4-month old rescued from car on East Rand, mother arrested

Police rescued a four-month-old baby who had been left alone in a car parked in the sun in Springs, Ekurhuleni on Wednesday, paramedics said.

A passerby noticed the child in the car in a parking lot and called the police, Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha said.

"[They] had to break the window to remove the child," said Botha.

Paramedics were called and found the baby in a serious condition due to the severe heat.

"After rehydrating the infant, we transported her to a nearby hospital."

Police spokesman Captain Johannes Ramphora said the child's mother was arrested and would face a charge of child neglect.

- Times Live

Man killed, 19 hurt by falling tree

Bloemfontein -

A man was killed and another 19 injured when a tree fell on their truck in Bloemfontein on Tuesday afternoon, Free State paramedics said.

A 10-ton truck was travelling on Eeufees Road with 20 passengers at about 5pm when a tree by the roadside collapsed and fell onto the truck, said Netcare 911 spokesman Chris Botha.

Emergency workers arrived at the accident to find that a man had died from injuries suffered in the accident.

Another man was critically injured, eight were seriously injured and 10 people had minor injuries.

The injured were taken to various local hospitals.

- Sapa/IOL

Construction workers hurt in Little Falls

Two construction workers were seriously injured when they were struck by a falling building implement at a site in Little Falls, Roodepoort, this morning.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain unclear and will form the subject of a Department of Labour Inspectorate investigation.

Common cause information dictates that the man had been working at the site when the building implement, which had been raised by an onsite crane, plunged to the ground below.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find both men in a serious condition, one of whom sustaining lower limb fractures.

Both were treated and stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to a nearby private hospital.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Man critically injured in Roodeplaat Dam fall

A man was critically injured when he fell from a ladder while working at the Roodeplaat Dam in Derdepoort, Pretoria, this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain unclear.

Common cause information suggests that that the man had been working on a ladder when he lost his footing and plunged several meters onto the ground below.

Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the worker in a critical condition, having sustained severe head trauma. Emergency workers stabilised the man and called for the assistance of the Netcare1 Aeromedical Helicopter.

The helicopter landed at the scene and airlifted the man to the Steve Biko Academic Hospital.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Woman (74) dies in Northcliff blaze

A seventy four-year-old woman was killed when fire gutted a servant’s quarters at a residence in Northcliff, Randburg, early this morning.

The cause of the blaze and the series of events preceding it remain unclear and will form the subject of a South African Police Force investigation.

Common cause information suggests that the fire may have been started by a paraffin lamp.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find firefighters in attendance. They quickly doused the fire which had completely consumed the room. The charred remains of the elderly woman were found therein.

No one else was injured in the incident.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Girl (12) seriously injured in Pretoria horse riding incident

A twelve-year-old girl was seriously injured in a horse riding incident at an event in Pretoria North this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain.

Common cause information suggests that the horse shied and lost its footing, rolling over the girl.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the girl in a serious condition lying in the paddock, having sustained head, spinal and chest trauma.

She was treated and stabilised at the scene and transported in a stable condition to the Netcare Montana Hospital.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Man critically injured in Germiston factory fall

A man was critically injured when he fell nearly twenty meters from a second story walkway at a factory in Germiston this morning.

The cause of the accident and the series of events preceding it remain unclear and will form the subject of a South African Department of Labour inspectorate investigation.

Common cause information suggests that man had been installing a piece of equipment and lost his footing while working in an overhang. He plunged nearly twenty meters onto the floor below.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find the man in a critical condition, having sustained severe lower limb trauma. He was rapidly stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to the Netcare Union Hospital for further treatment.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Man falls 60m in Kwazulu Natal gorge

Kloof Gorge rescue (Netcare911)

Johannesburg - A man was rescued after falling 60m from the Kloof Gorge viewing area in KwaZulu-Natal, paramedics said on Sunday.

His wife reported him missing on Sunday morning and his cellphone signal was traced, ER24 spokesperson Derrick Banks said.

The police's rescue team and emergency workers were called.

"Two firemen heard a faint call for help coming from the side of the gorge."

Rescue workers were lowered to the injured man.

"He had multiple broken bones, suspected chest injuries and suspected neck and back injuries. He was in a serious but stable condition, but needed advanced life support intervention to help stabilise him further."

He was hoisted to safety and airlifted to hospital. It was believed he had been on the viewing area when the wind knocked him off balance.

Police hellicopter lowering rescue line - Netcare911


- SAPA/News24

Images: Rescue operations in the Kokstad area

Images: Chris Botha - Netcare911

Images: Rescue missions South Africa

Rescue officer searches car - Netcare911

People loaded into Helicopter - Netcare911

Two people rescued from bus - Netcare911

- Netcare911

Winter warmth is a must.

As winter departs and we experience yet another cold front, it is unfortunately a time of year in which many people become ill and even die as a result of overexposure to the cold

Netcare911 Paramedics across the country deal with a number of cases in which people succumb to overexposure and even hypothermia year on year.

Prolonged exposure to the cold, and especially wet and windy weather, can be dangerous. It can cause the human body’s temperature to fall and the heartbeat to become erratic. Hypothermia begins to occur when the temperature of the human body falls to below 35 degrees Celsius and becomes dangerous as it starts falling below 28 degrees.

In South Africa, many people who are not adequately clothed and sheltered against the cold weather of winter. Thus they are exposed to the elements for extended periods and suffer the physical consequences. Older people and children are the most at risk as their bodies are not as resilient, but everyone can be seriously affected if they are exposed to the cold for prolonged periods of time.

People are cautioned against prolonged exposure to the elements and advised to stay under shelter and warmly clothed when it is cold and/or rainy. Wear waterproofed clothing if you have to go out in the rain. Do not stay in your wet clothes if you do get wet; rather change into dry ones. Fires and heating can help to warm up your home, but can also bring a new element of danger into the home.

During Winter we also have to deal with a lot of burn victims whose fires or heaters are allowed to set their homes alight. We at Netcare 911 ask the public to be very vigilant when it comes to fire and heating, which can be exceptionally hazardous. Electric heaters and electric blankets can sometimes cause electrical fires especially when they are not used as instructed or are left on for overly long periods of time. Heaters of all kinds including gas, electric and paraffin are commonly misused or not watched closely enough and set fire to curtains, bedding and other flammable household items.

Signs of over-exposure to the cold

· Shivering

· Numbness and cramps

· Drowsiness and extreme fatigue

· Confusion

· Blurred vision

· Clumsiness



Treatment

· Move the person to a warmer, dry place.

· If the person is unconscious put them in a comfortable position. If they are not breathing and there is no pulse, commence CPR if you are trained to do so.

· Dry them and put them in dry clothing if available.

· Gradually re-warm the person using blankets or sleeping bags, but do not warm them up too suddenly. Do not, for example, put them directly in front of a hot fire or heater as this may put strain on their heart.

· If the person is conscious you may give them warm drinks.

· Get the individual medical attention – Call 082 911

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Man killed by cane loader in Kwazulu Natal

A man was killed when he was run over by a farming implement in Camperdown, east of Pietermaritzburg this morning.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain and will form the subject of a South African Police Force investigation.

Common cause information indicates that the man was part of a team loading the cane onto a truck when he was run down by the cane loader.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the man had sustained critical injuries and was fighting for his life. He was rapidly stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to the Netcare St Anne’s Hospital where he sadly succumbed to his injuries.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Sunninghill lift plunge leaves three men injured, two critically.

Three lift technicians were injured, two of whom critically, when a lift under repair at a building in Sunninghill plunged several meters to the ground below this morning.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain and will form the subject of a National Department of Labour investigation.

Common cause information suggests that the lift had been suspended on the third floor by ropes while the men conducted repairs, seated on the roof.

The ropes appear to have given way or snapped, sending the lift plummeting to the ground below.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the technicians had been dragged to safety by their colleagues and had been lain near the lift doors. Two men were in a critical condition and a third had sustained serious injuries.

The three were stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to the Netcare Sunninghill Hospital for further urgent care.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

“Angels on wheels” now a vital part of daily life for Gautengers

Netcare911's MR05 arrived on scene first. Being able to maneuver through traffic easier.

Johannesburg, Tuesday, 17 July 2012 Gauteng’s rush hour traffic is legendary and every day large numbers of commuters are frustrated by it. Heavy traffic can, however, have more serious consequences. It can mean the difference between life and death by delaying emergency response vehicles attempting to get to the scene of a medical emergency.

Addressing this challenge, Netcare 911 today announced the launch of an expanded Motorcycle Response Unit (MRU) service for Gauteng, which will soon also be made available in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal. Speaking at the official launch of this innovative service, Tumi Nkosi, Managing Director of Netcare 911 said that the MRU concept proved a success during a trial with one MRU that started late last year.

“If you have seen a Netcare 911-branded motorcycle with a blaring siren in the Sandton central business district in recent months, you would have witnessed our trial in motion. During this pilot phase we found the MRU invaluable in time-critical cases such as those where patients suffered a stroke, heart attack or near drowning,” Nkosi said. “The Motorcycle Response Unit achieved improved response times in these areas and was on average 40% faster, especially in instances where traffic was gridlocked.”

“The considerable success of the trial supported our initial research, which highlighted the effectiveness of emergency response motorcycles in busy cities such as Hong Kong. The introduction of a full MRU service in the urban centres of Gauteng was therefore the next logical step.”

The Motorcycle Response Unit, which was launched at Netcare’s head office in Sandton today, consists of a team of five qualified emergency medical care professionals who will service the greater Johannesburg and Pretoria CBDs and surrounding areas. The MRUs will form part of Netcare 911’s extensive fleet of motor vehicles, which includes ambulances, emergency response vehicles and patient transport services vehicles. The motorcycle response unit is not meant to replace these services but will supplement them. These paramedics can get to the scene of the emergency quickly and start emergency medical care while support vehicles such as an ambulance are underway, according to Nkosi.

He explained that emergency medical personnel often refer to the first 60 minutes following an emergency as the “golden hour”. This is the window of opportunity where appropriate pre-hospital emergency medical care can significantly impact the outcome of a case. The sooner emergency medical care can start, the better the outcome is likely to be for the patient.

Nkosi said the “angels on wheels”, as he calls the MRU riders, are a special breed. Specially trained Advanced Life Support (ALS) and Intermediate Life Support (ILS) personnel ride the motorcycles. He pointed out that all the riders have had at least three years’ experience both as emergency medical personnel and as motorcycle riders. They have also received additional training on how to respond to a medical emergency by travelling on a motorcycle.

Peter Feurstein, Netcare 911 Operations Director, said: “The motorcycle we have chosen to use is the Honda NT700, which through the trial has proven to provide outstanding performance and all round handling as well as having the necessary carrying space for the first responder medical kit, which consists of a full range of life saving equipment. This includes an automated external defibrillator (AED), a portable device used to restart a heart that has stopped beating. The motorcycles are all fitted with emergency lights and siren, ensuring that other road users are adequately warned of the presence of MRUs when travelling to respond to a medical emergency.”

The motorcycle helmets are fitted with a Bluetooth communication device, allowing the riders to stay in constant verbal communication with the Netcare 911 Emergency Operations Centre. Feurstein notes that the riders also carry panic buttons to help ensure their safety.

Feurstein says he is heartened by the initiative: “In our urban settings, we believe that the MRU will lead to a statistically significant reduction in response times, and that its clinical impact will be considerable. Netcare 911 remains committed to saving lives,” he concluded.

Ends

Netcare911

Woman critically injured in Pretoria dog attack

A domestic worker is fighting for her life in the Steve Biko Academic Hospital after she was attacked by Rottweiler’s on a plot in Garsfontein, Pretoria, this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain uncertain and will form the subject of a South African Police Force investigation.

Common cause information suggests that the woman had been in garden when she was attacked by the frenzied animals. They dragged the woman to the floor as she frantically tried to fend them off with a hosepipe.

A security guard, hearing her frantic cries for help, rushed to her aid and managed to drag the woman to safety. Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find her in a critical condition, having sustained severe traumatic injuries.

She was intubated and placed on a manual ventilator at the scene and airlifted by the Netcare1 Aeromedical Helicopter to the specialist state facility. 

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare LimitedNetcare 911

Paramedics to get motorcycles

An expanded paramedic motorcycle unit was launched in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The Motorcycle Response Unit (MRU) for Gauteng would soon also be in action in the Western Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, Netcare 911 said.

The MRU was tried out as a single unit late last year in Johannesburg.

"During this pilot phase we found the MRU invaluable in time-critical cases such as those where patients suffered a stroke, heart attack or near drowning," said Netcare 911 managing director Tumi Nkosi.

He said the MRU achieved improved response times and was on average 40 percent faster, especially when traffic was gridlocked.

The MRU would comprise five trained paramedics serving the greater Johannesburg and Pretoria CBDs, as well as the surrounding areas.

- Times Live

Security guard killed by falling gate

A security guard was killed when he was crushed by a falling gate at a factory in the Phoenix Industrial Park in Durban this evening.

The cause of the incident and the series of events leading up to it remain uncertain and will form the subject of a South African Police Force investigation.

Common cause information suggests that the guard had opened the sliding gate which came off its track. The steel gate, which weighs nearly 300kg, fell on the man and crushed him.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene to find that the man had sustained critical injuries and had sadly died as a result.


Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Boy (2) in a serious condition after swimming pool near drowning

A two-year-old boy is in a serious but stable condition in the Tambo Memorial Hospital after a near drowning incident in a residential swimming pool in Benoni this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events leading up to it remain uncertain.

Common cause information dictates that the toddler had fallen into the unattended pool. A Netcare911 Motorcycle Unit Paramedic was riding in the area and was flagged down by a frantic woman who had run into the street.

He entered the premises and found the boy floating in the pool. He dived in and managed to pull the child from the water.  The boy wasn’t breathing and had no pulse, prompting the advanced life support paramedic to start CPR.

Shortly thereafter the ambulance arrived at the scene. CPR was affective and a pulse was regained and the boy started breathing again. He was transported to the nearby state hospital for further observation and care.

For more information on CPR and first aid courses offered by the Netcare911 School of Emergency and Critical Care, click to http://secc.netcare911.co.za

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare LimitedNetcare 911

Girl (4) in a serious condition following near drowning

A four-year-old girl is in a serious but stable condition in the Tambo Memorial Hospital after a near drowning incident in a residential swimming pool at a home in Morehill, Benoni, this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events leading up to it remain uncertain.

Common cause information suggests that the toddler had fallen into the swimming pool and was immersed for an unknown period of time. She was pulled from the water by another resident of the house. The teen immediately started layman CPR.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene and took over care of the girl. Effective CPR had already resulted in reviving the girl and paramedics transported her by ambulance to the nearby state facility for further monitoring.

She remains in a serious but stable condition.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare Limited
Netcare 911

Sanctuary Ranger attacked by Chimps fights for life

A ranger at a Chimpanzee sanctuary near Nelspruit is fighting for his life after he was attacked by two frenzied animals while leading a tour group at the park this afternoon.

The cause of the incident and the series of events preceding it remain unclear.

Common cause information suggests that the ranger had lead the tour passed an enclosure and had positioned himself close to the fence. According to eyewitnesses, two Chimpanzees’ grabbed the man by his feet and pulled him under the perimeter fence and into the enclosure.

The man was dragged nearly a kilometer into the large enclosure while being attacked by the two animals.

Netcare911 Paramedics arrived at the scene and entered the enclosure with armed escorts. They arrived to find the ranger in a critical condition, having sustained multiple and severe bite wounds.  He was rapidly stabilised at the scene and transported by ambulance to a private medical facility in Nelspruit.

No one else was injured in the incident.

Jeffrey Wicks
Media Liaison Officer - Gauteng
Netcare LimitedNetcare 911