A rescue helicopter winchman paramedic has received national recognition for saving two severely injured fishermen in extremely demanding circumstances.
Norman 'Nam' Macleod of Stornoway braved formidable obstacles on a wild dark night
to rescue two casualties from a life-threatening situation on a Spanish trawler off
the Hebrides.
Each fisherman had a leg ripped off and were losing blood following a horrific accident while operating machinery on the FV Lodairo factory ship 110 miles west of Lewis last November.
Norman was presented with the Emergency Services Hero of the Year accolade at the St Andrews First Aid Awards event in Glasgow.
Time was of the essence to get the severely injured men to hospital but strong westerly gusts and heavy seas at the scene threw up a formidable challenge for the Bristow crew on the Stornoway based coastguard rescue helicopter.
Twice Norman descended through the howling wind - seeking a safe landing spot on
the machinery-cluttered deck - ascending again with a stretched casualty as the fishing
vessel corkscrewed in the rolling swell of the open waters of the North Atlantic.
►Two severely injured fishermen airlifted to hospital
"The weather was rough and the ship was pitching in heavy seas,” said Norman.
The helicopter team did a “great job in getting me down to the deck safely.
"I've been a paramedic for almost 30 years and this was the most challenging scene I've ever had to deal with.
“For the first few seconds it was hard to take everything in and understand what I needed to do first.”
He treated one fisherman whose entire leg was torn off and his other seriously injured
The second casualty would later lose both legs due to the severity of his injuries.
"Once the first casualty was safely on the helicopter I had to return to the ship for the second man," said Norman.
“He had lost his lower right leg and his left leg also had catastrophic injuries, with both limbs requiring tourniquets to stop the bleeding.
“Again the team did a great job and we soon had both men on board, and en route to specialist care on land.”
Helicopter winchman honoured for daring rescue at sea
19 April 2024
