FOUR MISSIONS IN 24 HOURS FOR REGION’S RESCUE CHOPPER CREW

April 4, 2023

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOUR MISSIONS IN 24 HOURS FOR REGION’S RESCUE CHOPPER CREW

A search for a missing plane, a truck smash and a marathon flight to airlift a seriously ill Emerald patient has capped a very busy few days for RACQ CQ Rescue.

Since 8am Monday, RACQ CQ Rescue has been tasked to four missions across the Central Queensland region, totaling 18 hours and flying more than 1000km. 

A seriously injured truck driver was airlifted to hospital last night after his vehicle crashed on the Suttor Development Road, near Hail Creek, just after 6pm.

The Mackay-based rescue helicopter met ambulance crews at Nebo to retrieve the patient who suffered serious abdominal and internal injuries. The 34-year-old Finch Hatton man was transported to Mackay Base Hospital in a serious condition.

The helicopter was later tasked by Queensland Health to fly to Bowen at 10pm to transport a hospital patient with serious respiratory conditions to Mackay. Today, the crew are headed to Dysart to retrieve and airlift a hospital patient to Mackay.

RACQ CQ Rescue was involved in an aerial search on Sunday night and Monday morning for more than seven hours across 330km near Bloomsbury for a Piper Cherokee reported missing. Tragically, the wreckage of the plane was located by a Townsville helicopter in the Clarke Ranges, west of Proserpine about 10am yesterday.

RACQ CQ Rescue has completed 178 missions since the start of the year, compared to 160 for the same time period in 2022.

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A Finch Hatton truck driver was airlifted to Mackay in a serious condition after an accident on the Suttor Developmental Road yesterday.

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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