Lesley's Story

Lesley had been enjoying a walk along the Fife Coastal Path with her husband, father and a friend when suddenly the narrow grassy ledge gave way and she plunged 20 feet on to the rocks below, breaking her back and shattering her foot.

“I can remember looking up and trying to grab hold of something – the next thing I felt was landing feet first on the rocks, falling backwards and hitting my head. And then a lot of pain.”

The three men with Lesley were quickly by her side and, despite their instinct to the contrary, were forced to move her because of the incoming tide.

“They had no choice,” said Lesley. “I had obviously done some serious damage, but they couldn’t leave me lying where I was, or I would have drowned.”

Lesley’s father and husband then set off to try and get a phone signal, heading in different directions from the remote area until one was eventually able to contact the emergency services.

“We staunched the bleed from my head wound with tissues I had in my bag and I tried to keep calm. Dad’s friend kept talking to me to keep me awake but I was in so much pain in my foot and lower back,” recalled Lesley. “I almost lost consciousness a couple of times and it seemed forever before the men came back and said help was on its way. I just had to hang on.”

The delay in finding a phone signal and the remote location and nature of the fall prompted SCAA being scrambled from its Perth base to get medical help to Lesley as quickly as possible.

The position given to the emergency services was only approximate, so SCAA had to fly up and down the coastline before pinpointing the family among the rocks.

“They were first on scene, landing nearby on a grassy bank, and I’ve never been so relieved to see anyone,” recalled Lesley.

“It was a cold, windy day and they immediately erected a shelter around me to protect me as they administered pain relief.

“SCAA’s paramedics were just amazing – so calm and so reassuring. I had been frantic with pain and worry that no one would come to help and suddenly these guys were by my side, taking control of everything and comforting and calming me. They are very special people.”

Coastguard support arrived and provided help in stretchering Lesley up to the waiting helicopter.

“The crew re-arranged things on board to ensure my husband could fly with me,” she explained. “It was good to have him there and I’m so grateful to the crew for making that possible.”

Lesley was flown to the Major Trauma Centre at Dundee in little over five minutes and was taken straight into A&E. X-rays and a CT scan showed she had broken her back and shattered her heel in three places, prompting lengthy operations to insert metal rods and pins to secure the joint.

“I spent more than two weeks in hospital,” said Lesley, “and I never stopped thanking my lucky stars that SCAA was there for me that day.

"It would have been really difficult for a land ambulance to reach me and the journey out over bumpy ground would have been horrendous.

“SCAA landed beside me and immediately took the pain away. They flew me quickly and comfortably to advanced care with my husband by my side and I will be eternally grateful to them.

“SCAA is an invaluable service in Scotland. You never think you will ever need them but trust me, when things do go wrong, this is the team you want to see. They’re just amazing.”