Two lifeguards at Berrow have been praised for their quick actions in helping four horse riders following a major incident on the beach this week.
As first reported here, four people were injured after they were thrown from their horses.
The casualties were treated for a range of suspected injuries and were taken to hospital for further treatment where they are understood to be making a good recovery.
Senior lifeguard Amy Sellick and lifeguard Dan Sampson, pictured, were patrolling Berrow beach at the time of the incident when they were alerted by a member of the public that two people had been thrown off their horse further along the beach.
Dan and Amy quickly got to the scene with their responder bag and spinal board and found there were four riders who had been thrown from their horses – all of whom needed medical attention.
The two RNLI lifeguards immediately assessed the situation and prioritised each patient dependant on their levels of injuries.
Dan told Burnham-On-Sea.com: “Amy and I split up and took one of each of the more serious casualties and began providing treatment. Amy then went back to the lifeguard unit to update the Coastguard as our radio signal was weaker in the location where the casualties were, and ambulances and the Burnham-on-Sea coastguard team were requested to assist.”
Berrow and Brean beach wardens who were on scene assisted Dan and Amy until the ambulance crews arrived.
The ambulance crews worked with lifeguards, coastguards and beach wardens to carry the casualties into four waiting ambulances, and they were transported to hospital for further treatment.
Dan added: “The horse riders had a range of injuries, two had possible spinal injuries, one had a fractured leg, and there were also head, foot and shoulder injuries.”
“However, it was fortunate that none were too serious, as we were able to move around the casualties and help treat them. It was a surprise initially to see four people on the ground as we initially thought there were only two, but we immediately went into autopilot and used the casualty care training we’ve received to triage and deal with the situation.”
RNLI lifeguard supervisor Ross Leighton added: “I am immensely proud of how well Dan and Amy conducted themselves in what was a triage situation.”
“As part of their training they learn how to deal with circumstances such as these, but it’s not that often that they are put in a real life situation like this. They stayed calm under pressure to give each casualty the best possible treatment with limited resources until further help arrived.”
