Cliff jumper airlifted to hospital after 'tombstoning' accident

By cfarwell

A WARNING has gone out to adrenalin junkies after an injured tombstoner had to be airlifted to hospital from a Gower beauty spot.

The man suffered a badly dislocated shoulder after taking part in the dangerous craze.

Tombstoning involves jumping into water from cliffs or piers — but it has led to deaths and serious injuries elsewhere in Britain. Coastguard rescue workers, the Mumbles inshore lifeboat and the Sea King helicopter from RAF Chivenor in North Devon were all involved in the rescue operation.

The 45-year-old local man was one of a group who were on Pennard Cliffs, near Southgate, on Saturday morning.

Swansea Coastguard watch officer David Jones said: "We had a 999 call from a member of the public that a man had dislocated his shoulder," said Mr Jones.

"We tasked the Mumbles Coastguard rescue team and the all-weather lifeboat, along with the RAF helicopter."

Despite his injury the man had managed to scramble on to rocks by the time rescuers arrived.

"Because of the severity of the dislocation they couldn't do a normal lift into the helicopter," said Mr Jones.

"They had to put him in a stretcher and winch that up. He was then flown to Morriston Hospital."

The tombstoning craze has led to 10 deaths and 36 serious injuries in the UK in the past four years.

Leaping

Last summer, an off- duty policeman in his fishing boat rescued a teenager who had apparently jumped off Mumbles Pier and got into difficulty. Concerns have also been raised about youngsters risking their lives by leaping into Burry Port harbour.

This summer, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency, the RNLI and the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents have launched a campaign called Don't Jump into the Unknown, to raise awareness of the dangers.

Mr Jones said: "Fortunately it does not happen regularly here, but we have had a few. Our advice is — don't. The water depth can change, and you are jumping into the unknown."