A man was left with two broken legs after a morning walk with his dogs ended with him falling down a steep sand dune.
The man, in his 50s, fell 30 meters down a sand cliff. while walking her three dogs at Levy’s Point Coastal Reserve in Warrnambool, Victoria, on Tuesday.
The canines dragged him off the cliff and the impact broke both of his legs.
The man was found lying on the shore soaked by the waves when paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after 8 a.m.
Crews from Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police and SES attended due to the risk of a landslide in the unstable dunes.
Teams parked their vehicles in the nearest parking lot before transporting their equipment across the sand in a 6-wheeled ES Polaris.
Victoria Police were the first to arrive at the scene and pulled the dog walker away from the waves before other teams arrived.
The man was airlifted to Alfred Hospital in stable condition.
A man was left with two broken legs after a morning walk with his dogs ended with him falling down a steep sand dune (pictured, emergency crews at the scene)
The man was found lying on the shore soaked by the waves when paramedics arrived at the scene shortly after 8am (pictured, a helicopter arrives at the scene)
FRV Commissioner Gavin Freeman congratulated all the teams involved in the rescue in complex terrain.
“This was a potentially volatile situation requiring emergency services to work together under significant time pressure,” he said.
FRV Acting Deputy Fire Chief Greg Kinross said the man was lucky to have his phone with him.
“Fortunately, the man had his phone with him and was local, so he was able to provide us with accurate information about his location,” he said.
‘This was a striking example of all agencies working together, resulting in a positive patient outcome. Our thoughts are now with the patient and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery.’
