Climber rescued after falling 50 feet at Bullers of Buchan
The Peterhead RNLI were involved in a multi-agency response for a man who was seriously injured whilst climbing near Cruden Bay.
Peterhead's RNLI team were called out to a seriously injured climber near the Bullers of Buchan.
The 'Misses Robertson of Kintail' crew were requested by the Aberdeen coastguard around half past night last night (Tuesday July 27) after a man fell around 50 feet whist climbing in the area.
Tough weather conditions made it a difficult operation for the team, but they were eventually able to guide their lifeboat close to the cliff, before deploying 'y boat'.
An ambulance also arrived on the scene, their crew were able to stabalise the man, he was then moved onto a backboard and taken to Peterhead Harbour, where a waiting ambulance took the casualty to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.
Crew Member Craig Aird said: "Although we had coordinates for the scene, the fog made spotting the exact location difficult. I was part of the Y boat crew, deployed with the basket stretcher and other supplies.
"Arriving on-scene, the paramedics had begun treating the casualty. I used my time working with the Coastguard team to identify a suitable spot for transferring the casualty across to the lifeboat. Given the location, it was decided that the safest route for extraction was direct to the lifeboat rather than passing down the cliff to the Y boat."
Duty Coxswain Patrick Davidson said: "When the initial call came in, we knew how serious this was and attempted to make the best speed, but due to significantly reduced visibility, I had to think about the safety of my crew as well as the casualty.
"As a result of the local visibility and thunder and lightning storms in the area, an air evacuation was not possible. With potential spinal injuries the quickest and safest extraction was assessed to be by sea. On scene, sea conditions were favourable, but due to a small swell using our small daughter craft ( Y boat) was assessed to be too risky.
"So I decided to attempt and get the Lifeboat into a small gully so casualty and paramedics could be transferred from the cliff base directly onto the lifeboat, which we executed along with local Coastguard teams and assisted by my crew members illuminating the rocks around the lifeboat.
"The casualty was then transferred by lifeboat to Peterhead Harbour, where we were met by the Scottish Ambulance Service and Local Coast Guard Teams. They transferred the casualty to Aberdeen Royal Infirmary. It was a fantastic multiagency response and great to see how we all worked together seamlessly. Most importantly, we would all like to wish the casualty a speedy recovery."