Gearing’s Point in Hermanus was a hive of activity on Friday 30 August as rescue workers converged at the scene to execute a high angle technical rescue operation to extricate a man that had fallen from the cliffs and landed on the rocks just above the ocean’s edge.
Willem de Bruyn, the NSRI Hermanus station commander, reported that they dispatched an NSRI rescue vehicle to the scene at 13:35 after receiving reports from the Overberg Emergency Control of a man that was injured during a fall from the rocks.
The NSRI Hermanus team, local police, WC Government Health EMS rescue squad and ambulance, Hermanus CMC (Critical Medical Care) private ambulance service and Overstrand fire and rescue services responded.
“On arrival on the scene,” said De Bruyn, “police were in attendance at the casualty who was reported to be semi-conscious after falling a significant distance from a cliff and landing on rocks.”
He added that the 30-year-old male seemed to be critically injured.
The NSRI crew and paramedics wasted no time and immediately set off to reach the patient and initiate medical treatment while rescue gear was transferred to the scene in order for the high-angle rescue operation to commence.
The patient was secured into a Stokes basket stretcher and, using fire and rescue services and EMS rescue squad ladders and rope technical high angle systems, the man was hoisted up the cliff in a coordinated rescue operation led by rescue paramedics.
Once the patient, who was in a serious condition, was brought safely to the cliff top, he was loaded into an ambulance and was transported to hospital by CMC Private Ambulance Service in a serious but stable condition for further medical care.
Byron la Hoe, a spokesperson of the Department of Health and Wellness, confirmed that Western Cape Department of Health and Wellness Emergency Medical Services (EMS) responded to this incident at 13:29.
“A male patient had suffered lower extremity fractures and was rescued from the bottom of the cliff with ropes and a stretcher. He was then transported by private ambulance service to Hermanus Provincial Hospital,” La Hoe stated.
This was not the first time a rescue operation of this magnitude was executed at Gearings Point after someone had fallen onto the rocks. In May 2022, an 81-year old man died after falling from the view point onto the rocks below. He was declared dead on the scene.
In 2013, the 14-year-old son of the well-known actor Waldemar Schultz died in an 18 m fall from another look-out point between Gearings Point and the Old Harbour. According to sources Kieran was balancing on a low wall at the cliff when he fell.
On 27 April 2022, Hermanus Times reported about a man who sustained critical head and neck injuries after falling off the cliffs near The Marine Hotel (“Man falls down cliff, badly hurt”). He sustained skull fractures, his neck was broken and the left side of his body was paralysed due to bleeding on the right side of his brain. He died a short while later.
In recent years, signs warning people of the dangers of going too close to the water’s edge along the coastline, have been erected.
But authorities say these incidents cannot be blamed on a lack of warning signs but rather people’s failure to pay attention to the warning signs.
In case of such an emergency, you can contact the NSRI on 112 from your cellphone or the NSRI Hermanus Station on 082 990 5967, NSRI Kleinmond on 063 699 2765 or NSRI Agulhas on 082 990 5952. Call 10177 for an ambulance and 10111 to contact the police.
