Cape Town – A fisherman who suffered a partial amputation of his left leg in an accident at sea has been evacuated from a trawler at Simon's Town in False Bay and taken to hospital in a serious condition, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said on Sunday.
NSRI Simon's Town station commander Darren Zimmerman said duty crew were activated by the Transnet National Ports Authority at about 9.10pm on Saturday night following a request for immediate medical assistance from the fishing trawler Atlantic Hope.
The trawler reported it was 40 nautical miles southeast of Cape Point with a crewman on board suffering partial amputation of his left leg sustained in an accident while hauling fishing nets.
The fishing vessel was heading towards Simon's Town while the ship's crew treated their fellow fisherman on board, who was reported to be fully conscious despite his severe injury, he said.
The sea rescue craft Spirit of Safmarine III, accompanied by NSRI paramedics and a Cape Medical Response (CMR) paramedic, launched and the NSRI Air Sea Rescue and the SA Air Force 22 Squadron were placed on high alert.
"With rough sea conditions the NSRI rescue craft rendezvoused with the fishing vessel in the relative shelter of Buffels Bay, Cape Point, where paramedics were put on board the fishing vessel and treatment was administered to the 25-year-old Mossel Bay fisherman suffering partial amputation of his left leg below the knee.
"Treatment continued aboard the fishing vessel which continued towards the Simon's Town naval dockyard escorted by our sea rescue craft and once in Simon's Town the patient was transferred onto the sea rescue craft and brought to shore and he has been transported to hospital by a CMR ambulance in a stable but serious condition where he is to undergo surgery," Zimmerman said.