Emergency services were kept busy on Saturday with three simultaneous requests for assistance from mountain bikers at Derby and St Helens.

Police received a referral for search and rescue assistance from Ambulance Tasmania for the patients who had fallen from their bikes whilst riding the trails.

A 55 year old male was accessed by the Westpac rescue helicopter from the ‘Return to Sender’ track at Derby with a suspected broken leg.

A 50 year old female was rescued by SES volunteers and treated by an Ambulance Tasmania paramedic for a broken collar bone, also on the Return to Sender track at Derby.

A 26 year old male was rescued by SES, police and Ambulance Tasmania at St Helens from the ‘Salty Sea Dog’ track with a broken collar bone.

All the patients rescued were taken to hospital.

Senior Constable Leighton Riggall from Northern Search and Rescue said it was a busy time of year for emergency services responding to injured riders.
“With good weather and trail conditions we are seeing an increase in riders across the trail networks. It is helpful in ensuring a timely response that you know how to provide your exact location when calling for help – consider downloading the free Emergency+ app on your smart phone, which will display your coordinates. Having the exact location of the patients today has helped emergency services get to them quickly”.

“The incidents today highlight the invaluable help our State Emergency Service and Ambulance Service volunteers provide the community, I’d also like to thank the members of the public who assisted the rescue crews”.

Police and Ambulance Tasmania also responded to a female bushwalker with a broken wrist at Policeman’s Point on the east coast, in a busy day for rescues.