DURBAN - An elderly kiteboarder suffered a severely fractured leg after landing awkwardly while kiteboarding on Tuesday evening.
National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) Durban duty coxswain Paul Bevis said at 6.11pm on Tuesday, the KZN Surf Rescue Network was activated following witness reports of a kiteboarder injured about 1km from Eastmoor in the direction towards Durban at a well-known kiteboarding spot.
Bevis said the NSRI Durban crew prepped a sea rescue craft to be launched while the NSRI Durban rescue vehicle and NSRI Ballito responded.
Netcare 911 ambulance services were also activated, Bevis said.
“Two Netcare 911 rescue paramedics, jogging on the same beach at the time, initiated medical care to the 63-year-old local man who had suffered a severely fractured leg after landing awkwardly while kiteboarding,” Bevis said.
“He had managed to reach the shore where the Netcare 911 rescue paramedics initiated medical care.”
NSRI Durban and NSRI Ballito crew and the Netcare 911 ambulance arrived on the scene.
“The patient was secured to a spinal board and carried to the ambulance and he was transported to hospital by Netcare 911 ambulance in a serious but stable condition in the care of paramedics and he is recovering in hospital,” Bevis said.
“The quick reaction by circumstances, having two paramedics jogging nearby at the time and NSRI crew attending a meeting at the base and able to act swiftly is commended.”
Daily News