Quicker emergency service alert might have saved mother stuck in Lowestoft rocks
Coroner suggests faster fire service response could have changed outcome
Last updated 23 hours ago
An inquest into the death of a mum who fell on Lowestoft seafront has raised questions about the timeliness of emergency service response, possibly affecting the tragic outcome.
Saffron Cole-Nottage, 32, drowned after becoming trapped headfirst in sea defence rocks while the tide was rising in Lowestoft, Suffolk.
She was walking her dog with her daughter at the time of the incident, which occurred on 2nd February last year.
A young girl made a 999 call at 7.52pm, indicating Ms Cole-Nottage was stuck head down near the seafront.
References to her distress and eventual immersion in water were made within the first few minutes.
However, Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was informed only at 8.04pm, being the last of four emergency services notified.
Firefighters reached the scene at 8.22pm, freeing Ms Cole-Nottage quickly, but she was pronounced dead at 8.44pm.
Suffolk area coroner Darren Stewart delivered a narrative conclusion, stating her death resulted from drowning amid accidental circumstances.
The East of England Ambulance Service did not notify the fire service promptly, which may have impacted the rescue timing.
Although the coroner noted the possibility of Ms Cole-Nottage being extracted sooner, he said it was improbable she would have survived.
Ms Cole-Nottage was remembered as a devoted mother, and had been drinking on the day of the incident, with an alcohol level recorded at more than three times the legal driving limit.