Australian Paramedic Killed in Rescue Attempt
The medic aboard a helicopter was trying to winch an injured hiker from a steep cliff when he was killed.
An Australian paramedic was killed while trying to winch an injured hiker to safety at Carrington Falls near Wollongong.
The Ambulance Service of NSW sent a rescue helicopter with two Special Casualty Access Team paramedics and a doctor to the area after Australian Search and Rescue received a distress signal from an emergency locator beacon, according to 9News.
The team was attempting a winch extraction of the injured canyoner from the steep cliffs just before sunset.
"An incident during this winch operation has tragically resulted in the death of one of our paramedics," the Ambulance Service said in a press release.
A second air extraction was considered too dangerous so a ground based team was sent in to aid the injured canyoner and remove the body of the paramedic remained on the scene.
The Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau are to investigate the incident, the station reported.
"Ambulance will cooperate fully and we are unable to make any further comment," the Ambulance service said.
