On Monday April 27th, Rescue300 was tasked to two primary incidents in one day, assisting patients both on the water and along the Bruce Highway.
The day started with the crew responding to a man who had fallen inside a 19-metre yacht near Port Clinton.
On arrival, an aerial assessment of the vessel was conducted. Due to the yacht’s masts, rigging and coverings, it was determined that winching operations could not be safely carried out.
Following consultation with the crew, a plan was developed to access the patient via the yacht’s tender. The Critical Care Paramedic and Rescue Crew Officer were transported from the beach to the vessel, where they provided medical care and worked to safely extract the patient over approximately 45 minutes.
The extraction was made more challenging by the movement of the vessel, with crews carefully managing the transfer of the patient on a stretcher from the yacht to the tender.
The man, with suspected lower body injuries, was then transferred back to shore before being loaded onto the aircraft and flown by Rescue300 to Rockhampton Hospital for further treatment.
Later that afternoon, CapRescue was tasked to a single motor vehicle accident on the Bruce Highway near St Lawrence.
Arriving after last light, the aircraft landed on the highway, allowing the crew to access a vehicle that had rolled approximately 15 metres down a gully, coming to rest upside down against trees.
Working alongside other emergency services, the crew assisted with extricating a man in his 40s from the vehicle before he was loaded onto the aircraft and flown to Rockhampton Hospital.
The man was reported to have sustained severe internal injuries and possible fractures.
Rescue300’s ability to access remote locations and land close to each scene ensured both patients received timely care where they were, before being flown directly to Rockhampton Hospital.