Saffron Cole-Nottage, 32, drowned after becoming trapped headfirst in sea defence rocks as the tide came in – an inquest into her death heard she could have been saved
A mother who drowned after getting trapped headfirst in sea defence rocks could have been saved if the ambulance service had contacted the fire brigade sooner, a coroner has determined. Saffron Cole-Nottage, 32, was walking her dog with her daughter along The Esplanade in Lowestoft, Suffolk, on February 2 last year when she fell and became wedged headfirst in rocks as the tide rose.
A girl dialled 999 at 7.52pm and, within the opening 30 seconds of the call, informed an ambulance service call handler that Ms Cole-Nottage was “caught head down in the rock” by the “seafront”.
At 7.57pm and 7.58pm, the caller mentioned Ms Cole-Nottage “screaming”, before stating at 7.59pm that she was “in the water now”. Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was the final of the four emergency services to be notified, with initial contact made at 8.04pm.
Firefighters reached the scene at 8.22pm and released Ms Cole-Nottage in “less than half a minute” after first placing hands on her at 8.29pm, Suffolk area coroner Darren Stewart said. She was tragically pronounced dead at 8.44pm.
Delivering a narrative conclusion on Friday, the coroner determined that Ms Cole-Nottage “died from drowning, which has come about due to accidental circumstances”.
He said the East of England Ambulance Service “didn’t immediately contact the fire service”. He further commented: “Had the Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service been immediately alerted to the incident, it’s possible that Saffron would have been extricated from the rocks sooner and survived. However, it’s not probable she would have done so.”
Mr Stewart portrayed Ms Cole-Nottage, who was employed as a cleaner, as a “loving mother completely devoted to her children”. He also pointed out that Ms Cole-Nottage “had been drinking” on the day of the accident.
The inquest had previously heard that the rescue attempts to save Ms Cole-Nottage did not adhere to guidelines. Professor Richard Lyon, a consultant in emergency medicine, informed the inquest on Tuesday that a “clock” should commence on 30 minutes of rescue efforts once a responder arrives at the scene and confirms a person is submerged.
Prof Lyon, who holds positions with NHS Scotland and the University of Surrey, stated: “I do not think the guidance was followed in this case.”
He went on: “The guidance is quite clear that the clock starts when the responder arrives on scene … and submersion is confirmed.” He questioned “how sure the responders could be that Saffron was actually confirmed submerged when that decision [at 8.13pm] seemed to have been made from above the railings when she [Ms Cole-Nottage] was down in a difficult situation”.
Prof Lyon stated it was “important to have an absolute time that everyone is working to and that time is sure and that’s definite”. “That’s why the guidance is very clear that the time should be from the arrival of the first rescuer – there’s no ambiguity about that time,” he said. “The whole purpose of the guideline is to maximise the chance of a lifesaving rescue.”
The inquest also learned that two men had attempted to extract Ms Cole-Nottage by her legs, which were the only part of her body visible. Ian Jones described her as “screaming and panicking”, while Alex Singleton-Dent said it had “felt like ages” before emergency services arrived.
Prof Lyon estimated Ms Cole-Nottage’s window for “probable survival” was around five minutes after submersion began. He added that being upside down would have made breathing “harder”.
The inquest was previously informed that a level of 271 milligrammes of alcohol per 100ml of blood was recorded for Ms Cole-Nottage. The legal limit for driving in England is 80 milligrammes of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood.
Ms Cole-Nottage’s partner, Michael Wheeler, said in a statement read to the court that she had gone for a meal earlier in the day. He did not believe she was drunk and said she was not slurring her words when she set off on the walk.
Prof Lyon explained that the impact of the alcohol was “most relevant in terms of it would make her more likely to stumble, more likely to trip”. He suggested that Ms Cole-Nottage’s “protective reflex would have been diminished”, implying she may not have extended an arm as she fell. “When she was between the rocks her ability to move…and try to push herself out would have been impaired as well,” he stated.
Prof Lyon went on: “For Saffron to have had a probable survival, she would have needed to be rescued within five minutes of submersion and, if required, for CPR to start within that time.”
He noted that “survival was possible up until about the 15-minute mark”, but there could have been brain damage. “In my opinion, beyond 25 minutes, survival would not have been possible,” he said. “I should stress, all of these numbers are a best possible expert opinion,” he added.
After the coroner’s conclusion, Saffron’s partner, Michael said: “Saff was truly one of a kind, bubbly, fun, and full of life. She had the rare ability to light up any room, lifting the spirits of those around her.
“It has been a long and difficult 15 months to get here. We have finally got some closure and an understanding of what actually happened to Saff that night. Hopefully the emergency services have listened to the coroner and going forward no other family has to go through what we went through.”
Will Whitaker, of Bindmans, representing the family said: “The public are entitled to expect more when they find themselves in a life-threatening situation.
“It is hoped that the coroner’s findings will concentrate thinking amongst all of the emergency services involved so that lessons are learned from the tragic circumstances of Saffron’s death.”