Brisbane bushwalker feared being trapped overnight
When 52 year old Patrick O’Donoghue set off on a group bushwalking trek he never expected to end up at the centre of a full scale helicopter rescue.
A walk with friends turned bad when Patrick lost his footing on a track in the Lamington National Park, just south of Beaudesert, breaking his ankle in three places.
“I was walking on a track alongside Christmas Creek. It was difficult terrain and wet after recent rain, but I had walked the track before and didn’t anticipate any problems,” Patrick said.
“I had good walking boots on, but that didn’t stop me from slipping. My right foot got caught in a tree root and my left foot kept slipping, so the ankle had far too much pressure on it and snapped.
“The sound of my ankle breaking was very loud, the people I was with said it was similar to a tree branch being snapped off,” he said.
Patrick’s friends acted quickly, lighting a small fire and setting up a hi-visibility blanket to attract attention. Three others walked three and a half kilometers back to the car park and managed to phone the SES for help. RACQ CareFlight Rescue was then called to the scene.
When the CareFlight crew arrived, Pilot Richard Maas was faced with the challenge of lowering the doctor and paramedic on a cable through a thick rainforest canopy to the creek bed some 50 metres below.
“Finding the people in the first place was tough, then we had to find a clear spot to position the aircraft, it was really tight winching the stretcher in and out through that thick canopy.
“By the end of the winch we had limited fuel, and it was important for the whole crew to work together to get the patient to hospital as quickly as possible, which we did,” Richard said.
After his fall, Patrick was in the Gold Coast Hospital for 12 days, and had an operation to insert two plates and nine pins into his injured ankle.
“When I was injured I wasn’t really sure how I was going to get out of there. The terrain was far too rough to stretcher me out. If the helicopter hadn’t arrived I probably would have been there all night in pain.
“I am very appreciative to CareFlight, and I certainly appreciate the extraordinary effort they went to get me out of such a tight spot. The rescue pushed all of the boundaries, and I cannot speak more highly of the professionalism of the RACQ CareFlight Rescue crew.”
It will be 12 months before the Brisbane resident is up to speed with his bushwalking again, but doctors think he will eventually get back to 95% usage of his ankle.
TOOWOOMBA KICKED ITS HEELS UP WITH CAREFLIGHT
Paul Forcier (Chief Pilot), Jo-anne Mass and Richard Mass (Senior Base Pilot – Toowoomba).
RACQ CareFlight Rescue’s crew and supporters were sailing instead of flying recently, when the charity hosted a Pacific-inspired Gala Ball.
Held at the Picnic Point Restaurant in Toowoomba, each guest was in the running to win a fabulous P&O Cruise for two through the Pacific.
There were exclusive auction items available including accommodation packages, a day as a CareFlight crew member, a jet ski, sporting memorabilia and original artwork.
Impressive raffle prizes and mystery boxes containing a selection of goodies were also on offer for guests.
RACQ CareFlight’s Virginia Lambert says guests were treated to a night of great food, entertainment and fun.
“We had a sumptuous menu of south seas inspired cuisine, cocktails served in coconut shells and even a special entertainment line-up, complete with traditional island dancing,” she said.
The Gala Ball raised over $50,000, matching last year’s figure from the same event.
Over the past two years, RACQ CareFlight South West has provided medical intervention to more than 300 patients – a significant figure for a part-time service that only operates 150 days per year.
RACQ CareFlight April 2009
Crew and their supporters recently took some time out to honour RACQ CareFlight Rescue, launching the service’s Patient Rescue Club on the Gold Coast.
Over 120 people attended the launch of the club, which aims to reconnect patients with RACQ CareFlight Rescue, long after the service has touched their lives as the result of illness or injury.
Eighteen months ago, Brisbane man Jon Wright was airlifted by RACQ CareFlight Rescue after breaking his back while body boarding at Kirra Beach on the Gold Coast. Due to the Patient Rescue Club, he’s now been able to thank the team that saved his life that day.
“Without CareFlight I wouldn’t be walking. It was their care that got me to the hospital without a severed spinal cord,” Jon says.
RACQ CareFlight Rescue’s Leanne Angel says “The Rescue Club was developed exclusively for our CareFlight patients to invite them to become part of our close knit CareFlight family. Members of the club are welcome to meet with our rescue crew, and look through the chopper that they’ve taken a ride in!”
To find out more about RACQ CareFlight Rescue, or to make a donation, please visit our website www.careflightrescue.com.au
RACQ CareFlight Story March 2009
Every year RACQ CareFlight Rescue’s iconic blue and yellow choppers help more than 700 sick or injured patients. But we can’t do it alone. After nearly three decades, RACQ CareFlight’s biggest supporters are still the communities of southern QLD which contribute almost half of the service’s funding.
At RACQ CareFlight Rescue, we send a team of our own champions on every rescue mission 24/7. A pilot, doctor, paramedic and crewman are on board for their unique skills and ability to save lives.
By becoming a CareFlight Champion you too can actively support every rescue mission and help save lives. As a CareFlight Champion you select an amount from as little as $10 to be direct debited from your nominated credit card or bank account each month.
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