Hypothermic man found by hunters at Maruia airlifted to hospital

Saturday, 22 May 2021

After two hunters found a man in the bush, he was taken by ambulance to the waiting Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter. (File photo)

Hunters and rescue services rallied to get a critically hypothermic man to hospital after two hunters found the man in bush outside Maruia on Friday.

Police were contacted just before 8pm on Friday.

Nelson Marlborough Rescue Helicopter pilot Colby Tyrrell said the service was called at 8.18pm . The hunters had taken him to Maruia, south of Murchison and near Nelson Lakes National Park, and he was in “quite a bit of distress,” Tyrrell said.

The helicopter set off to collect him, but hit bad weather around Murchison and was forced to wait at the Owen River Tavern, Tyrrell said.

A St John Ambulance spokeswoman said an ambulance took the man from Maruia to the Owen River Tavern, where he was shuttled to hospital by the waiting helicopter crew.