Palmerston north Rescue Helicopter Roundup 29 Nov - 12 Dec

Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter Rescue helicopter
12:06 AM (7 hours ago)

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A busy period for the Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter with over a dozen missions during the period - a summary follows;

Tue 1 Shortly after midnight an Night Vision Goggle mission to Moawhango, north of Taihape for an 8 year old suffering a serious breathing disorder. Poor weather required the crew to divert to an alternative pick-up point nearby. The boy, and his mother, were airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital.

Thu 3 Late afternoon call to Pipiriki, on the Whanganui River, for a Palmerston North man in his 50’s who had become hypothermic after falling out of his kayak. He was flown to Palmerston North Hospital with other medical complications in a serious condition.

Sat 5 An afternoon mission for a Taihape man in his 40’s seriously injured when he crashed his motorcycle on the Taihape Napier Road near Moawhango. The bike left the road narrowly avoiding an oncoming tractor. The patient was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital with life threatening injuries.

Sun 6 Early afternoon call-out from the NZ Rescue Coordination Centre to track an Emergency Locator Beacon in the Ruahine Ranges linked to a tramper known to be in the area. The tramper was above the cloud base and unable to be extracted by Helicopter. A team of LANDSAR personnel were inserted by helicopter. The ground party located the lost tramper and escort him to safety in the early hours of the following morning. Just before first light a mission into the Rangitikei for a patient suffering a serious medical event - sadly the patient was not able to be saved.

Mon 7 Mid day call-out to Taihape where a man in his 50’s from Rangiwaea had suffered serious internal injuries in a fall. Later that night an Otaki man in his 50’s was airlifted to Wellington Hospital suffering a serious medical condition with the crew using Night Vision Goggles to complete the mission after midnight. A few short hours later the helicopter was off to Ohakune where a local man in his 70’s was suffering a life threatening medical event. He was airlifted to Whanganui Hospital.

Tue 8 Just before midnight a call out to Waipukurau for a woman suffering a serious medical event, sadly the patient was not able to be saved.

Wed 9 A mid day call-out to Pongoroa for a local man in his late 40’s injured when his car plunged off the road and down a steep bank in the township. He was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital in a stable condition. This was quickly followed by a mission to Himitangi Beach where a Tangimoana resident had rolled a three wheeler motorcycle on the beach suffering serious leg injuries.

Thur 10 A mid afternoon mission to Taihape for an elderly gentleman with a life threatening medical condition, he was airlifted to Whanganui Hospital in a serious condition.

Fri 11 An early evening Police search and rescue mission into the Tararua Ranges for a missing female tramper, who was later found alive and well.

Sat 12 A promotional sortie in support of the Woodville Lions annual Coast To Coast motorcycle ride - a fundraiser for the rescue Helicopter service.

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