Fortunately, amongst the large group of tourists at the scene was a doctor from Brisbane who safely got the injured man out of the water and onto a flat surface before cushioning the man with towels to keep him immobilized before help arrived.
The Energex rescue chopper arrived to find the man in a great deal of pain.
Crew treated the man on scene before loading him onto a vacuum mattress - a specially designed air mattress for people suffering suspected spinal injuries that moulds to the patients shape to main immobility.
The injured man was then airlifted to Bundaberg Base Hospital.
“He was certainly lucky a doctor was on hand,” said rescue chopper crewman Gary Craig.
“Fraser Island is a fantastic place to see, but visitors need to understand that warning signs are there to prevent people getting hurt”
An Energex helicopter spokesperson said it was the second such incident in the past couple of weeks with authorities urging people to take more care, or risk permanent spinal damage.
Meanwhile, the chopper was also involved in a search and rescue operation near Kin Kin today
Source link: http://www.thedaily.com.au/news/2007/nov/21/tourist-dives-spinal-troubles-fraser/
Related:
Serta mattress wholesale