A pensioner in his 60s is recovering in hospital today after a terrifying 20-foot fall down a cliff near Hillhead. The incident occurred close to the Solent Breezes, east of Hillhead, where the man was out walking with a friend and their dog.
The call came in this morning to the National Maritime Coordination Centre at Fareham, reporting that a man had plunged over the cliff edge. The Hillhead Coastguard Rescue Team quickly scrambled to the scene to assist the South Central Ambulance Service’s HART team.
The man was found conscious but with a badly injured right leg at the base of the cliff. Rescue crews stabilised his leg, immobilised it, and secured him into a specialist stretcher before expertly hauling him back up using safety lines.
Once safely on top, the man was rushed to hospital by land ambulance for further treatment. Both rescue teams were praised for their swift and professional action in a tricky and dangerous situation.
A Coastguard spokesman urged visitors to take care around cliffs and footpaths, saying, “If you are heading to the coast, please take extreme care around cliffs and footpaths. The cliff gradients can be deceptive, and with recent wet and icy weather, edges may be slippery or unstable. If you see someone in trouble, don’t hesitate—call 999 and ask for the Coastguard.”
Originally published by UKNIP.
