A 55 year old man has sustained critical injuries after a Hang gliding accident in Bulwer, 35 kilometers outside of Underberg.
It is believed that the experienced hang glider was taking off from the mountain top when he suddenly came into trouble and it is believed that his glider dove into the side of the mountain. The glider then crashed approximately 800 meters down the mountain side with the man still trapped inside.
The Sani Search Volunteers were notified of the incident and they immediately started looking for the man. ER24 paramedics were called in and they responded with the rescue vehicle. The man was in an area which was difficult to access by vehicles, but the Rescue Vehicle managed to make it close enough to the patient to assist with his rescue.
The man has suffered critical injuries, and it is believed that he had fallen at around 17h00 in the afternoon. The fact that he was still fully conscious and alert amazed the paramedics, as he had multiple broken bones and other serious injuries. The paramedics immediately administered medication to him take away his pain and they started packaging him onto a stretcher-like board for transportation.
The ambulance was not able to make it to the patient, so a helicopter was called in to assist. The non medical helicopter which is trained in rescue was able to be dispatched to the area. The patient had to be pulled up to a safe area where the Chopper could land, and he was airlifted with the ER24 paramedic to Albert Lithuli hospital.
The rescue took approximately 4 hours to complete, and paramedics and rescues alike were grateful to be leaving the area as it was already starting to get extremely cold.
Even though the man had suffered critical injuries, he was actually extremely fortunate to have been found and is now safely in hospital where he can receive the appropriate medical care.
Vanessa Jackson, ER24