An elderly man has been airlifted to hospital after he was injured in a fall while taking part in a fishing competition in Co Clare this afternoon.
The 75-year-old was fishing from cliffs at Ballyreen between Doolin and Fanore when the incident occurred at around 4.30pm.
The Doolin unit of the Irish Coast Guard was alerted and sent to the scene along with an ambulance from Galway. It’s understood that a Galway ambulance was sent to the incident as a number of resources from Clare had been dealing with another call at Shannon Airport at around the same time.
The Shannon based Irish Coast Guard helicopter, Rescue 115, which had been training nearby at the time, was also scrambled and reached the scene within minutes.
National Ambulance Service paramedics treated the man at the scene and were assisted by Coast Guard volunteers with preparing the casualty for transport to hospital.
The Coast Guard helicopters’ winchman/paramedic was lowered to the ground before he and the casualty were winched on board the aircraft and flown to Shannon Airport from where he was transported to University Hospital Limerick by ambulance.
It’s understood that man suffered back and rib injuries which are not believed to be life-threatening.
Meanwhile, two kayakers who got into difficulty near Doolin this evening were brought safely ashore.
The pair had been kayaking in Doonagore Bay at around 8.00pm when one fell into the water and couldn’t get back onto the kayak.
A member of the public raised the alarm and the Doolin Coast Guard unit was tasked to assist. A passing surfer went to assist the pair and helped them ashore. It’s understood they were about 750 metres off shore at the time.
The kayakers were met by a Coast Guard shore team who assessed them to ensure they weren’t injured or required medical attention.