MAN KILLED AND CHILD INJURED IN SEPARATE MOTORBIKE ACCIDENTS
June 15, 2020
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
A man was killed and a child injured in two separate motorbike accidents on remote properties near Mt Coolon at the weekend.
On Saturday, RACQ CQ Rescue was tasked about 1pm to fly 280km west of Mackay to a property after a serious accident involving a man on a dirt bike.
The man, believed to be from Airlie Beach, had been riding a dirt bike in a group with friends when they noticed he was missing about midday. It is believed he hit a large stump when riding off a bridge. He was found under the bike in a gully near the bridge and was unable to be revived by paramedics and the RACQ CQ Rescue trauma team.
On Sunday, a eight-year-old boy was riding a dirt bike when he hit an ant hill and went over the handlebars on a Clermont cattle property about 80km west of Moranbah.
RACQ CQ Rescue was tasked about midday and had to refuel at Moranbah Airport before landing on the property adjacent to the homestead at 2pm.
The child, who suffered a seriously broken right wrist, was accompanied by his mother on his flight to Mackay Base Hospital, arriving in a stable condition at 3.45pm. The mission took nearly five hours and saw the helicopter fly 370km to transfer him to hospital from the remote property.
About 20 children on the cattle property took the opportunity to meet the crew and have a look at the aircraft which is a lifeline to remote communities in Central Queensland in the time of medical emergency.
The Mackay-based rescue helicopter also flew to Bowen on Saturday night to transport a hospital patient to Mackay in a three-hour mission.
Since Friday, the Mackay-based helicopter RACQ CQ Rescue has flown 15 hours and more than 1500km to retrieve ill and injured patients across the region.
New figures just released indicate each hour the Bell 412 rescue helicopter and crew are on a task costs about $10,500 meaning since Friday, the RACQ CQ Rescue workload has totalled more than $150,000.
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Please credit any released photos and video footage to RACQ CQ Rescue.
Please note: Full title of rescue service is RACQ CQ Rescue.
For further information please contact:
Naomi Noy
RACQ CQ Rescue
Ph: 0417 578 182