Forestry worker rescued by Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter volunteers his time to help support their fundraising

Ian Sime, with partner Roni Warren, paying a visit to the Hawke's Bay Rescue Helicopter hangar to thank the crew. Photo / HBRH

A long-time logging truck driver was pinned under a one-tonne log in an isolated forestry block north of Napier when a rescue helicopter saved his life.

Ian Sime was so badly injured in the incident that he can no longer drive trucks. But from that knockback came an idea – to use his time to give back to the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust that saved him.

At 3.40am on October 1, 2021, amid the noise of machinery and in the dark, Sime awoke at a skid site and found himself in peril.

A log had been knocked off a stack of logs being prepared to be loaded onto Sime’s truck and on to him.

He immediately started screaming for help.

“I remember coming to and trying to pull my legs out from under this six-metre log and knew straight away that I was in serious trouble.

“I saw my hat almost completely embedded in the mud next to me and thought, this is it. I’m going to die.”

After seven painstaking minutes that Sime recalls “felt like an eternity”, the next truck arrived and the loader driver caught sight of Sime.

Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter was radioed and arrived on site 35 minutes later. When the log was craned off, Ian immediately phoned his family.

“I rang my partner Roni to say goodbye to her and the kids, in case I didn’t make it,” the father of three said.

“I knew my legs were pretty banged up, but I could still breathe okay.

“The best sound I’ve ever heard was the sound of that chopper arriving. It gave me hope of survival and I knew at that moment that help was on its way and I had a fighting chance.”

Survivor Ian Sime with relief pilot Mark Mackay (left) and critical care flight paramedic Donna Elder (right). Photo / HBRH

After four months in hospital including six weeks of rehabilitation, Sime made a good recovery from his injuries which included compound fractures to his left tibia and fibula, right femur fracture below the hip, triple fracture to his pelvis and liver lacerations.

He has undergone three surgeries including one shortly after the accident and two for his leg.

It has left him with a slight limp and the devastating news that he’s unable to drive trucks again. His truck driving career spanned 25 years including 18 years as a logging truck driver.

Despite losing the ability to do what he loves, and facing ongoing rehabilitation, Sime remains optimistic about the future.

“I’m alive, aren’t I? My body might not be a hundy but I’m alive and I’m grateful for that.”

Nowadays, Sime, 57, from Rissington, volunteers for the Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter Trust, donating his time at various events to promote the work of the rescue helicopter including at the upcoming Home and Garden Show at McLean Park.

“This is my chance to give something back to the service, it was my lifeline when I critically needed it and has been saving countless other lives for years.

“My mum was a huge supporter and that has certainly rubbed off on me. Only now have I felt ready to tell my story but I feel it’s important to share what I’ve been through so others realise that these things can happen to anyone, at any time.

“There’s no doubt in my mind if the chopper wasn’t there that day, I wouldn’t be here. What they do is simply amazing.”

The Hawke’s Bay Rescue Helicopter relies on grants and donations. To donate visit hbrescuehelicopter.org.nz or call (06) 878 1630.