The local rescue chopper has winched an injured man from a long-line fishing vessel, 100 nautical miles off the Queensland coast.
The Bundaberg-based RACQ LifeFlight Rescue was tasked to the boat’s Coral Sea location around 10am on Tuesday, after the man crushed his hand while trying to fix a rudder.
The incident happened around midnight, when the vessel was 300 nautical miles off the Bundaberg coast.
The man’s crewmates administered first aid, while the captain brought the boat closer to the coastline, so it was within safe flying distance for an ocean winch rescue.
An AMSA Challenger 604 jet from Essendon in Victoria was also tasked to provide top cover for the LifeFlight chopper, for the off-shore operation.
A LifeFlight rescue crew officer was winched down to the deck of the boat, he and the patient were then carefully hoisted back into the rescue helicopter.
The Queensland Ambulance Service Flight Paramedic treated the man on-board the chopper as it flew back to the mainland.
The patient, aged in his 40s, was flown to Bundaberg Base Hospital in a stable condition.
