Two people were taken to Gisborne Hospital after a crash that closed a Whāngārā intersection for over an hour at the weekend.
Trust Tairāwhiti Eastland Helicopter Rescue Trust said the road closure at the Glenroy Rd intersection with State Highway 35 gave a clear landing pad for them after the helicopter was dispatched about 2pm on Saturday.
A statement from the trust said traffic delays continued after it was reopened under stop-go traffic management.
“Once on-scene the team’s onboard critical care flight paramedic assessed and treated the patient, who was flown in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital,” the statement said.
St John was notified of a motor vehicle incident on Whāngārā Rd (SH35) at 1.42pm and one ambulance, one rapid response vehicle and the rescue helicopter attended.
One person in a serious condition was flown to Gisborne Hospital, another person in a moderate condition was taken by road to Gisborne Hospital and three people were assessed and treated for minor injuries at the scene.
Labour list MP Jo Luxton, who shifted to Gisborne last week, told the Gisborne Herald she and her husband Matt came across the crash scene a few minutes after it happened.
Luxton said a vehicle landed upside down on the roadside barrier and they were worried it was serious.
They saw a small hand hanging out of one of the windows of the overturned vehicle and her husband went to investigate.
Inside were a man and a woman they estimated to be in their 70s.
Luxton said the barricade had pushed in the roof of the car “quite a bit”.
“They were trapped inside, so there was no way they were going to get out until the fire brigade turned up and helped.”
Her husband helped keep the occupants calm while they waited for the fire brigade to arrive and cut them out.
The woman was able to walk once out of the vehicle. Luxton saw the man being carried away in a stretcher.
Eastland Rescue Helicopter missions last week:
- February 13, 3am: Responded to a medical event at Wharekahika/Hicks Bay, flying the patient in serious condition to Gisborne Hospital.
- February 14, 10.15am: Dispatched in response to a personal locator beacon activation to Cape Runaway where they winched and treated their patient, before flying them in stable condition to Tauranga Hospital.
- February 15, 12.30am: Flew to a medical event at Te Puia Springs, from where their patient was transported in serious condition to Gisborne Hospital.
- February 15, 10am: Responded to a medical event at Ruātoria, flying their patient in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
- February 15, 2pm: Dispatched to a motor vehicle accident at Whāngārā, from where they flew their patient in stable condition to Gisborne Hospital.
- February 15, 16.20pm: Transferred a patient in critical condition from Gisborne to Tauranga Hospital, from where the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter completed a flight to Auckland.
