19.01.11 SIMCAS Doctor assists rescue at fatal fall in Telscombe, East Sussex
Fatal fall from cliff in Telscombe, East Sussex
A man died as the Ford Mondeo van he was in drove over the edge of the cliffs at Telscombe, East Sussex at about 1550 today (19/1/2011). The van landed on its roof at the base of the cliffs, in a rock pool.
Dr Rowley Cottingham, a doctor with emergency care charity SIMCAS, attended the scene to assist the South East Coast Ambulance service (SECAmb). "It was an extremely difficult location to access, at the base of 300ft cliffs and he was trapped in the vehicle." he said "It took a combination of teamwork with the East Sussex Fire and Rescue Service, the Solent Coastguard as well as the new specialist Hazardous Area Rescue Team (HART) from the ambulance service to get medical and cutting equipment down by helicopter to the accident site. Unfortunately the man's injuries were too severe and he was declared dead at the scene."