Teenager recovered after 100ft cliff fall

Connor Simmonds, a teenager from Indian Queens, was airlifted by Cornwall Air Ambulance after he fell 100 feet off a cliff. On 14 October 2014 Connor was found at the bottom of a cliff near Newquay with serious injuries. Cornwall Air Ambulance was called and flew him to hospital, saving valuable time.

Connor was very lucky to be found. A passer-by found the teenager’s school bag while walking along the clifftop off Whipsiderry beach. Having contacted the school and found that Connor was not in class, the good Samaritan returned to the spot where they had found the bag and after looking carefully, saw Connor 100 ft below.

Connor has no memory of the fall which appears to have happened by standing too close to the edge of the cliff. The long drop left him with a dislocated hip, fractured pelvis, punctured lung, broken collar bone, several bones broken in his back and, most worryingly, a brain injury.

The air ambulance took Connor straight to Royal Cornwall Hospital at Truro and then on to Derriford. Connor made a full recovery.

Connor’s mum, Susie said ‘’We are hugely grateful to Cornwall Air Ambulance. The fast response was absolutely brilliant, and I don’t think we would have had the same outcome if they hadn’t have been able to reach such a remote location so quickly. He has made a remarkable recovery and we are incredibly lucky to have him here. I can’t express enough my thanks to the team.’’

Since the accident, Connor and his family have taken part in fundraising activity in aid of Cornwall Air Ambulance, including a sponsored 24-hour bicycle ride relay.