Life Flight

When Andrew talks about his Life Flight rescue from the Tararua mountains, he’s so calm and relaxed he makes it sound like a picnic out with friends.

And part of that is because the Life Flight crew were equipped and trained to handle everything with such skill and confidence.

Without your support, it could have been a completely different story.

A seasoned tramper, Andrew was on a track with his son and a friend, going up a steep section of chains and ladders, when his knee collapsed.

I had lifted myself up and got my right leg onto a little ledge. And then I went to push off with my right leg and my knee just collapsed inwards.

“The bottom of my leg stayed pointing straight ahead and the rest of it fell inwards. And I thought, ‘oh, that’s not good’.

With only one leg and his arms, Andrew dragged himself up the rest of the chain until he could limp around the corner to find the others.

With patchy phone connection, they called 111, and in no time, the Life Flight Westpac Chopper was airborne.

When I told them the visibility was only 20 metres, they just said, ‘Oh, we’ll sort that out.’

Knowing he had to get as close as he could, Pilot James guided the Westpac Chopper sideways onto the mountain and landed with just one skid on the ridge. A moment later, out leapt the Critical Care Paramedic, also called James.

They put me in the harness, winched me up, slid me into the helicopter, got me sorted out and away we went to Wellington hospital. It was so easy and so effortless, and they were so calm and relaxed.