For Greg, farming in the beautiful, remote hills near Whakatane is the best place to be for someone who loves the outdoor life.
It does, however, have its own set of unique hazards as Greg, a self-employed agricultural contractor, found out a few months ago.
Having mustered cattle over the hilly remote terrain and up into the cattle yards, Greg was directing the cattle through the yards to load them onto the waiting stock truck.
Greg, a hardy farmer, had done this many times before and had no reason to suspect anything other than a smooth transition of the cattle from the cattle yards to the truck.
The unpredictability of herding cattle is a well-known hazard in farming life, and for Greg unfortunately he was on the receiving end of it this day.
As Greg was about to close the gate behind the cattle in the loading race, he was suddenly hit in the face by the heavy pipe gate which flung him backwards with force, throwing him across to the other side of the yard.
Luckily for Greg, the farm manager and the cattle truck driver were on hand to witness the frightening scene and quickly called emergency services.
Due to the remote and tricky location of the farm, the quickest and best option for Greg to get to the help he needed was the Aerocool Rescue Helicopter. The rescue helicopter and crew were dispatched and landed in the paddock near where Greg lay in a short 15-minutes.
In and out of consciousness, Greg remembers feeling the relief of hearing the faint sound of the rescue helicopter coming to his rescue.
Greg was flown to Tauranga Hospital having sustained a concussion and broken nose in the incident. He’s now back on the farm and recovering well from his head injury.
Every day your support makes a difference to people in your community like Greg, who needed time-critical care from his remote location. Greg would like to thank all those who contribute to the rescue helicopter.
“Without it that day, I wouldn’t have got the immediate care I needed as soon as the crew got to me.” says Greg.
Have you had a time-critical flight in your rescue helicopter? Our Marketing & Patient Coordinator Gillian would love to talk with you – please email Gillian at [email protected] or call 0800 11 10 10 if you would like to share your story.
