Woman, 76, suffers head injury in canal fall

A 76-year-old woman suffered a serious head injury after falling into the canal in Stone this morning while operating a lock.

West Midlands Ambulance Service was called to Limekiln Lock on the Trent and Mersey Canal in Stone at 9am and sent an ambulance, a rapid response paramedic, a paramedic area support officer and a BASICS doctor to the scene. The fire service was also in attendance, with two crews from Stone, one from Newcastle and the water rescue unit also from Newcastle at the scene. Police officers also supported.

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A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokesman said: “Crews arrived to a find a woman in her 70s who was out of the water on arrival. It is believed she had slipped whilst opening a lock gate, hitting her head and back on the ground before falling approximately 10 feet into the lock itself. She had been rescued from the water by a family member and two bystanders. It is thought she was in the water for approximately two minutes.

“Having suffered a significant head injury, crews treated the woman for a reduced level of consciousness and a back injury. In order to stabilise her condition she was anaesthetised at the scene before being transport to Royal Stoke University Hospital for further assessment. The doctor travelled in the back of the ambulance to continue treatment en-route to the hospital.”