Winch rescue for accident victim
RACQ CQ Rescue in Australia was tasked to the scene of an accident after an all terrain vehicle in which two people were travelling rolled over, trapping one of the men underneath
RACQ CQ Rescue in Australia was tasked to the scene of an accident on 21 April, after an all terrain vehicle in which two people were travelling rolled over, trapping one of the men underneath. The fellow passenger then walked for an hour through rugged bushland to raise the alarm. The RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter was able to land in a grassy clearing within 500 metres of the crash site, less than 30 minutes after take off.
The doctor, Critical Care Paramedic (CCP) and rescue crewman on board the aircraft then walked to the gully where the crash happened, assisted by a neighbouring farmer with his ATV, and were able to free the man from the overturned vehicle. The medical crew determined quickly that moving the man, who had suffered a serious compound fracture of the leg, back through the thick scrub and long grass on a stretcher would take significant time and cause the patient great discomfort.
The Mackay-based rescue helicopter crew therefore decided a stretcher winch would be the most suitable and safest means of retrieving the patient from the accident scene. As the Bell 412 hovered overhead, the patient was winched up into the helicopter on a stretcher accompanied by the Critical Care Paramedic. The helicopter then proceeded to land in an adjacent paddock about 1.5 km from the crash scene so that the patient could be further treated by the aircraft paramedic and ambulance officers.
The RACQ CQ Rescue doctor and rescue crewman had to walk the 1.5 km back to meet the aircraft.
RACQ CQ Rescue departed Eungella and had the patient arriving at Mackay Base Hospital in a stable condition 40 minutes later.