The family of a teenager who was paralysed after a motorcycle crash in an off-road area says the region’s first four-wheel-drive ambulance is overdue.
St John WA said Geraldton, 420 kilometres north of Perth, is set to receive a Toyota HiAce four-wheel-drive ambulance in October — the first off-road paramedic van in the Midwest.
Seven of the vehicles are positioned around regional WA, along with 14 troop carriers.
The Hipper family have advocated for the emergency vehicle since James Hipper, then 17, broke his neck and spine in a motorcycle crash at Geraldton sand dunes last year.
An ambulance could not reach the accident, which was about a kilometre from the entrance to the dunes.
James Hipper broke his neck and spine in the crash. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
Instead, his sister Serenity Thorley, then 22, acted as a first responder.
“We were so far in dunes, we knew that no one was coming,”
she said.
“It was pretty daunting.”
‘One wrong move’
Ms Thorley said she and other young bystanders used a swag to lift James onto the back of a ute.
James was moved off the beach to a waiting ambulance in a ute. (Supplied/ ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
She said she held his head still as they drove to hard ground to meet the paramedics.
“Just the thought that one wrong move, had I not held him over a bump well enough, I could have lost him then and there,”
Ms Thorley said.
James was diagnosed as paraplegic, but the move did not contribute to the outcome.
Ms Thorley said she had worried that moving the teenager made his condition worse, until a doctor confirmed the damage was done at the time of impact.
She and her mother, April Hipper, have welcomed the news that the coastal city will soon have an off-road ambulance.
April Hipper’s teenage son was paralysed. (ABC Midwest & Wheatbelt: Chloe Henville)
“I really do think it’s been left to the wayside for too long,” Ms Hipper said.
“At the end of the day, Geraldton is a vast coastline, and we’re active people, people like to four wheel drive, people like to bike ride.”
Earlier this month, members of the public had to put shark attack victim Mel Ismail in the back of a ute and drive him from the beach to meet paramedics.
Ocean to outback
While the new 4WD ambulance is positive news for the Geraldton area, concerns remain about responses to emergencies in the wider Midwest region.
The Mount Magnet shire, 340 kilometres north-east of Geraldton, is home to stations and mining camps, and a popular destination for self-drive tourists and gold prospectors.
Mount Magnet Shire president Jorgen Jensen said that while most gravel roads were in “fairly good” condition, the large road network was susceptible to damage, making it difficult to traverse.
Prospectors are enticed to the outback bushland near Mount Magnet. (ABC: Chris Lewis)
“A four-wheel-drive ambulance would be invaluable,” Cr Jensen said.
“It’s really just another example of something that is needed and probably is going to take too long to adequately service.“
Outer areas ‘left behind’
Cr Jensen said the Royal Flying Doctor Service transported patients once they were in town, but getting them there could be a challenge.
“Some of the shires nearby would be a bit more vulnerable as far as that goes, from some of their outer limits to get them into town or to a point where they can get medical attention,” he said.
Jorgen Jensen says the outer Midwest is often overlooked for essential services. (ABC Rural: Chris Lewis)
Cr Jensen said the region missed out on many essential services, including medical support.
“I think the Midwest is a good area that gets probably a little bit left behind in some aspects, especially the outer Midwest,” he said.
St John WA said it continually reviews its regional fleet requirements, taking into account operational demand, geography and local conditions.
A state government spokesperson said there were 28 WA Country Health Service ambulances across the Kimberley, Pilbara and Midwest.
“Locations are chosen based on geography, population distribution, road conditions and health service need,” they said.
The spokesperson said multiple agencies may respond to incidents in difficult-to-access areas.