On Monday afternoon the KwaZulu-Natal Emergency Medical Services (EMS), aeromedical helicopter was activated for a patient who had fallen in the Moweni area of the Drakensberg.
A woman was in a group of six hikers, who were members of a hiking club from the Western Cape, had slipped and fallen, injuring her leg.
She was in stable condition but was not able to walk, which in the Drakensberg is a major problem and considering the low temperatures experienced at night this can become a life threatening problem. Her fellow hikers contacted emergency services and it was decided to send the air ambulance to rescue her.
The mercy mission required urgent planning. The weight of the helicopter and the remaining day light hours were the main concern.
The amount of fuel required had to be calculated and the helicopter fueled. Only the necessary medical equipment was taken with and there were several other logistical requirements that had to be addressed before the helicopter could get air borne.
The initial report was the hiking group was at about 3000ft above sea level. However when searching for the hiking group it was discovered that they were at a much higher altitude than initially reported and with the helicopter’s current weight it wasn’t safe for the pilots to fly higher. So they flew down to a lower altitude and one pilot and a paramedic disembarked and some of the medical equipment was taken off.
The helicopter with just one pilot and paramedic on board took off again, to rescue the injured hiker. By this time it was late in the afternoon and the amount of remaining light hours really started to become a concern.
Fortunately some of the hikers in the group had medical knowledge and the patient had been well cared for prior to the helicopter’s arrival. The group was located by the helicopter crew at a much higher altitude than expected and the helicopter was landed at a makeshift landing zone that had been prepared.
No time was wasted as the paramedic did a brief but comprehensive examination of the patient before the members of the hiking group helped to load the patient into the helicopter and they took off again to go and pick up the crew and equipment, which had been dropped off earlier.
The crew and equipment were picked up and they started on the flight to Pietermaritzburg.
The landing zone at Grey’s hospital was used and the patient was then taken by road ambulance, to a private hospital in Pietermaritzburg.
Hiker rescued in the ‘Berg
The hiker was in stable condition but was not able to walk, which in the Drakensberg is a major problem and considering the low temperatures experienced at night this can become a life threatening problem
