Northland Rescue Helicopter (file photo). Photo: Peter de Graaf
A man rescued after a quad bike rolled on top of him in a remote area of the Far North may have been trapped for more than 24 hours before the alarm was raised by a passing boatie.
The dramatic rescue took place on Wednesday at Oteko Point, a headland in Whangaroa Harbour with no road access.
A spokesman for the Northland Rescue Helicopter said the man had been trapped under the bike since the previous day, possibly since Tuesday morning.
A boatie spotted the crashed quad bike and called emergency services about 11am on Wednesday.
With medics unable to reach the man by land, a critical care paramedic was winched down by the Northland Rescue Helicopter.
Whangaroa Coastguard also responded, bringing a second paramedic to the crash scene by boat, along with extra manpower to lift the quad off the critically injured man.
He was treated for crush injuries caused by prolonged entrapment under the weight of the quad.
The spokesman said the patient was retrieved by winch around 2.45pm and flown to Whangārei Hospital for an initial assessment.
He was then transferred, also by Northland Rescue Helicopter, to Middlemore Hospital for treatment for spinal injuries.
The patient had to be winched more than 30 metres due to the height of the trees around the crash scene.
Police, St John Ambulance, and volunteer firefighters from the Kāeo, Kerikeri and Mangōnui brigades also responded to the call for help.
The Whangaroa incident was only the latest involving a quad bike in the Far North in recent months.
Others include the death of a young child in a roll-over at Umawera in August and a woman critically injured at Mangamuka earlier this month.
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