A 41 year old Smithton woman has been admitted to the Royal Hobart Hospital after an incident on Saturday 17 April on the West Coast’s iconic Climies Track.

At about 2:00 pm a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) was activated by a group four-wheel driving on Climes Track near Granite Creek. Senior Sergeant Adam Spencer of the West Coast Police said the beacon was activated after the woman sustained a head injury,

“I am advised she was the front passenger in a vehicle that was negotiating some difficult terrain. It seems she has struck her head on part of the cabin and sustained quite a serious concussion as a result,” he said.

Senior Sergeant Spencer said the Westpac Rescue Helicopter was tasked to the West Coast but was delayed due to another rescue. A convoy of Police four-wheel drives, together with an Ambulance Paramedic, headed to the track as well.

“Our land crew found the group at about 4:30 pm on Climies about two kilometres south of the Tasman River Shacks. The group had made it most of the way out themselves. The woman was treated by Ambulance Tasmania at Tasman River, and then conveyed by our Westpac Rescue Helicopter to the Royal Hobart Hospital. She’s in a stable condition.”

Senior Sergeant Spencer praised the group for their preparedness.

“I have been called to numerous similar incidents on Climies – it’s a difficult track, which has claimed many a vehicle. Often people are either under-prepared, inexperienced, or both. This was not the case this time around. The group had a PLB and were otherwise well prepared with appropriate vehicles, recovery gear and first aid kits. They made sound and informed decisions after the injury occurred. This is what we want to see.”

The woman is expected to make a full recovery.