An associate of an unconscious Swiss tramper ran for 45 minutes on the Greenstone Track to get help on Saturday night.
A Department of Conservation spokeswoman said the tramper was camping in an area off the Greenstone Track when a branch fell from a tree. The branch is understood to have hit the man on the head, knocking him unconscious.
The spokeswoman said an associate of the injured tramper ``ran for 45 minutes to the nearest hut to raise the alarm''.
A Lakes District Air Rescue Trust (LDART) helicopter was deployed about 8pm and the Swiss man's associate directed the helicopter to where the Swiss man was.
St John South Island communications manager Gerard Campbell said the helicopter left the Greenstone at 9.06pm and the injured man was flown directly to Southland Hospital, arriving there at 9.42pm.
He is understood to have sustained head injuries, although no further information on his condition was available yesterday.
A report on the incident in yesterday's Otago Daily Times incorrectly stated LDART secretary Ed Halson was taken to Southland Hospital with head injuries.
The error happened during the editing process.
