Australian RACQ CQ Rescue flew nine missions this weekend

The service was tasked at midnight on Saturday after a 30-year-old Townsville tourist hit his head on a bitumen road after falling from a moving golf buggy. The injured man required urgent medical evacuation to Townsville. It took over eight hours and the helicopter flying more than 700km with a doctor and critical care paramedic on board, to retrieve the seriously injured patient and fly him to Townsville University Hospital in a serious but stable condition.

RACQ CQ Rescue was also tasked by Queensland Health to airlift a cardiac patient from Hamilton Island on Saturday afternoon as well as another patient with a serious medical condition on Friday afternoon at 14:00. Both were flown from the island to Mackay Base Hospital.

Patients airlifted from cattle properties

On Saturday a 52-year-old worker was airlifted to Mackay Base Hospital from a cattle property about 160km west of Mackay after he was crushed by a one-tonne hay bale.

RACQ CQ Rescue was tasked by Queensland Health about 09:00 to land on the cattle property over the Eungella Range to administer pain relief and stabilise the injured farm worker who suffered a broken pelvis and crush injuries when the hay bale fell on him.

On Thursday, a patient was also airlifted from a cattle property at Lotus Creek with a serious shoulder injury after falling from a horse while mustering cattle.

One another mission, whilst transferring a hospital from Bowen hospital to Townsville on Thursday, the Mackay-based rescue helicopter was tasked to fly 136km south-west of Townsville to retrieve a Charters Towers patient. The patient was flown back to Townsville hospital before the rescue helicopter and crew returned to Mackay.

Other taskings this weekend included missions to Collinsville and Bowen and a 03:00 hrs mission today to fly to Bravus Camp 6, 300km west of Mackay, to airlift a patient with a serious respiratory condition.