Paramedic Winched to Rescue

Tourist on Kapiti Island

December 24th 2009

By Alan Tristram

The Wellington-based Westpac Rescue Helicopter was called at 3:00pm today to Kapiti Island where a woman tramper had fallen and injured her ankle.

The helicopter crew, who included a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic, discovered on arrival that the patient was 20 minutes walk up one of the tracks on the Island.

Because of her injuries, and the difficult location, she was unable to walk or be carried out to the helicopter.

So the Paramedic was winched down to the track where the patient — a 63-year-old tourist from Canada — and members of her tramping party were waiting for help.

After being assessed by the paramedic, the patient and paramedic were both winched  into the helicopter.

The injured woman was then flown to the Wellington Hospital Emergency Department where she assessed and treated for her injuries.