After that early-evening accident the team carried out a technical rescue, winching their patient up the bank the vehicle had veered over.
However, weather conditions impacted much of their work over the official holiday block, which the Ministry of Transport measures as being from 4pm on Christmas eve until 6am on January 3.
Over that period the team had to turn down five missions – two on Boxing Day; two on New Year’s Day; and one on January 2.
December 26 was notable because it was one of the wettest Boxing Days on record, says the team’s duty pilot.
“On the other days mission requests came in at times when night and weather challenges combined,” he says. “We just have to make the safest decision in response to the conditions we are faced with at the time.”
Despite those challenging conditions the Eastland Rescue Helicopter team successfully completed seven reportable missions over the nearly 10 days of the official holiday period.
The schedule started with a Christmas morning call-out to a trauma at Tokomaru Bay – flying the patient in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital – and continued with:
— December 25, 3.30pm — They transferred a patient who had suffered a serious medical event from Gisborne to Waikato Hospital;
— December 28, 12.30pm — The team responded to a motor vehicle accident at Muriwai, from where the patient was transported by Hone Hate St John to Gisborne Hospital;
— December 28, 5.30pm — They again transferred a patient who had suffered a serious medical event from Gisborne to Waikato Hospital;
— December 31, 6pm – The team responded to a motor vehicle accident in Waioeka Gorge, winching up their patient before flying them in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital;
— January 3 — At 4.30pm they were dispatched to a medical event at Ruatoria, a mission they repeated at 10pm that night. Both patients were flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
CAPTION: ALL HANDS ON DECK: There was a multi-service response to the scene of a New Year’s Eve motor vehicle accident in the Waioeka Gorge.