A man has been airlifted to hospital following a surfing accident that left him injured in West Clare on Tuesday morning.
The alert was raised shortly after 8am on Tuesday when the Irish Coast Guard received reports of an incident at Ballard Bay, located south of Doonbeg, reports Breaking News.
The Kilkee unit of the Coast Guard and the National Ambulance Service were dispatched to the scene, while the Shannon-based search and rescue helicopter was also tasked to assist.
A large number of people had gathered in the area to surf the renowned Riley’s Wave, which forms during periods of significant swell and draws surfers and bodyboarders from around the globe, reports Breaking News.
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It is believed that the injured man sustained a head injury and was attended to by fellow surfers until emergency crews arrived. A team of surf-rescue personnel on jet-skis were also present to assist those in the water.
Rescue 115’s winchman and paramedic were lowered onto the rocks below, where the casualty was being treated on a rock ledge beneath the cliffs. The rescue was described as “challenging,” reports Breaking News.
The injured man was subsequently flown to University Hospital Limerick for further treatment.
In September, another man was airlifted to hospital after reportedly getting into difficulty while surfing in the same area, reports Breaking News.
During that incident, the Kilkee unit of the Irish Coast Guard and Rescue 115 also responded. The injured surfer was winched aboard the helicopter and transferred to University Hospital Galway for treatment.
In 2016, a bodyboarder was flown to hospital after sustaining injuries in the same location, while a year earlier, a world-champion bodyboarder suffered serious injuries there and likewise required airlift to hospital for treatment, reports Breaking News.
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