A teenage girl was badly hurt in a dramatic cliffside rescue after an ‘accidental’ fall from height in Chippenham on Friday night.
Emergency Services Launch Major Rescue Operation
The alarm was raised shortly after 7pm when the girl plunged down an embankment under the bridge on Gladstone Road, landing several metres below near the River Avon in a tough-to-reach spot.
Wiltshire and Bath Air Ambulance scrambled to the scene, joined by three ambulance crews and a specialist Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) from Bristol. Firefighters weren’t far behind, with about a dozen appliances from Wiltshire Fire and Rescue plus support from Avon Fire and Rescue, including two aerial ladder platforms.
Heroic Rescue Brings Girl to Safety
Fire crews stabilised the teenager before carefully lifting her up in a basket stretcher. She was rushed to the hospital with serious but thankfully non-life-threatening injuries.
Authorities have not released full details on her condition, but the fall was purely accidental, not linked to mental health issues. It’s still unclear whether she fell from the wall or the bridge above.
Official Statements and Road Closures
“We were called at 7:21pm on 20 March about a person falling from height,” said Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue spokesperson. “Three crews arrived to find a female who had fallen down an embankment onto concrete. Avon Fire’s technical rescue team used specialist equipment to bring her to safety.”
Wiltshire Police confirmed they assisted only with scene management. A spokesperson said: “We were called by ambulance at 7.15pm. Officers helped close footpaths and Gladstone Road during rescue. The area reopened just after 8.30pm.”
Thankfully, the brave teamwork of emergency services averted a worse tragedy in this frightening accident by the River Avon.
