Whilst riding on the Birdsville Track north of Mungerannie, South Australia, a motorcyclist was involved in a high-speed accident suffering extensive injuries.
The normally quiet track was heavy with traffic with festival goers to the “Big Red Bash”. Thankfully three nurses were quickly on the scene and administered first aid whilst another passer-by contacted the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to request assistance. The RFDS requested for an EPIRB or PLB to be activated in order to pinpoint the location of the crash site and identify the nearest RFDS-capable airstrip to commence the rescue operation.
Fortunately another traveller produced his GME MT410G PLB and activated it. A volunteer ambulance officer also arrived on the scene with a cervical collar and a blood pressure monitor and assisted with first aid. The casualty was loaded into a caravan which was driven to the Mungerannie airstrip where he was stabilised and flown to the intensive care unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment.
The motorcyclist’s survival was helped by the quick response of health care professionals, emergency personnel, the GME PLB and the Royal Flying Doctor Service. The Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA) procedure states that “a distress beacon can be activated on behalf of another person/group of persons that are in grave and imminent danger… If in the event you call 000 or the RFDS and the location of distress is not known the operator may request you to activate a distress beacon to assist them in locating you.”
The motorcyclist is expected to make a full recovery. GME would like to remind all travellers of the importance of carrying a GPS equipped beacon that has been registered with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA).