Mountain

A woman was rescued after falling from a hiking trail. Image: Arrive Alive

High-tech ‘mountain bike stretcher’ revolutionary in rescues

A 54-year-old woman was rescued with a ‘mountain bike stretcher’ after she fell from a hiking trail above Camps Bay in Cape Town

Mountain

A woman was rescued after falling from a hiking trail. Image: Arrive Alive

The ‘Terra-Tamer,’ an extremely light-weight obstacle-crushing all-terrain wheel that fits beneath a stretcher, has made a significant difference in mountain rescues.

This system enables teams to move patients over difficult terrain much faster, resulting in shorter stretcher carries.

Woman rescued with ‘mountain-bike-stretcher’

A high-tech stretcher with a rugged mountain-bike style wheel rescued a woman hiker from Table Mountain.

Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR) teams of professionals and volunteers ferried a 54-year-old Cape Town woman after she fell from a hiking trail on Thursday afternoon, 29 December.

The woman was walking on the pipe-track above Camps Bay when she took a wrong step and fell from a narrow section of trail, injuring herself.

Her friends and family assisted her in returning to the trail, but she was unable to continue.

A call was placed to the emergency contact number, and members of the WSAR team were immediately dispatched.

She was evaluated and treated on the scene before being loaded onto a stretcher.

The team used a “Terra-Tamer,” a lightweight, obstacle-crushing all-terrain wheel that fits beneath a stretcher.

This system enables teams to move patients much more quickly over difficult terrain, resulting in shorter stretcher carries.

Her hiking companions drove her home after she descended the mountain.

“This incredible piece of equipment has made a significant difference to wilderness rescue in the Western Cape and we are extremely grateful for the generous donations that made this purchase possible.” Said spokesperson for Wilderness Search And Rescue (WSAR), David Nel.

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