On Saturday, a fifty-four-year-old man suffered severe injuries while snowkiting in the Bruntál region. Rescuers went to the terrain near the village of Stránské near Rýmařov on the initiative of random cross-country skiers who found the injured man.
Snowkiting is a relatively new adrenaline sport in which a towing kite pulls riders on skis or snowboards. The advantage is that the sport can be practiced on flat terrain, but the riding is dangerous in high winds and requires some experience.
“No one saw the accident itself, but the circumstances point to the victim falling during a gust of wind. The patient was conscious but had no recollection of the incident. The attending physician suspected spinal and pelvic injuries and did not rule out the possibility of internal injuries, ” said ambulance spokesman Lukáš Humpl.
Rescuers moved the man to the heated ambulance compartment using a rescue frame, removed his helmet and other equipment, and provided him with urgent first aid.
“Using two venous lines, they started administering medication and prepared the injured man for transport to a medical facility. The patient was taken over by the helicopter crew and transported to the Olomouc University Hospital,” the spokesman added.