Westpac Rescue Heli transports two from quad bike accident in the Wairarapa

The Wellington based Westpac Rescue Helicopter transported two injured people after a quad bike accident late this morning.

The accident occurred about 1040am on Western Bay Road, near Ocean Beach, on the South Wairarapa Coast.

The Westpac Rescue Helicopter with a Wellington Free Ambulance paramedic arrived at the scene just before 11am.

On our arrival we found a 13 year old Wanganui teen and a 23 year old Wairarapa man who had both suffered back injuries when their quad bike rolled down a small hill.

The 13 year old was briefly knocked unconcious at the time of the accident but was concious and alert when the helicopter arrived. The 23 year old never lost conciousness. Neither was wearing a helmet at the time of the accident.

"It was extremely windy out on the coast and it sounds like that is what caused the quad bike to roll" says Westpac Rescue Helicotper Crewman Dave Greenberg. "The wind certainly made flying conditions challenging for our pilot and a wee bit uncomfortable for us all".

Winds at the time were around 40 kts (aprox 75km/h) with some much stronger gusts.

Both were transported to the Wellington Hospital Emergency Department where they are being treated and assessed.