Lands End Coastguard called to fall on Porthchapel path

A walker’s afternoon on the coast path below the Minack Theatre took a painful turn on Thursday, when a fall on the steep descent to Porthchapel left them unable to continue under their own steam.

The call-out

Lands End Coastguard Search & Rescue Team was tasked at 14:32 on Thursday 27 August to locate and assess a person who had slipped on the coast path leading down to Porthchapel from the Minack Theatre area, injuring their knee.

The team made their way in from an access point to reach the casualty, who was just down from the outcrop of rocks at the top of the path to the beach. While the first team members carried out an initial assessment, others moved the vehicle to a location closer to the casualty’s actual position. A South Western Ambulance crew was also called.

Getting the casualty off the path

Rescuers supported a suspected kneecap injury and transferred the casualty onto a stretcher, carrying them to the field next to the car park to meet the waiting ambulance. A Community First Responder had arrived by this point too.

Once a paramedic had checked the casualty over, they were taken on to the next level of care.

Back to station

The team was then stood down to return to station, where the kit was repacked ready for the next tasking.

Lands End’s volunteers are among the crews covering the exposed, often unforgiving coastguard rescue patch around Land’s End, ready to be called out at any hour for walkers who come off worse than they expect on Cornwall’s coast path.

If you see someone in danger on the coast, call 999 and ask for the coastguard.

📷Credit: Lands End Coastguard Search & Rescue Team