A 14-year-old girl died after falling from a winch during a sea rescue in 2015 CHRIS HELGREN/REUTERSIrish Coastguard helicopter crews should be provided with guidance on the operational and medical risks of winching unconscious casualties with a safety harness, air accident investigators have said. The recommendation follows a fatal incident off Hook Head, Co Wexford when an unconscious teenage girl fell 45ft into the sea after slipping out of a safety harness as she was being lifted towards a helicopter. Aoife Winterlich, 14, from Walkinstown, died after she was swept into the sea on December 6, 2015 while visiting the area with scouts from the 55th South Circular Road group in Dublin. Aoife Winterlich was blown into the sea during rough weather in Co WexfordA report by the Air Accident Investigation Unit (AAIU) said Aoife was winched back on board immediately after she fell back into the water and given emergency medical treatment.

Source: The Times March 09, 2017 00:01 UTC