A paramedic told the police that nothing could be done after responding to calls a woman had fallen among the rocks at a Suffolk seafront.
Colleen Gibson gave evidence on Monday before the inquest of Saffron Cole-Nottage, a 32-year-old mother-of-six from Lowestoft.
Ms Gibson was the first to arrive at The Esplanade, Lowestoft, where Ms Nottage was trapped, having fallen headfirst into the sea defences.
The inquest heard that guidance from the Joint Royal Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee states that rescuing a submerged person from drowning is unlikely after 30 minutes.
The inquest heard the paramedic was aware of guidance, while the attending police officers were not.
She arrived at 8.10pm and was down at the scene by 8.12pm.
Questioning Ms Gibson was Bridget Dolan KC, counsel for the inquest. She acknowledged that Ms Gibson would not have been expected to rescue Ms Cole-Nottage herself, although Ms Gibson did make her way down to the rocks beside her.
Ms Gibson made a call back to control, in which she said: “The water’s come in 10 minutes before we arrived”.
This would mean there were 20 minutes remaining to save Ms Cole-Nottage. Ms Dolan suggested that this was correct, and that Ms Gibson may have been told this at the scene by witnesses.
However, during the inquest Ms Gibson reiterated that she was told several times by witnesses that Ms Cole-Nottage had been unresponsive since 7.52pm, which would mean 20 minutes had already passed and 10 remained.
Speaking at the inquest, Ms Gibson said she did not know why she said the water had come in 10 minutes ago on the radio call.
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Ms Dolan said that police officers who attended said they would have tried to rescue Ms Cole-Nottage if they thought she could have been saved.
Ms Gibson said she did not believe this would have been safe, and that while she had not initiated a discission with officers about the pros and cons of a rescue attempt, neither had they.
A conversation she had with a police sergeant, which was recorded on his body-worn camera at 8.18pm, was discussed.
Ms Dolan said Ms Gibson described Ms Cole-Nottage as “clearly deceased” and that nothing could be done to save her.
“Might it have been that you had come to the view she was clearly deceased […] and that may have affected how you thought afterwards?” Ms Dolan asked.
Ms Gibson said she did not know.
The inquest continues.
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