1000th rescue mission with Air Zermatt
Last week, Air Zermatt performed its 1000th rescue by helicopter since the beginning of the year. The rescue mission involved a transfer flight from Visp Hospital to Basel. Another mission kept the Air Zermatt crew busy: They were getting ready to carry out a birth in the helicopter...
Air Zermatt flew its 1000th rescue mission on Thursday later in the afternoon. The Cantonal Valais Rescue Organization KWRO (reachable under the number 144) called the Air Zermatt rescue crew for a transfer flight. Specifically, a child had to be transferred from Visp Hospital to a university hospital for medical reasons. As the Inselspital in Bern had no more free capacity, the air rescuers from Valais decided to fly the child to the University Children's Hospital of Basel.
The 1000 mark for helicopter rescues was reached about three weeks earlier last year. Compared to last year, the Valais air rescuers were called to significantly fewer crevasse accidents this spring.
Baby luck immediately after helicopter flight
On the same day, the Air Zermatt rescue crew also experienced a special mission: a young mother from Zermatt complained of sudden, strong contractions at very short intervals. A midwife who was called in diagnosed that the birth was imminent. Thus, the clock was ticking. Knowing that there was enough room in the Air Zermatt rescue helicopter for a possible birth, the crew, together with the midwife and the expectant mother, took off from Zermatt in the direction of Visp. Only a few minutes after landing at the Visp hospital, the child was safely born.
Several traffic accidents
In recent days, Air Zermatt has also been called to several traffic accidents, including an incident on Thursday on the highway section in Brig. A car driver suffered a heart attack while driving and lost consciousness. The passenger was able to bring the vehicle to a safe stop and immediately began lay resuscitation. After the Oberwallis ambulance arrived, the paramedics and the emergency physician continued the resuscitation. Finally, the Air Zermatt rescue crew flew the patient to the hospital in Sion.
In addition, the Air Zermatt rescue crew was called to a head-on collision between two cars on the Stalden - St. Niklaus road. One person was flown by helicopter to the hospital in Sion.