Poland
Polish chopper could not help injured skier
Classified Polnews
Warsaw, Poland January 23, 2007. The ski jumper that was injured during the World Cup event in Zakopane, Poland could not be helped by an on scene Polish rescue helicopter. And help from another emergency medical evacuation helicopter was turned down.
At the time of the accident the jumper, Jan Mazocha, was taken directly from the ski slope to an ambulance that transported him to the local Zakopane hospital. Once there, doctors decided that he should be transferred to the University Hospital in Krakow, Poland.
Poland's emergency medical helicopter, which is fully licensed and equipped to fly at night, was located in Warsaw and would take about one hour to get on scene. It would then take an additional 20 minutes to get the injured skier to Krakow.
The services of the helicopter were offered but the hospital turned them down. There would be very little time difference between using an ambulance and helicopter.
Meanwhile, there was, immediately in the vicinity of the ski slope, an emergency helicopter that is used to rescue people in the mountains.
Had that helicopter been taken directly to the ski slope it could have been used to transfer the injured skier to the hospital in Krakow.
But because of restrictions on the helicopter, it could not be used.
First the helicopter is not licensed to fly at night.
And then because the helicopter carries rescue dogs it cannot be used to carry patients. It can only rescue them and take them to a hospital.
Finally, using the rescue helicopter for transfers would make it unavailable for mountain emergencies.
The decision to use the ambulances has not been criticized because the roads were open, clear and there was little traffic.
The skier was quickly stabilized and remains in the Krakow hospital in a medically induced coma.
He has not been transferred to his home country, Czech, because the medical team attending him says that there is too much brain swelling and that he is not in condition to be moved.
Lot Polish Airlines has offered its help and assistance in transferring him to Czech when he can be moved.
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