A man thrown from his motorcycle in Rivers Inlet late Saturday was airlifted to hospital by an RCAF Cormorant helicopter crew from 442 Transport and Rescue Squadron in Comox early Sunday morning.
The man, whose name has not been released, was transported by BC Ambulance to hospital in Vancouver with serious injuries.
His current medical status is unknown.
The call was received through Joint Rescue Coordination Centre Victoria and the helicopter crew was joined by an advanced-care paramedic team from BC Ambulance. The helicopter left 19 Wing Comox at approximately 12:30 a.m. Oct. 20 and flew direct to the remote town, approximately 130 km southwest of Bella Coola.
“We had thick fog layers to deal with as we left Comox,” said Captain Pete Wright, Cormorant pilot. “However, we were fortunate that there were some clearings around Rivers Inlet, despite most other inlets along the coast being socked in by fog and clouds.”
The helicopter landed at the Rivers Inlet airstrip and paramedics and RCAF Search and Rescue Technicians departed to retrieve the patient. Once the patient was ready for transport, he was loaded onto the helicopter and flown to Vancouver International Airport through clouds and fog, where he was transferred to BC Ambulance.