Sorrento SES volunteers have attended three rescue jobs within 24 hours.
In the first instance they were called to free a woman trapped in her car which had rolled onto its side in Mawarra St, Rosebud, 6.15pm, Tuesday.
“We worked together with the fire crew and ambulance to safely extricate her,” media liaison officer David Lammers said. “All this only took 10 minutes and the woman was taken to hospital with what seemed like minor injuries.”
At 4pm Wednesday they got a call to help out at Ocean Beach Rd, Sorrento, where another car had flipped onto its side and a similar rescue was carried out. The driver was taken to hospital in a stable condition.
One hour later the SES was called on to assist ambulance officers rescuing a paraglider injured after crash landing at Eatons Cutting, Dromana.
The 27-year-old Safety Beach man was preparing to take-off at the old Hillview quarry site about 3pm when his parachute failed and he struck the cliff face.
“The man sustained leg injuries and, apparently, had been there for two hours before a couple of mountain bike riders happened upon him,” Mr Lammers said.
“Judging by the deep marks coming up the hill, he had dragged himself 200 metres to a fire track despite having severe injuries.
“We assisted the paramedics and then helped police find his parachute and helmet.”
Rosebud Sergeant Tony Paterson said the man was lucky not to have sustained injuries more serious than a leg fracture. “He was able to drag himself up to where the fire trail mountain bike riders found him, which was very fortunate.”
Paramedics assisted the man before he was airlifted to The Alfred hospital with serious but not life threatening injuries.
SES officers found his parachute at the base of the quarry.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 4 August 2015
