GENTLY DOES IT A crash between a personal watercraft and a powerboat left a 16-year-old boy in agony, needing urgent but careful attention Aberdovey lifeboat crew were just back from a call out to a kitesurfer when they were asked by radio to launch again, in the early afternoon of 22 August 2007. With good visibility and fair conditions, the Atlantic 75 Sandwell Lifeline reached Aberdovey estuary, Gwynedd, within minutes, with volunteer Phil Bresnen at the helm.

The lifeboatmen found a boy in the water; conscious, but in a lot of pain in his lower back and sides. Phil remembers he was in danger of going into shock and was ‘fairly vocal’.

Luckily, a man on a safety boat from the local yacht club had done the right thing by keeping him afloat and waiting for assistance rather than trying to drag him onboard. Crew Member Ed Davies now entered the water to assess the teenager’s condition and to support him, both physically and mentally.

Suspecting back injuries, the crew needed to get the boy onto a stretcher, into the lifeboat and back to land for expert medical attention. The slightest jolt could lead to long-term damage.

With Ed still in the water, the crew deployed a stretcher and carefully floated the teenager onto it. Ed strapped him in while Crew Member Nick Greatbatch deflated the sponson at the back of the lifeboat to bring the floor of the vessel almost level with the water. Sea conditions were moderate, so the crew were able to slide the stretcher smoothly onboard.

Once inside the lifeboat station, ambulance personnel tended to the casualty and waited for a helicopter to transfer him to hospital.

The Coastguard helped clear a packed Aberdovey beach for the arrival of the air ambulance, but the helicopter found itself unable to help as the lifeboat stretcher wouldn’t fit inside. Moving the boy off of the stretcher was out of the question as it might aggravate his injuries. One of the air ambulance crew stayed to give medical help and the helicopter left the beach, empty handed. Within minutes, back up arrived in the form of an RAF rescue helicopter.

To the awe of the spectators, the larger helicopter landed safely on the beach, took in the boy on the stretcher and airlifted him to Bangor hospital.

The teenager was found to have compressed vertebrae and severe bruising and had to rest in bed for weeks. But it was thanks to the lifeboat crew’s gentle handling, and skilful teamwork with other organisations, that no lasting effects are anticipated. Ed and his fellow volunteers were delighted that everything had gone so smoothly: ‘It was the best result there could have been – no long-term damage to the boy.’ ‘Our challenge was to keep the injured boy as still as possible, to minimise trauma.’ Crew Member Ed Davies .