Helicopter lifts injured man

A helicopter was used to airlift a man with back, pelvic and leg injuries to Dunedin Hospital...
A helicopter was used to airlift a man with back, pelvic and leg injuries to Dunedin Hospital yesterday after a logging accident at Hillend, near Balclutha, yesterday. Photo by Rachel Taylor.
A man with serious back, pelvic and leg injuries was flown to Dunedin Hospital after a logging accident yesterday on Ururua Rd, Hillend, near Balclutha.

St John Southern Region communications co-ordinator Alena Lynch said St John was called to the incident at 11.55am.

"It was not entirely clear what happened, but it appeared the man had fallen from a tree," Ms Lynch said.

"[He] has sustained some injuries, mainly to his back, pelvis and leg, of a serious nature."

Ms Lynch said the person who called the emergency services was at the accident scene, but the details of what happened were vague.

The injured person was not in a condition to give details, and the person who called the emergency services did not see the accident occur.

There was no road access to the site, and a helicopter was used to winch the injured man from a gully before flying him to Dunedin Hospital, she said.

A paramedic was lowered to stabilise the man before he was winched aboard the Helicopters Otago aircraft, pilot Graeme Gale said.

A 50-knot wind had made the lifting operation quite challenging, he said.

The man was flown to Dunedin Hospital, where he was in a stable condition, Mr Gale said.

Log Marketing New Zealand representative Tim Smith told the Otago Daily Times he would not be able to comment until he knew more details.

 

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