of the cliff. 

She landed on a small ledge close to a huge drop down into the sea. 

Rebekah said: "I remember that awful feeling of falling and there was nothing underneath; I was trying to claw at the grass. My head hit the rock on the bottom, which was really painful, I remember hearing my sister scream."

Her sister, who she had been walking with, quickly called the emergency services and Cornwall Air Ambulance sent a crew to the incident.

The steep cliffs and loose terrain meant the crew had to land on a headland some distance away and find Rebekah on foot.

Pete Storer, a critical care paramedic who attended the incident, said: "It’s definitely one of the most hazardous areas I have worked in. 

“There was only space for four people, we were confined to a tiny ledge suspended precariously above a sheer drop of more than 100ft on to rocks.

"Reaching Rebekah, it was obvious she was in a great deal of pain, we suspected she had a spinal injury and were concerned about internal bleeding from such a significant fall. 

"Due to the location, we knew an aerial winch was the only way to get Rebekah off the cliff safely."

The coastguard helicopter crew arrived and winched Rebekah from the scene and transferred her to Royal Cornwall Hospital.

A CT scan at the hospital revealed a head injury and six lumbar fractures but astonishingly, Rebekah did not need any surgery.

Now fully recovered, she said: "If I’d fallen two feet further over I’d have gone right off the edge.

"I remember thinking it was surreal — I was so scared being winched by the helicopter.

"The crew were just incredible, I owe my life to them. The doctor said they rarely attend someone who falls that distance and survives."

Rebekah was able to return to work in September 2020 - but she has yet to walk on the coast path since her fall.

She now wants to highlight the heroic work of Cornwall Air Ambulance, often putting their own lives at risk to help people in precarious locations.