A mother who drowned after becoming trapped headfirst in sea defence rocks as the tide came in might have been saved if the ambulance service had alerted the fire service more quickly, a coroner has concluded.
Tragedy on the Esplanade
Saffron Cole-Nottage, 32, from Lowestoft, Suffolk, was walking her dog along The Esplanade with her daughter on February 2 last year when she slipped and fell, becoming trapped headfirst in the rocks as the tide rose. A young girl called 999 at 7.52pm and within 30 seconds told the ambulance call handler that Ms Cole-Nottage was “caught head down in the rock” by the “seafront”. At 7.57pm and 7.58pm, the caller reported Ms Cole-Nottage “screaming”, and at 7.59pm said she was “in the water now”.
Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service was the last of four emergency services to be notified, with the first communication at 8.04pm. Firefighters arrived at 8.22pm and freed her in less than half a minute after first contact at 8.29pm. She was declared dead at 8.44pm.
Coroner's Findings
Suffolk area coroner Darren Stewart recorded a narrative conclusion, stating 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”. “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,” he added.
The coroner described Ms Cole-Nottage, a cleaner, as a “loving mother completely devoted to her children”. Her family said she was “bubbly, fun and full of life” and “would light up any room”, adding her death had “left an indescribable void in their lives”.
Alcohol and Rescue Efforts
The inquest heard Ms Cole-Nottage had been drinking, with a blood alcohol level of 271 milligrammes per 100ml, over three times the legal driving limit of 80mg. Her partner, Michael Wheeler, said he did not believe she was drunk and she was not slurring her words when she set off. Professor Richard Lyon, an emergency medicine consultant, said the alcohol would have made her more likely to stumble and impaired her ability to push herself out.
Prof Lyon also criticised rescue efforts, saying guidance was not followed. He stated the clock for a 30-minute rescue window should start when a responder arrives and confirms submersion, but responders may have made that decision from above the railings. He estimated Ms Cole-Nottage’s window for “probable survival” was about five minutes after submersion, with survival possible up to 15 minutes but unlikely beyond 25 minutes.
Two men tried to pull Ms Cole-Nottage out by her legs, which were the only visible part of her body. Ian Jones described her as “screaming and panicking”, while Alex Singleton-Dent said it “felt like ages” before emergency services arrived.
