Eastland rescue chopper called to motocross crash at Whāngārā

The Eastland Rescue Chopper was called out to a motocross accident at a track near Whāngārā to end a busy week of 10 missions.

A motocross race meet ended abruptly on Sunday for a rider who was injured in a fall on the junior track inland from Whāngārā.

The Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter was dispatched at about 11.30am to the property where the accident happened and flew the young patient, who was in a stable condition, to Gisborne Hospital.

The flight marked the end of a busy week for the service, which completed 10 missions in the seven days from Monday, May 27.

In between times, they managed to fit in a special training session with Phil Mudgway, crew trainer for Search and Rescue Services Ltd (the operating company formed by five North Island rescue helicopter organisations, including Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust).

Having initially trained the crewmen at SRSL’s Taupō base, he makes regular visits to the Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust hangar to conduct proficiency checks and to help build and sharpen their skill base.

However, because the team need to cover shifts, Mudgway said getting all of them together for training was a rare opportunity.

In terms of getting their helicopter from A to B, crewmen do everything from refuelling and briefing passengers to offering navigational support, updating pilots about weather en route, and identifying and briefing landing sites - sometimes while using night vision goggles.

“They also have medical training so they can assist the on-board critical care paramedic, and they need good organisational skills as they’ll often be working on patient extraction plans,” Mudgway said.

“We work to bring all those qualities and skills together, and keep developing them to build capability going forward.”

The rescue chopper’s mission log for the seven days

Monday, May 27: A 1am call to a medical event at Ruatōria - patient flown in serious condition to Gisborne Hospital; 9.50am, dispatched to a medical event at Maraenui (between Te Kaha and Ōpōtiki) - patient flown in stable condition to Whakatāne Hospital; 2.30pm, medical event at Tolaga Bay - patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Tuesday May 28: 12.20am, medical event at Ruatōria - patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Wednesday, May 29: 4.15am, trauma at Tikitiki; 2.50pm, trauma at Te Araroa - both patients flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Thursday, May 30: 10.49am, medical event at Ruatōria - patient flow in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital; 9pm, medical event at Tokomaru Bay - patients flown in serious condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Friday, May 31: 4pm, medical event at Te Araroa - patient flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.

Having been turned back from Saturday’s mission that saw them approaching Matawai, the team’s final job for the seven-day period was on Sunday at 11.32am when they were dispatched to the motorcycle accident inland from Whāngārā.