A teenager was rushed to Ninewells Hospital in Dundee after he was injured during a “tombstoning” leap in the East Neuk of Fife on Saturday.
Ambulances and Forth coastguard were called into action following reports a youngster had got into difficulty after plunging from the pier at St Monans.
The 14-year-old was seen to be struggling in the water. He was hauled to the side by quick-thinking members of the public.
However, he was clearly in agony and an ambulance was summoned.
A spokesman for the ambulance service described how the teenager “could not move.”
The youngster was apparently suffering from a potentially serious leg injury.
“He had been brought to the side of the water, but members of the public were then unable to move him further and we were asked to attend at the scene,” he told The Courier.
“The tide was coming in and the teenager was on steps just above the tide level.”
After seeking assistance from coastguard teams at nearby Fife Ness, the youngster was quickly stabilised before being taken to the nearby ambulance.
He was then conveyed to Ninewells Hospital where his injuries are not thought to be life-threatening.
A spokesman at Fife Ness confirmed they were called to St Monans to assist ambulance crews shortly before 4.45pm on Saturday.Leg injury”He had been recovered from the water by the time of our arrival but had sustained a leg injury and was taken to hospital,” he said.
The spokesman added that the teenager was believed to be local to the area and that he had been playing with friends prior to the incident.
Meanwhile, two young fishermen were rescued by coastguard teams just minutes after the boy was taken to hospital.
While crews were still on the scene, their attention was drawn to two anglers who had been cut off by the incoming tide.
“The two lads were stranded just off the east pier and the Anstruther inshore lifeboat was launched to bring them on to the shore,” the spokesman explained.
A warning over the dangers of “tombstoning” was recently issued in Angus.
This followed reports youngsters had been plunging up to 60 feet from cliffs at Lunan Bay near Arbroath.
The would-be thrill-seekers were warned they were “taking their lives into their own hands” during leaps into the water.
Following the latest Fife incident, a coastguard spokesman warned, “tombstoning can be fatal. It just takes a misjudged jump and you can hit the rocks.
“It has happened,” the spokesman added, “yet people still do it.”