Toowoomba’s RACQ LifeFlight Rescue helicopter crew has winched a bushwalker to safety, after he was injured, four hours into his trek up a popular mountain in the Scenic Rim.
The man was reportedly holding onto a tree while on his solo walk, when he lost his footing on some gravel, causing him to fall and dislocate his shoulder.
The rescue chopper was tasked to the area just after 10am.
The man, who is aged in his 50s, was wearing green and black clothing, making it extremely challenging for the aeromedical crew to spot him in the dense bushland.
“We totally understand that it’s not something people would generally think about, but wearing bright coloured clothing when hiking, or having something colourful to wave and attract attention, is very helpful in a situation like this,” said RACQ LifeFlight Rescue Aircrew Officer Wayne Clifford.
The crew was able to make contact with the patient via text messages, due to poor mobile phone reception, making calls difficult.
With the help of the text message exchange, the RACQ LifeFlight Rescue chopper crew was then able to zero in on the man’s location.
Due to the rugged terrain and lack of a safe landing area, it was decided the Queensland Ambulance Service (QAS) Flight Paramedic on board the helicopter would be lowered down to the patient.
The QAS Flight Paramedic treated the man and secured his arm into a sling, before the pair was winched up into the helicopter.
The man was flown to the Toowoomba base before being transferred by ambulance to Toowoomba Hospital.
