Just after noon on Wednesday, 22 April, Netcare 911 responded to reports of a tractor incident on a farm outside the Krugersdorp area.
Reports from the scene indicated that a man sustained critical injuries when his left leg was caught in what was suggested to be a type of industrial chipper machine.
The report Shawn Herbst, media liaison of Netcare 911, had sent to the News stated that the victim was treated on scene by a Netcare 911 Emergency Care Practitioner while the Fire and Rescue Services personnel used hydraulic tools in an attempt to free him.
While being treated, the Netcare helicopter ambulance was activated to stand by on scene to airlift the victim to hospital.
“After an extended period of being entrapped, and crews battling against time to free the patient from the machinery, senior medical personnel on the advice of a medical specialist elected to fly a trauma surgeon to the scene in the event a limb removal would be required as a last resort to save the man’s life,” the statement read.
The Netcare helicopter ambulance was activated immediately to airlift the trauma surgeon from a private Johannesburg hospital to the scene.
“The surgeon performed an invasive procedure to control bleeding in the man’s leg, while crews continued cutting away at the metal machinery and eventually freeing his leg.”
Once treated and stabilised, the patient, who was in a critical condition, was flown to a specialised hospital for the treatment he required.
