A 31 year old cyclist sustained critical injuries at an off- road track in the Bryanston area this morning. It is believed that the cyclist was training at the track and as he crossed a wooden bridge and he had to negotiate a very steep embankment with a sharp bend at the bottom.
The cyclist lost control and smashed into a large tree at the bottom of the hill. He was flung through the air and landed in the thick overgrowth. Fortunately he did not loose consciousness and managed to phone for help. Netcare 911 paramedics arrived within minutes of receiving the call and had to clamber down the steep slippery embankment with all their equipment to get to the patient.
Realising the seriousness of the injuries and the difficulty of getting him out of the ravine, the fire services and the Netcare medical helicopter was activated. Paramedics worked fervently to stabilise the critically wounded man while fireman set up a rope rescue system with a specialised rescue stretcher to hoist the paramedics and patient back up the hill.
The patient was then handed over to a trauma doctor and then loaded into the helicopter. He was airlifted to the Netcare Sunning hill Hospital for further medical care.
Chris Botha
Netcare 911
