Two Rescues for Wellington based Westpac Rescue Helicopter

The Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter has rescued a man suffering from a heart attack and another man who got hit by a tree branch today.
Around 11am this morning the helicopter team was called to the Kaitoke Regional Park area in Upper Hutt to rescue a 63 year old Lower Hutt man who was began suffering from severe chest pains while on a tramp. The man was with a group that walked in for a few hour bush walk. About 30 minutes into the tramp the man began suffering severe chest pains. A member of the group walked out to get cell phone reception and raised the alarm.

The helicopter was initially unavailable to respond to the mission so a Wellington Free Ambulance road crew walked up the track and found the man.
"A few minutes after the road crew arrived on the scene we were overhead and able to winch our WFA paramedic down to the sick man" says Dave Greenberg, Westpac Rescue Helicopter crewman. "In the end we were fortunate that the ambulance crew reached the man first because they were able to talk us into the area using their portable radio".
Our Wellington Free winched trained paramedic was winched down amongst trees and then he and the patient were both winched back into the helicopter.
The man was transported to Wellington Hospital Emergency Department with a suspected heart attack. He is expected to be admitted.

About 1:15pm the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called to the Tuturumuri area, South of Martinborough, in the Wairarapa. Initial information was that a man was struck by a falling tree on a property in the area.
The helicopter arrived around the same time as a Wairarapa Ambulance, the local fire brigade and police.

The teams found a 75 year old man who had been struck by a falling branch while working on a tree. The man was knocked unconscious for a short time and is suffering from several injuries including a suspected spinal injury.
The man was transported to Wellington Hospital Emergency Department where he is currently being treated and assessed.

ENDS

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