Man airlifted after horse accident

Glen Innes’ new doctor had a swift introduction to emergency in Glen Innes when three local doctors saved a man’s life last Thursday.
At approximately 2pm last Thursday afternoon a 44-year-old Deepwater man was kicked in the chest by a horse on his property.

The man was rushed to Glen Innes and District Hospital where Dr Peter Annetts assessed his condition and promptly called the Westpac rescue helicopter.
The man was rushed into surgery, Dr EK Wong assisted by Glen Innes’ new doctor Dr Edward Or and Dr Ross Haron, who provided the anaesthetic care, worked to stop the massive internal bleeding and stabilise the patient before he could be transported to Tamworth Base Hospital.
Director of Tamworth Hospital Emergency Retrieval Team Dr John Kennedy said that the man was very lucky to be alive.
“The Glen Innes team swung into action and worked exceptionally well together, with the absolute standout being Dr EK Wong - a brilliant job,” he said.
Glen Innes Health Service manager Cathryn Jones praised the medical staff for their immediate reaction.
“The response from our nursing staff and VMOs (Visiting Medical Officers) was brilliant. We are extremely fortunate to have such a highly skilled team in Glen Innes, and have the back up of the retrieval team,” she said.
Dr Chris Trethewey from the retrieval team worked with the local surgeons to further stabilise the patient before he was flown to Tamworth Base Hospital at around 8pm.
The man was yesterday listed as being in a stable condition. Hunter New England Health declined to disclose the extent of his injuries except that he had a significant amount of internal injuries and suffered a lot of blood loss.

NAOMI DAVIDSON

11/03/2008 3:14:00 PM