Two bike accidents need chopper rescue

The Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter on the job Raetihi.

The Palmerston North Rescue Helicopter flew 10 missions in past two weeks to Sunday, including two motor bike accidents.

The rescue helicopter service covers an area including Whanganui, Ruapehu and Rangitikei.

On Sunday March 5 the crew went on a mission to Holcomb for a teenage boy injured in a motorbike accident. He was airlifted to Palmerston North. Later that afternoon the helicopter was dispatched to a vehicle accident on the Desert Road. There were multiple patients with four helicopters in attendance. The Palmerston North Helicopter airlifted two patients to Waikato Hospital.

On March 6 at midday the chopper flew to Raetihi for a woman in her 40s with a medical emergency. She was taken to Whanganui Hospital.

On March 7 the crew went to Akitio for a woman in her 60s injured in a fall. She was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital. Later that afternoon the helicopter was dispatched to Mataroa for a man in his 40s with a medical emergency. He was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital.

Following that the helicopter was sent to rescue a woman in her 30s who had slipped off a farm track in hill country, east of Pahiatua, badly breaking her ankle. The rescue hoist was needed to access the patient owing to the difficult location several kilometres from any formed roads. The on-board intensive care paramedic was hoisted into the patient location to stabilise the injured limb before both the patient and paramedic were extracted from the scene.

On March 10 the chopper undertook a late night mission to Porangahau for a teenage boy with a medical emergency. He was airlifted, along with his mum, to Palmerston North Hospital.

Last Tuesday a Ranana woman in her 70s had a medical emergency. She was airlifted to Whanganui Hospital.

The next day the crew did an afternoon mission to a rural property near Papatawa near Woodville for a man in his 70s injured in a quad bike accident. He was airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital.

On Sunday the crew flew to Raetihi in the afternoon for an eight year old boy with a medical emergency. He was airlifted, along with mum, to Whanganui Hospital.

The Philips Search and Rescue Trust (PSRT), which runs the Palmerston North Rescue Service, is a charitable organisation, operating rescue helicopters throughout the Central North Island.

It relies on support from principal sponsors and community donations to bring life-saving equipment, rescue personnel and trauma-trained medics directly to the patient via helicopter.