A LifeFlight aeromedical crew has airlifted a man to hospital after he was lost for two days in the Queensland outback when his 4WD vehicle became bogged in flood waters.
The LifeFlight rescue helicopter was tasked by Retrieval Services Queensland (RSQ) to be on standby in Charleville to support the statewide emergency response efforts in Western Queensland.
A search and rescue mission was launched after the man failed to arrive home Friday evening.
Despite an initial search on Sunday, March 30, the man could not be found. But just a few hours later, his remarkable story of survival took a twist.
By the time the crew arrived back at the airport, he had been found by a couple around 200kms southeast of Charleville and required medical attention. LifeFlight was then tasked by RSQ to transport the man.
The man walked for around 60kms and with aching feet and severe dehydration thought to write ‘HELP’ in the muddy road with a stick. He then scribed a large arrow pointing in the direction he was headed.
Enter Bronte and Max who manage a 60,000ha cattle and goat station. Flooded in on the remote property, they set out Sunday morning to check their cattle and fences.
Driving the 10km to the end of their driveway, they checked their mailbox and noticed large letters etched into the muddy road.
Earlier they had seen a missing person alert on the Queensland Police Facebook page and heard the story on the radio.
“It gives me the shivers when I think about the ‘HELP’ sign he drew in the mud on the road. If he hadn’t done that, we wouldn’t have found him,” Bronte said.
“We were checking flood waters and the property fences to make sure the cattle were Ok when we saw the sign on the road.
“Near the help sign were these arrows in the mud and we followed them all the way along the road. As we came around a sharp bend near an old stock route, we saw a little shelter with a tee pee made from an old lick feeder tub.
“I pulled up and said are you *John (name suppressed to protect patient identity). He said ‘yes’ and I said ‘my God, do you know that you’re a missing person and that everyone is looking for you’? He pointed at the shelter and said ‘yes’.
“He looked completely exhausted and was sunburnt and dehydrated. He said all he could think about was sleeping for two weeks.”
*John told Bronte he had survived on protein drinks – one each day. After taking him back to their farmhouse, he was given water, food and first aid.
“He was very sore, and his feet were numb. I made him some vegemite on crackers and gave him some Panadol and water,” Bronte said.
Bronte and Max then called emergency services and were told that a LifeFlight rescue helicopter was on its way from Charleville. And in a selfless act of altruism, the couple offered to tow *John’s 4WD out of the boggy pit where he had left it two days earlier.
LifeFlight rescue crew officer Zane Jones recalled how they were tasked with the search and rescue on Sunday at 1pm to a location where *John’s phone had last pinged. However, after scouring the area, there was no trace.
About an hour after landing back at Charleville Airport, the crew received the miracle call that he had been found.
“He was very lucky to be found and had been missing since Friday,” Mr Jones said.
LifeFlight flight paramedic Aaron Hartle assessed *John after the helicopter had landed out the front of the property.
“We were dispatched as he was reported to be dehydrated and delirious and we were to transport him back to Charleville Hospital where he could be reunited with his family,” Mr Hartle said.
“He’s probably walked around 60kms trying to find help. It’s a remarkable survival story.
“He was extremely tired and absolutely wrecked. He was just relieved that he was found and going back to his family, but also couldn’t believe the situation he was in.”
After a successful mission to fly *John safely to hospital, Mr Hartle acknowledged Max and Bronte as the real rescue heroes.
“They found the guy that the police have been looking for since Friday,” he said.
“They did the rescuing, gave him food, got his vehicle out of the bog and looked after him until we got there. They did a remarkable job – typical western Queenslanders, dismissive of their own actions to help someone in need.”
After walking more than 60 kilometres during his 40-hour ordeal and taking refuge under a makeshift shelter, *John is recovering in hospital.
“It still gives me the shivers just thinking about it, he’s very lucky,” said Bronte, who alongside Max and their daughter, had a photo taken with *John and the rescue crew to commemorate a day they will never forget.
