The Wellington based Westpac Rescue Helicopter flew a man crushed during a work place accident in Paraparaumu to
hospital earlier this morning.
As we understand it, the 54 year old Otihanga man suffered major leg injuries when a one tonne plate fell off the back
of a truck he was working with. The plate, described as a loading plate on the back of a truck's trailer, fell on his
leg and was there for about a minute before fellow workers could remove it.
The Westpac Helicopter, with a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic onboard, was asked to respond to the scene just after
7:30 am.
"Due to the weather we had to fly around the coast to get up to Paraparaumu" says helicopter crewman Jon Leach. "The
Wellington Free Ambulance paramedics at the scene transported the man to Paraparaumu Airport, so we just landed there,
loaded the patient and headed straight back to Wellington".
The man was transported to Wellington Hospital Emergency Department in a serious condition.
ENDS