Off-road bike crashes keep helicopter crew busy

The Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter was called out after a 50-year-old man hit a fence post at a Kereru bike trail yesterday.

It was a hectic afternoon for the Lowe Corporation Rescue Helicopter crew yesterday, as it attended three separate biking incidents, two of which happened on the same bike trail.

The first call-out was about 12.45pm, when the crew airlifted a 50-year-old man to hospital after he went through a ditch and into a fence post on his trail bike at Kereru, east of Hastings. He received back and head injuries.

About 2pm, the crew winched a 19-year-old man into the helicopter after he fell from his bike on the Eskdale mountain bike track.

And about 3.45pm, the crew flew again to the Kereru bike trail, to airlift a 13-year-old boy to hospital after he fell from his motorbike on a different part of the course, receiving chest and rib injuries.

Meanwhile, 14-year-old Deane Aoterangi Peters is recovering after he fell from his mountain bike at high speed during an adventure race with the Tamatea High School team last month.

The rescue helicopter delivered him to hospital from Flemington, south of Waipukurau. He had stopped breathing for a short time.

Tests revealed a crack in his liver and kidney, damage to his lumbar, a broken wrist and some bruising around the brain as well as a small amount of bleeding. It is believed he will make a full recovery - anyone who would like to donate funds toward Deane's recovery can do so by heading to: givealittle.co.nz/cause/deanepetersroadtorecovery