Whitby fisherman pulled from sea in 'dramatic' rescue
Whitby RNLI has saved a fisherman from the water by a nearby boat
Last updated 6th Aug 2021
Whitby RNLI has rescued a fisherman who was pulled into the sea.
Both lifeboats were launched at around 6.45pm on yesterday (Thursday 5th August), after a report came in that a fisherman was in the water off the coast of Whitby.
Another passenger on the boat raised the alarm when the fisherman was pulled into the water by his fishing gear. The closest boat that was equipped to help was the Summer Queen who promptly responded to the Mayday call and pulled the fisherman free.
Meanwhile Whitby's inshore lifeboat (ILB) was arriving to the scene. Crew member Matt Sharpe boarded the Summer Queen from the ILB in order to provide immediate casualty care as the fisherman had a suspected broken arm and had been in the water for some time.
The Coastguard Rescue 912 helicopter was launched and the casualty was airlifted to be taken to hospital for treatment.
RNLI crew member Matt Sharpe said that the casualty's physical and mental strength saved his life. He said: "The outcome to this could have been very different, I would like to praise the fisherman for his strength and determination keeping hold of his lobster pot end despite having substantial injuries. Thank you also to those aboard the Summer Queen whose quick actions undoubtedly resulted in a life saved.
"These situations remind us why we train week in week out so that it is second nature to quickly launch the boat and to react swiftly to all eventualities. Just last week we had practised a similar scenario as part of a routine training exercise."
Whitby RNLI hope to keep working with the local fishing and boating community to provide training and education to minimise incidents at sea and ensure that should an incident occur the community are equipped with the best skills possible to prevent deaths at sea.