Clare’s coastguard services are being praised following another dramatic rescue operation in under a week in Killaloe.
A 22 year old is recovering after he fell over 20 feet from railings into the water near the Lakeside Hotel in the village last night.
The alarm was raised shortly before half eight last night when the man who was with his pregnant partner on railings at a mooring near the hotel lost his grip and plunged into the water below.
A spokesperson for the Killaloe Coastguard say he was very lucky as he narrowly avoided two iron girders either side of him on the way down and then landed in an eddy which was inside the heavy flow of the lake and managed to hang on until the emergency services arrived.
The 22 year old was in the water for over ten minutes and was initially treated for hypothermia at the Killaloe Coastguard Base before being taken by ambulance to hospital suffering from leg injuries and other lacerations.
Its the second dramatic rescue involving the Killaloe Coastguard in under a week after 12 young party goers got into difficulty on board a speedboat which started to take in water last Good Friday night.
South East Clare Councillor Pascal Fitzgerald says tragedy was avoided because of the rapid response of the coastguard and added that it highlights the importance of the services both in Killaloe and elsewhere across the county .
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