The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter continues to save lives in the Clarence Valley with two recent missions to serious incidents at Yamba and Newton Boyd.

On Sunday, January 8, an alert was raised when a 57-year-old woman and a nine-year-old boy nearly drowned at Yamba’s Pippi Beach about 5pm after being caught in a rip.

Emergency services including NSW police and NSW Ambulance paramedics responded and the woman and the boy were pulled from the surf by members of the public.

The Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was tasked to the scene and both patients were taken to Grafton Base hospital in a stable condition.

Then on Wednesday, January 11, just before 1.30pm, the Westpac Lifesaver Rescue Helicopter was tasked to a property at Newton Boyd, northeast of Glen Innes, after reports a 24-year-old man had been thrown from a horse and impacted the ground heavily.

New South Wales Ambulance Paramedics and Emergency Services attended the scene and commenced treatment of the male prior to the arrival of the Westpac Rescue Helicopter and Critical Care Medical Team.

The man was treated for lower back injuries and flown direct to the Lismore Base Hospital in a stable condition.