EMERGENCY services in Bright were put through their paces last week as three separate mountain-bikers met with accidents on the Mystic Bike Park on Thursday, January 9. At approximately 11am, a man in his thirties required a rescue from the SES, CFA and Police after crashing at the base of a bike path. “At first we had to maneuver the patient 200 metres up a track, up to a berm, then use rope techniques to get him around a corner," Bright SES Controller, Graham Gales said. "From there we went up another 250 metres to the awaiting ambulance. “The steepness of the track and particularly the corner, plus the heat of the day made it quite a physical challenge to get him up the hill. “We were assisted by the Bright and Porepunkah CFAs, with Police and Ambulance Victoria officers also present.” At the same time, a thirteen-year-old boy was injured on another trail after falling from his bike. The Mystic Park Bike Patrol and the SES volunteers were first on scene and managed the situation until the Ambulance officers arrived. “Three members of our unit and a police officer went to the location to attend that scene," Mr Gales said. “The ambos arrived and he was assessed at the scene before being taken off to hospital. "This incident required a carry-out down a track to the ambulance and then a long walk back up to retrieve our SES vehicle. “Overall, we had a good turn out with eight members of our Unit responding." A nine-year-old girl was also in need of medical assistance after crashing her bike at Mystic Park the very same day. She was attended by Ambulance officers, without the need for rescue by other emergency services. On the Bright SES Facebook page on Saturday, January 11, a summary of the incidents was listed, along with pictures from the rescues and the following message: "Our thanks go to Victoria Police, Ambulance Victoria, Mystic Park Bike Patrol, Bright Fire Brigade, Porepunkah CFA and Gil, an off-duty Fire Rescue Victoria member, who was working with Bike Patrol."
