Jesse was in critical condition after falling from a tree but was stabilised and in hospital in 35 minutes, thanks to the rescue helicopter.
Jesse was in critical condition after falling from a tree but was stabilised and in hospital in 35 minutes, thanks to the rescue helicopter.
“The day that Jesse fell out of that tree, my heart stopped. I was so terrified, I could hardly breathe,” says Karina.
During the school holidays in October last year, 11-year-old Jesse and his two brothers were enjoying a fun-filled afternoon in the park behind their house. The boys decided to climb a tree while their mum, Karina, sat beneath them. However, the branch that Jesse was standing on suddenly gave way, causing him to fall approximately 4-5 metres to the ground. Karina rushed over to him and discovered that he was unconscious and unresponsive.
“He hit the ground hard on his right side and initially, Jesse was unresponsive, not breathing and turning purple, which was terrifying, and I just screamed for Jesse, I screamed for help,” says Karina.
Thankfully Karina was heard by her two friends who were painting their house. They immediately called emergency services and a nurse and courier driver also came to offer their assistance.
“After about a minute, Jesse started breathing on his own and groaning in pain. He was semi-conscious but couldn’t speak or respond to any cues,” says Karina, speaking of the experience.
Within 10-15 minutes of Jesse’s accident, the ambulance arrived and he was quickly sedated to help with the pain and calm him down. After evaluating Jesse’s condition, they determined that he needed immediate transportation to Waikato Hospital, as the fall had potentially resulted in a brain injury that may have required urgent surgery. The Aerocool Rescue Helicopter was tasked to the mission and due to the park reserve location, the helicopter was able to land directly in the park near where Jesse lay.
Once on the ground and by Jesse’s side, the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter crew worked quickly to stabilise him. Critical care flight pParamedics Dave and Flick were both on the scene and worked together to perform an RSI - a rapid sequence intubation, an advanced airway management used in trauma situations - to keep Jesse alive, stabilised, and breathing. Jesse was status 1, a term used for a patient in critical condition.
“In the park, the rescue helicopter crew sedated and intubated Jesse to stabilise him. When they did that, my husband, Sybrand, and I felt relief that he was stable and going to the right place,” Karina says.
The paramedics were able to load Jesse quickly and efficiently into the helicopter and whisk him away to the hospital for the necessary medical attention.
“I was thankfully able to fly with Jesse to Waikato Hospital. The ride in the helicopter was for me, a mixture of fear for the extent of his injuries, shock at what had just happened, and relief that the best was being done for him,” says Karina.
Jesse arrived at Waikato Hospital in a short 25 minutes and had an emergency medical team waiting for him on landing.
Jesse has made a steady recovery to normal speech, memory, balance, and movement.
“Jesse’s main injury was a diffuse axonal injury (DAI) to his brain, which is lots of tiny tears throughout the brain. He also lacerated his right lung, fractured his right scapula, and fractured his C2 vertebrae at the odontoid peg,” Karina says of the extent of Jesse’s injuries.
When arriving at Waikato Hospital, the extent of Jesse’s brain injury was still uncertain. He was taken for a CT scan of his brain. Fortunately, Jesse was lucky to have escaped any major bleeds to the brain, and in time, he would make a full recovery.
“I called my husband and the relief we both felt was immense. It was an incredibly emotional time for us both,” Karina says.
Jesse doesn’t remember falling out of the tree that day. His first memory after the fall is of being told what had happened, a couple of days later in the hospital. He was very dazed and sleepy for the first eight days in the hospital but eventually began to show signs of improvement in terms of alertness and memory.
Jesse’s recovery has been ongoing, and he is doing very well. He has made a steady recovery to normal speech, memory, balance, and movement and did manage to return to school part-time in Term 4 last year. He continues to be supported by a rehabilitation team in Tauranga and is expected to complete his full recovery this year.
It was a relief to Jesse’s family and friends that the rescue helicopter was able to arrive on the scene so quickly on the day of his accident, giving Jesse the best chance of making a full recovery.
“Our family is so thankful for all the care Jesse received. The rescue helicopter crew were amazing, their clinical skills were truly lifesaving. Jesse’s accident was such a shock to us, but the relief of having him so quickly receive the treatment he needed, and being taken to the right place, was immense. We are so grateful,” says Karina.
