Beacon activation prompts winch rescue
The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter in New Zealand was tasked by the Rescue Coordination Centre to investigate a beacon activation just before 22:00 hrs on 6 January, in rough terrain south of Hauturu, near Kawhia
The Waikato Westpac Rescue Helicopter in New Zealand was tasked by the Rescue Coordination Centre to investigate a beacon activation just before 22:00 hrs on 6 January, in rough terrain south of Hauturu, near Kawhia. Equipped with night vision goggles and infrared Binoculars, and carrying a winch-qualified Advanced Paramedic and an NZ police search and rescue officer, the rescue helicopter arrived in the search area and immediately located a man in his late 30s who sustained a stab wound to his thigh while dressing a deer.
The man was hypothermic from laying partially in a river, unable to move. After being attended medically, he was winched off the riverbank and flown to Waikato Hospital for further treatment.
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