Man left with spinal injuries after wind foiling accident at Bantham beach
The man was airlifted to hospital following a multi-agency response
A man has been left with suspected spinal injuries following a wing foiling incident off Bantham beach.
Lifeguards had been patrolling the beach on Sunday morning (June 1st) just before 11am when they spotted that a wing foiler had gotten into difficulty in the water, some 200 metres off the coast.
Emergency lifeboats were immediately launched to reach the man, who was unable to get into the boat, requiring a multi-agency response.
Coastguard officials were also called in from Sedgewell Cove, as well as the South West Ambulance Service to co-ordinate getting the watersportsman to shore.
Lifeguards were able to bring the man to shore and immediately provide care, while an air ambulance was dispatched to the scene.
Working together with the various services, the victim was successfully stretchered off the beach before being airlifted to hospital.
Speaking on the incident, Luke Lane-Prokopiou from the RNLI said: "This was a fantastic show of multi-agency working with all teams working in harmony to ensure the best outcome for the casualty.
"Without the initial actions of RNLI Lifeguards this could have been a very different outcome. We could not be prouder of how our RNLI Lifeguards acted, they were true professionals in a complex lifesaving operation."