Life Flight’s Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter has performed two rescues in the Wairarapa and one in Marlborough over this weekend. All three rescues were made a bit more difficult by the wild weather in the Wellington region over the weekend.

Marlborough Mission
This morning (Sunday) at about 9:30am the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre contacted Life Flight to advise of a sick fisherman on a commercial fishing boat off the Marlborough Coast.

Initially it was thought that the Westpac Rescue Helicopter would not be able to respond due to the wild weather which had been blowing through Wellington overnigh t and this morning.

“When we initially got the call it was raining so hard we could hardly see across the runway” says Dave Greenberg, Life Flight Crewman. “However a few minutes later it cleared a bit and the Metservice advised that the worst of the weather had passed so our pilot said we could give it a go. We hit some strong winds and rain across Cook Strait but conditions when we arrived overhead were not too bad”.

The commercial fishing boat made its way to a sheltered spot in White’s Bay, just off the coast of Rarangi, North of Blenheim.

Our Wellington Free Ambulance Intensive Care Paramedic was winched onto the back of the fishing boat and the helicopter landed on the beach while the paramedic assessed the 24 year old Christchurch man. The Rarangi Surf Live Saving Club had been notified of the incident and launched an IRB to assist if required. The man was suffering from severe abdominal pain and needed to be winched off the boat on a stretcher.

The paramedic and sick man were winched off the boat and after a brief landing back on shore the man was transported to Wellington Hospital where he is being treated and assessed.

Wairarapa Missions
High winds made for bumpy trips on both days this weekend. At times the helicopter had to contend with 75-90 kph winds making for quicker trips one way and much slower trips the other.

Saturday at 1pm Life Flight responded to Flat Point on the Wairarapa Coast to assist a fisherman who began suffering chest pains while on a boat off the coast of Flat Point.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter responded with a Wellington Free Ambulance Intensive Care Paramedic onboard. The man was working on a commercial fishing boat which came back to shore while the helicopter was enroute. A 41 year old Carterton man was transported to Wellington Hospital Emergency Department where he was treated and then released last night.

Sunday at 1:05pm the Westpac Rescue Helicopter responded to Te Wharau in the Wairarapa where a man riding a trail bike was injured in a head-on collision with another trail bike rider.

Both men were taking part in an organised off road event when the accident occurred. Event medics were on the scene quickly and after the arrival of a Wairarapa Intensive Care Paramedic the helicopter was called to transport a 49 year old Masterton man to Wellington Hospital. The man had been knocked out in the collision and is possibly suffering from spinal injuries

The man has been transported to Wellington Hospital Emergency Department where he is being treated and assessed.

The Life Flight Trust is a charity providing air rescue and air ambulance services. It operates the Wellington based Westpac Rescue Helicopter and a national air ambulance service. It relies on support from the public and sponsorship from partners such as Westpac to provide these services. Further information can be obtained from www.lifeflight.org.nz
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