Johannesburg - A man had to be rescued after he was hit by an anchor on a crayfish trawler off the coast of Port Elizabeth on Tuesday, the National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) said.
At around 5pm on Tuesday the NSRI was activated following a request for urgent medical assistance from a long-line crayfish trawler.
The trawler Ibahy reported that a 40-year-old male deck hand onboard was struck by a crayfish net anchor 17 nautical miles south of Port Elizabeth, said station commander Ian Gray.
An NSRI boat met the trawler 7.5 nautical miles south of Cape Recife in 23-knot southerly winds and two-metre swells, he said.
NSRI paramedics were put on board the trawler, where they stabilised the injured man.
“The man appeared to be suffering from a suspected shoulder (scapula) fracture and a suspected forearm (radius) fracture.”
The man was secured onto a stretcher and transferred onto the NSRI boat.
He was then taken to shore where an ambulance was waiting.
“It appears that while lifting a crayfish net the crayfish net anchor line may have come up too quickly, possibly bouncing or flipping the anchor on a roller and hitting the deck hand,” said Gray. - Sapa