Broken legs, rescues and safe hiking

PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - A large-scale rescue operation was carried out last week when a Brazilian tourist fell and broke her leg, while hiking along the Robberg Nature Reserve.

This incident was the latest in a list of similar accidents by "overestimating" hikers in recent months.

NSRI Plettenberg Bay station commander Marc Rodgers said their rescue crew received reports of the incident, which happened at The Point, just before 14:00 on Tuesday 27 February.

“We were informed that a 29-year-old woman had suffered a fractured leg during a fall while hiking,” he said.

Rodgers added that not only was the sea rescue craft Leonard Smit launched, but the NSRI medical crew, the Mountain Club of South Africa Garden Route division, Medlife ambulance services and provincial emergency services were activated.

“The AMS/EMS Skymed rescue helicopter was also placed on alert.”

On arrival on the scene, the NSRI medical crew were deployed from the boat and hiked to the location, where they found the woman with a fractured right ankle as well as a suspected tibia and fibula fracture.

“The patient was transported to our sea rescue craft and transported to hospital by ambulance in a stable condition.”

This is not an isolated incident and the challenging hiking trail has claimed many victims over the years.

Just over the past year there have been several incidents involving minor and major injuries, which led to authorities warning hikers to take note of safety precautions before taking on the route.

NSRI rescue volunteers rescued a 29-year-old Brazilian tourist who broke her leg while hiking along the Robberg Nature Reserve on 27 February. Photos: Pierre Ollemans

An example of this was a similar incident on 19 July 2017 when a 53-year-old Frenchman on holiday in the Garden Route fell and fractured his right tibia and fibula while hiking the trail.

CapeNature issued a statement saying that most of the incidents were largely as a result of hikers overestimating their own physical abilities.

Hikers often ignore the route markers and maps, take shortcuts, do activities with a high-risk factor despite not having medical assistance nearby, do not wear the appropriate clothing and shoes and don't not provide for water or food, the statement read.