Bundaberg LifeFlight Completes Challenging 13-Hour Rescue Mission Off Central Queensland Coast

A helicopter pilot has told how a 13-hour mission off the central Queensland coast became the most challenging of his career, as Bundaberg LifeFlight sought to rescue an injured trawler man. The rescue crew was called to the fishing boat 110 nautical miles off the Capricorn Coast on Sunday morning to help a man in his 60s who had broken his leg. The mission involved travelling about 1,000 kilometres over rough seas with multiple refuelling stops. Pilot Alex Dorr said the job had "unique challenges", including the remote location, the swell and the need to refuel. When the helicopter arrived at the trawler, a flight care paramedic and rescue crew member had to be lowered onto the deck in strong winds. "It's one of those jobs that you go 'wow,'" Mr Dorr said. "They were very challenging conditions, and it was challenging to get the crew on the back of the boat. "They managed to stabilise the patient, but required more gear, so after we refuelled in Gladstone, we then flew another 90 miles offshore to drop additional gear to them," Mr Dorr said. "The seas were tricky, with a considerable moderate swell and fairly windy conditions. "We were very conscious of fuel and where we needed to be heading to as well, so there was a constant juggling of how long we'd have on scene, what we were going to be able to do given the sea state, and I guess, a lot of backup plans." One of the backup plans was for the helicopter to land at nearby Heron Island. Mr Dorr said the conditions were too rough to winch the injured fisherman to the helicopter safely, so they waited three hours at the island until the fishing boat arrived. The patient was then flown back to LifeFlight's Bundaberg base and driven to hospital by ambulance. "I certainly know he was happy to be off the boat when we did finally got him to hospital. It had been a fairly long day for him with a serious leg injury," Mr Dorr said. The fisherman remains in a stable condition in hospital.