Father, daughter critically injured in quadbike accident

A father and daughter were injured in a quadbike accident on Ninety Mile Beach. File photo / Dean Purcell

A father and daughter have been critically injured in a quadbike accident on Ninety Mile Beach.

The accident occurred near Ahipara on Sunday evening, leaving the 50-year-old man and his 13-year-old daughter with chest injuries and sparking a major rescue operation.

Ambulances, two helicopters, a flight paramedic and a large team of emergency doctors and nurses from Whangarei and Kaitaia were involved in saving the pair and getting them to Whangarei Hospital.

The girl went into surgery as soon as she arrived in Whangarei just before 10.30pm on Sunday. Both are still in intensive care in Whangarei Hospital.

The pair were initially taken by road to Kaitaia Hospital, while the Northland Electricity Rescue Helicopter picked up a team of two doctors, two flight nurses and a flight paramedic from Whangarei and flew them to Kaitaia. There they joined two emergency doctors and at least two nurses already working on the patients.

Helicopter pilot Russell Procter said he was in awe of the teamwork he witnessed at Kaitaia Hospital as they battled to save then stabilise the father and daughter.

"It was really special to see the intensive care team, it was amazing teamwork with four doctors and at least four nurses working on two patients," Mr Procter said.

"What a great job the doctors and nurses do in this area in these sorts of cases ... the rescue chopper is there to get the teams where they need to be, to give people the best possible chance of getting through."

The man was ready to be airlifted to Whangarei at 9.30pm, arriving on Helimed 3 some 30 minutes later.

He was followed 20 minutes later by his daughter on Helimed 1.