The Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter’s mission log covered a broad scope of activity in seven missions across seven days.
In the week from January 21, the team’s reportable rescue missions included one trauma, an inter-hospital transfer, three medical events, and two motor vehicle accidents.
The week began with three missions on January 21. The first was an 11am dispatch to a medical event in the Waioeka Gorge, from which they flew a person in stable condition to Whakatāne Hospital.
Later that day at 3.09pm, the team was dispatched to a medical event at Ruatōria, flying a person in a serious condition to Gisborne Hospital.
At 5.07pm, they were called to a motor vehicle accident at Tikitiki, from which they flew a person in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
A Hato Hone St John said it was notified of a motor vehicle incident on Tikapa Rd, Tikitiki and confirmed one person in a minor condition was airlifted.
On January 24, Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Rescue Helicopter carried out a hospital transfer at 2.45pm, transporting a person in serious condition from Gisborne to Waikato Hospital.
The next day at 10.15am, the team responded to a trauma incident at Anaura Bay, flying a person in a stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
On January 27 at 2.30am, the team had an early-hours callout to a medical event at Tikitiki, from which they flew a person in a serious condition to Gisborne Hospital.
Finally, at 4.52pm that day, the Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland team was one of three rescue helicopter services dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at Waipunga (Napier-Taupō Road), where they treated two patients who were flown to Rotorua Hospital; one was in a serious condition while the other was stable.
There were four people injured in total in that crash, according to St John, with three left in serious conditions and one in a minor condition.
The road was closed until about 7pm while emergency services worked at the scene between Matea Rd and Pohokura Rd.
