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May 16th, 2013 
Paramedic Mick Wilson was accidently dragged to his death by a helicopter.
Source: The Daily Telegraph
A PARAMEDIC who died during a cliff rescue was accidentally dragged off a ledge by a helicopter that was meant to winch he and the patient to safety, an an accident report has found.
Mick Wilson, 42, died on Christmas Eve in 2011, while he was attempting to rescue an injured canyoner at Carrington Falls, near Wollongong.
A canyoner had activated an emergency beacon after falling down a cliff earlier that afternoon.
Mr Wilson, as a highly-trained rescue paramedic, had abseiled down to assist the injured man.
The plan was to winch the paramedic and patient into a helicopter hovering above.
But a report released today by the Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) found the crewmen onboard the rescue helicopter were unable to see the winch cable, in poor lighting, and mistakenly took a signal from Mr Wilson as meaning he was ready, when he wasn’t.
“The result was the injured canyoner and the duty paramedic were unintentionally pulled from the ledge,” the report found.
Mr Wilson and the patient were pulled off the cliff and plunged about 15 meters, hitting a rock at the base of the canyon.
Mr Wilson died a short time later from massive internal injuries, while the patient was later rescued and taken to hospital for treatment.
Today, NSW Ambulance Service Commissioner Ray Crean said the ATSB report and findings were welcomed.
“Something terribly went wrong, and we have learnt from that,” Mr Crean said.
He said since the accident, the service has increased it’s training practices, improved resources and revised policies and procedures to ensure a similar accident never happens again.
“Absolutely we have learned from this tragedy,” he said.
Mr Wilson was a winner of the Daily Telegraph’s Pride of Australia award, for the heroism category.
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