Horse rider rescued in a race against time as tide closes in

A young horse rider, injured when riding on Holme beach in Norfolk, was rescued by emergency services in a race against a rising tide last week.

On 2nd October at 12.20, UK Coastguard requested the launch of Hunstanton Hovercraft to assist other agencies in the evacuation of an injured horse rider on Holme beach.

The 22-year-old woman had received serious injuries while riding on the beach. On arrival, the crew assisted Coastguard and paramedics to carry the rider to higher ground before the tide swept in.

Due to the severity of the injuries to the rider, the Coastguard Helicopter was requested, and landed on the beach.

Once the paramedics had stabilised the causality, they were placed in the helicopter and flown to Norwich Hospital.

The RNLI says this was a serious incident made especially difficult by the rising tide. According to a spokesperson for the RNLI, by the time the casualty was put in the helicopter, the tide had almost completely covered the ground.