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Media Release
January 13, 2008

Surf lifeguards rescue injured paraglider

At 1530 this afternoon (January 13, 2008) volunteer lifeguards from the Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service rescued a 55 year old male who crash landed while paragliding.

A member of the public alerted lifeguards about the accident and lifeguards responded by four-wheel-drive to the crash site at the far north of Mangawhai Heads Beach.

On locating the patient lifeguards discovered the man had taken a hard fall when coming in to land. The patient was conscious but complaining of a spinal injury.

A call was put in to St John Ambulance and the Northland Electricity Rescue Helicopter was dispatched.

Mangawhai Heads Volunteer Lifeguard Service Patrol Captain, Zane Baker, said the paragliding incident highlighted the importance of training lifeguards for diverse rescue situations.

"Lifeguards secured the patient for ambulance staff, set up a secured helicopter landing zone and assisted paramedics with treatment and packaging of the patient for helicopter transfer to Whangarei Hospital.

"While most lifeguard rescue situations happen in the water, incidents like this demonstrate the vast range of skills surf lifeguards need to possess."

ENDS

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