'You never think it's going to happen to you' - Charlotte Thomson recalls coastguard rescue experience

Every day, Her Majesty’s Coastguard responds to all sorts of incidents involving people who never dreamed for a moment their day would be interrupted by an accident.

It was certainly true for Charlotte Thomson, who was spending some time in her garden at the home she shares with her fiancé Joey in Smugglers Cove, Portreath on the north Cornish coast.

She fell in her garden and was in such pain, it was clear she was going to need medical help.

The ambulance could not get to her because of a landslide, so Portreath Coastguard Rescue Team was called in.

They gave her first aid and got her onto a stretcher, carrying Charlotte a few hundred metres across the beach to the waiting ambulance.

In the end, it turned out that the 33-year-old had fortunately not broken any bones but had suffered very painful bruising to her right leg.

Charlotte, who is a small business owner in Cornwall, said: “People often say that they never thought something would happen to them and that’s definitely how I feel. It was a really bad fall and I’m so grateful to the coastguards and ambulance service who were absolutely incredible in helping me.

“We’re so lucky to have such amazing emergency services on our doorstep, ready and waiting to help and keep people safe at the coast.”

If you’re going to the coast, make sure you check the COVID-19 rules for your area and the area you’re intending to travel to and that you have a way of calling 999 to ask for the Coastguard if something goes wrong.

Photo credit: Charlotte's Instagram page.

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