Dramatic footage captures moment rescue crews winch rock climber to safety after horror 8m fall from Mount Buffalo in Victoria
Dramatic footage has emerged of a rock climber’s risky helicopter rescue, with emergency crews revealing he was seriously injured after falling 8 meters from a popular peak in the Victoria Alps.
The climber was climbing the Horn on Mount Buffalo when their equipment malfunctioned, causing them to fall several meters below onto an “unsafe ledge”.
Located approximately 325 km northeast of Melbourne, the mountain reaches 1723 meters on its highest plateau and is popular with walkers and climbers.
A Victoria Ambulance spokesman said the man suffered serious injuries in the fall, was briefly unconscious with suspected rib fractures and was trapped on a narrow ledge.
The Helicopter Emergency Medical Service (HEMS) team rushed to the scene along with paramedics from Mobile Intensive Care Ambulance and Advanced Life Support.
“After flying over the scene to assess whether a safe hoist was possible, the HEMS team located the patient on a precarious ledge,” a spokesman said.
MICA Flight Paramedic Shaun Whitemore was lowered by winch to stabilize the patient, as well as provide pain relief and splinting so he could be removed in “extremely tight conditions”.
The climber was winched to safety and flown to the Royal Melbourne Hospital for further treatment.
Victoria Ambulance released footage of the incident that occurred in March.
