Teenager Rescued After Fall from Chippenham Bridge Embankment
A teenage girl sustained serious injuries following an accidental fall from a height in Chippenham on the evening of Friday, 20 March. The incident occurred near the Gladstone Road bridge over the River Avon, prompting a significant multi-agency emergency response.
Incident Timeline and Location
The emergency services were alerted just after 7:15pm. The casualty had fallen down a steep embankment adjacent to the river, coming to rest on a concrete area several metres below. The location, described as difficult to access, is near Lovers Walk, a popular footpath alongside the river. The precise point of the fall—whether from the bridge structure or a nearby wall—remains unclear, though authorities have indicated the incident was accidental and not related to mental health concerns.
Major Multi-Agency Rescue Operation
The scale of the response underscored the complexity of the rescue. Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance was dispatched, alongside at least three land ambulance crews. A specialist Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) from Bristol attended to provide advanced medical care in the challenging terrain.
Fire and rescue services deployed approximately 12 appliances from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service, with support from Avon Fire and Rescue Service. This included two aerial ladder platforms, essential for accessing the casualty’s position on the steep slope. A technical rescue team from Avon FRS used specialist equipment to execute the extrication.
Casualty Care and Recovery
On arrival, emergency crews found the female teenager. She was medically stabilised at the scene before being placed into a basket stretcher. The casualty was then carefully lifted up the embankment using the technical rescue equipment and transferred to an ambulance for transport to hospital.
While her injuries were described as serious, they were assessed as not being immediately life-threatening or life-changing. Her current condition has not been officially released by the hospital or emergency services.
Official Statements and Scene Management
A spokesperson for Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service confirmed the call time and initial findings: “We were called at 7:21pm yesterday, 20 March, with reports of person falling from height. Three crews were mobilised, from Swindon, Bradford on Avon and Trowbridge. On arrival crews found one female who had fallen down an embankment onto a concrete area. A technical rescue team was requested from Avon FRS to assist with the extrication of the casualty using technical rescue equipment and worked with other agencies to bring the casualty to safety.”
Wiltshire Police clarified their supporting role in the operation. “We were called by the ambulance service to an incident in Gladstone Road, Chippenham, at 7.15pm yesterday evening (20/3). Officers assisted with the closure of footpaths within the vicinity and Gladstone Road whilst a rescue operation was conducted. The road reopened just after 8.30pm.” The police cordons on Lovers Walk and Gladstone Road were removed once the operation concluded around 8:30pm.
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Image Credit: www.wiltshire999s.co.uk
