PLB aids rescue on the Birdsville Track

While riding on the Birdsville Track north of Mungerannie, South Australia, in early July, a motorcyclist was involved in a high-speed accident, suffering extensive injuries.

The normally quiet track was heavy with traffic with festival-goers to the ‘Big Red Bash’. Thankfully, three nurses were quickly on the scene and administered first aid, while another passerby contacted the Royal Flying Doctor Service (RFDS) to request assistance.

The RFDS asked for an EPIRB or PLB to be activated in order to pinpoint the location of the crash site and identify the nearest RFDS-capable airstrip to commence the rescue operation. Fortunately, another traveller produced his GME brand MT410G PLB and activated it.

The casualty was loaded into a caravan that was driven to the Mungerannie airstrip, where he was stabilised and flown to the intensive care unit at the Royal Adelaide Hospital for treatment.

The motorcyclist’s survival was helped by the quick response of healthcare professionals, emergency personnel, the PLB and the RFDS.

The Australian Maritime Safety Authority states that “a distress beacon can be activated on behalf of another person/group of persons that are in grave and imminent danger… If in the event you call 000 or the RFDS and the location of distress is not known, the operator may request you to activate a distress beacon to assist them in locating you.”

The motorcyclist is expected to make a full recovery.

The manufacturer of the PLB used, GME, released a statement that reminds “all travellers of the importance of carrying a GPS-equipped beacon that has been registered with the Australian Maritime Safety Authority (AMSA)”.

Image courtesy RFDS