A lifeboat crew in England has been praised for quickly responding to an emergency at sea, despite having to leave a wedding mid-ceremony to do so.
Luke Gist and Jamie Dawkins, two lifeguards at Clovelly Lifeboat Station in Devon, in southwest England, were attending a relative's wedding on September 18 when they were sent an emergency signal.
A woman had fallen over some rocks and was in grave danger, prompting a fast response by the crew at the wedding.
A Facebook post showed two crew members wearing suits at the wedding, before changing into life jackets to help them perform the mission.
"When the pagers go off, it doesn't matter whose wedding you're at.
"Luckily these weren't the groom!" the post said.
Describing what happened, Gist told Surrey Live: "Me and Jamie were attending my sister's wedding at Woolsery church where my son Noah was a page boy alongside his cousin.
"We had a just watched them walk down the aisle and warming up our voices to the first Hymn 'All Creatures Great and Small' when the pagers started to sing a song of their own.
"We arrived at the station and me and Jamie alongside two crew helped the coastguard team carry a female with an injury to her ankle off a pebble bank that was soon to be covered by the incoming tide.
"On returning to the wedding we had missed the whole ceremony.
"Luckily my new brother in law is a fireman and my sister a First Responder so the sound of a pager ruining a family occasion isn't out of the norm."
The husband of the injured woman, commented on the Facebook post, and thanked the crew for their support.
"Hey guys, I just wanted to say a massive thank you for coming out the wedding to assist my wife today, who fell on the rocks. Your support was amazing," the man, Simon Best, said.
"She has a broken ankle and significant ligament damage and is having surgery tomorrow am. Luckily the drugs are working and she's feeling ok."
The injured woman, Diane Best, also commented on the post, expressing her gratitude.
"Thank you to all the Heroes on the beach at Clovelly yesterday & the two paramedics who managed to get the ambulance down the slippery road down to Clovelly! I feel you all saved my life! I don't remember too much TBH [to be honest] but your families should be so proud of you going above & beyond for us! I am truly grateful for all your help!", she said.
"I've learned an important lesson from this—to realise & read my terrain better!"
Other people praised the crew for their heroics.
Newsweek has contacted Clovelly Lifeboat Station and Diane Best for comment.
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