3,000th Patient

Nathan BurgessNathan Burgess is the Service's 3,000th patient.

It was just another day at the office for the Snowy Hydro SouthCare helicopter crew, but for Queanbeyan High School student, Nathan Burgess, it was a day he will never forget. The 15-year-old became the 3000th rescue-mission performed by SouthCare after a family trip to Tallaganda State Forest last Sunday went horribly wrong.

After attempting a jump on one of the tracks, the front wheel of Nathan's 18-year-old motorbike gave way leaving him with broken femur and collarbone. As Nathan says, "I had a split-second to realise what was happening and I knew it wasn't going to be very good when I hit the ground."

Nathan's family was quick to call 000, which led to Snowy Hydro SouthCare's first of five rescue missions for the day. Within 15 minutes the helicopter was at the scene with a doctor and paramedic on board. The aircrewman on duty that day, Jack Brammer, said while the rescue-mission was relatively straight-forward, it was hard to prepare for the amount of pain a patient could be in. "Nathan was in a lot of pain. He was in a really bad state - real agony," Jack said.

Nathan was rushed to Canberra Hospital where his leg was operated on later that afternoon when surgeons inserted a titanium plate to secure the bones in his leg. Despite the exciting rescue, Nathan's father Noel Burgess said his son was still unable to remember his flight. "He was really out to it. A free helicopter ride and he can't remember any of it."

Noel also commended the Service on its swift arrival, which made the situation a lot easier to handle. "When your kids are out riding motorbikes and doing jumps you've always got the thought in the back of your mind that something might happen…you can't really prepare yourself for when it does happen," Noel said.

Nathan, who has ridden since he was two and half, is adamant the accident won't deter him from riding, saying, "I think I need to get a new bike."