CapRescue is lifesaving, there’s no question about it. Without the service, Ty Hauwert said there would have been a very low chance of getting help in time and the same goes for Elizabeth Hill who both called upon the chopper.

15-year-old Ty jumped on his motorbike one morning to help his mother repair a fence on their property at Oakdean near Ogmore.

All Ty remembers is waking up and knowing he was in trouble.

“I don’t remember how or why. All I remember is waking up and knowing I had to get home and get help.”

Ty had crashed his motorbike about a kilometre from the house. He was seriously injured but Ty managed to walk back to the house and his sister called their mum. When the local Queensland Ambulance Service officer arrived he recognised how critical Ty’s condition was and called for CapRescue.

“When I saw Ty, I knew straight away how serious it was,” said Ty’s mum Andrea.

“His face and the left side of his body had taken the full impact. The CapRescue crew flew in quickly, moved Ty onto an inflatable mattress and prepared us for the flight.”

Ty’s injuries were numerous, and very serious. Among his injuries were multiple skull fractures and a brain bleed, a collapsed lung, a lacerated spleen and kidney, open fractures on his left arm and broken teeth.

Ty was transferred from Rockhampton Hospital to Queensland Children’s Hospital in Brisbane. His mum went with him while his siblings stayed at home with a family friend and his dad made the dash to Brisbane from Moranbah.

After a week and a half in hospital, a second surgery in Brisbane, and months of physiotherapy and occupational therapy, Ty was cleared to get back on the bike just 25 weeks later.

Elizabeth went through a just as traumatic accident in 2018 at Clarke Creek. She was working on her property when she was thrown from her horse and trampled.

“He’d thrown me and stepped right on my ribs. I knew it wasn’t good. I knew I needed help – fast.”

The local ambulance arrived by road to the property from Marlborough, but when they arrived they knew Elizabeth needed serious urgent care. Within minutes the CapRescue team arrived on her property, 150-kilometres northwest of Rockhampton, bringing a critical care paramedic and a doctor straight to her side.

“They stabilised me on the property and flew me straight to Rockhampton Hospital where I spent five days in ICU,” Elizabeth reflected.

Elizabeth had a chest tube inserted in the emergency department and underwent further treatment for suspected spinal injuries. Thankfully, she made a full recovery and all she has now is a small scar – it could’ve been much worse.

Both Elizabeth and Ty couldn’t be more grateful to the help they received on one of the worst times in their lives.

“It’s incredibly reassuring knowing CapResue is there when something goes wrong. We’re a long way from a hospital out here – so having help at hand like that is just essential,” Elizabeth said.

“I know first-hand what a difference that helicopter makes. It’s why I keep supporting it, and why I’ll keep encouraging others to do the same.”

The Rescue300 helicopter responded to nearly 600 calls for help throughout the 2024/25 financial year, delivering critical care across Central Queensland.   As the financial year comes to a close, CapRescue is encouraging anyone who is able to give to the service so it can continue it’s life saving work: www.caprescue.org.au/donate