Lymington RNLI assists rescue of sailor suffering severe asthma attack

LYMINGTON RNLI rescuers rushed to help a sailor who suffered a severe asthma attack while sailing on the Solent.

The alarm was raised shortly before 1pm on Saturday 7th October after the 18-year-old woman started having difficulty breathing and had chest pains.

The skipper on her yacht put out a call for urgent assistance.

A nearby support RIB was used to evacuate the casualty and bring her to shore at Lymington Yacht Haven, to where an ambulance had been requested.

The lifeboat reached the RIB five minutes after launching and, after an initial assessment confirmed she had a dangerously high respiratory rate and required immediate medical care.

The rescuers started treatment before she was handed over to paramedics at 1.30pm.

Helmsman Phil Baker said afterwards: “After experiencing a severe asthma attack for around 45 minutes, the casualty was in desperate need of medication and oxygen.

“We are relieved to have been there to administer this care and stabilise the patient.

“As RNLI volunteers we are here to answer the call to rescue 24 hours a day, seven days a week in our local communities.”