Your support helped Adrian receive treatment, fast!
The prospect of a weekend’s fishing trip to Mayor Island with friends was over in a flash for Adrian Gidlow – the flash of a sudden fuel explosion.
Adrian and his two friends were on their way to a weekend fishing trip, boat in tow, when they stopped at a service station to fuel the boat.
“There was some fuel on the floor of the boat. I was in there cleaning it up and something ignited the fuel. Suddenly, whoosh, up it went.” said Adrian.
The boat was quickly towed over to the rest area, a safe distance away, and staff helped pull Adrian out of the boat and doused him with a hose.
Adrian kept cool water running over his burns until the ambulance arrived,which was followed shortly after by the Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter. The helicopter swiftly transported Adrian to Waikato Hospital where he stayed for 24 days.
Adrian ended up with first-degree burns to his arms, hands and stomach, with more serious burns from his knees down to his feet, which required skin grafts to his leg.
“Let’s just say my sock modelling days are over,” he laughed, “but other than that it will have no long lasting effects and I now just make periodic visits to the outpatients clinic.”
“From being all excited about a weekend’s fishing to being rescued by the chopper and flown to hospital, it was certainly a dramatic change to my weekend.”
The swift transportation the Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter provided most likely reduced the severity of Adrian’s burns allowing him to be treated sooner.
The Trustpower TECT Rescue Helicopter relies on community support to continue to provide life-saving missions when time is of the essence. To donate to your local Rescue Helicopter please click here.