Rescue helicopter brings man with serious fractures down from Mt Ruapehu

Sep 07 2023

A man in his 30s was rescued on Mt Ruapehu on Wednesday morning after he suffered “serious” fracture injuries.

The Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter were called to Mt Ruapehu after the man had fallen at Waitonga Falls, 400m up the mountain, and was unable to continue.

After activating his personal locator beacon, the rescue helicopter was “quickly” dispatched.

The crew on board were able to locate the man in a narrow valley and upon further assessment, decided due to the high winds in the area, they were unable to winch the patient onto the helicopter.

A paramedic was dropped 500m from the man and walked to his aid.

With the support of LandSAR and the Ruapehu Alpine Rescue Organisation, the patient was carried to the helicopter and flown down the mountain to Ohakune where he was stabilised before being airlifted to Palmerston North Hospital for further treatment.

A spokesperson for Grassroots Trust Rescue Helicopter said emergency situations can happen anywhere, and at any time.

Being a charity they rely on “legendary kiwis” donations to be able to save lives at a moments notice.

The Rescue Helicopter will be holding an open day on November 5 to encourage the community to meet their local rescue crew.