A man is in hospital this morning (Sunday 13 April) after surviving an 80ft plunge off cliffs at Roedean into the waves below when his car left the A259.
The car left the coast road shortly after midnight last night, hurtled down the cliff and cleared the undercliff path to land in the sea.
Newhaven Coastguard was among the many 999 services called to the scene. Posting on its Facebook page, a spokesman said: “Miraculously the driver was able to get out of the vehicle and make their way to the rocks.
“Newhaven Coastguard sent a cliff technician down a ladder supplied by East Sussex Fire and Rescue from the promenade to the beach to join paramedics and fire personnel already with the casualty.
“A second ladder was installed to use as a slipway and the casualty was secured into Newhaven Coastguard’s rescue stretcher and then using some of our cliff rescue equipment we were able to slide the stretcher up the ladders.
“With nine members of various agencies on the three ropes and two of the Newhaven team at the top of the ladder we were able to bring the casualty up from the beach where they were handed into the care of paramedics.”
Brighton Lifeboat checked the car to make sure there was nobody else inside and the surrounding sea and beach were also searched in both directions.
The picture above, taken on a phone by a member of the Newhaven Coastguard crew, shows the car being inspected after the tide went out.
Newhaven Coastguard added: “With approximately 22 emergency service workers from various agencies as well as two lifeboat crews (Newhaven and Brighton) this was fantastic team work leading to a swift extraction of the casualty.”
RNLI Brighton tweeted:
The casualty is now on way to hospital after a fall of at least 50ft. The car came off much worse. Working with @NCGIncident @NewhavenRNLI
— Brighton Lifeboat (@RNLIBrighton) April 13, 2014
And Brighton police commander, Chief Superintendent Nev Kemp, said the man was lucky to not have been hurt more badly.
And incredibly a man escaped without serious injury after his car went over the cliff near Roedean just after midnight & ended up in the sea
— Nev Kemp (@ChSuptNevKemp) April 13, 2014
