Dick Manten, NSRI Vaal Dam station commander, said; “At 02h12 on Saturday 8 October, our NSRI Vaal Dam volunteer duty crew were activated following eyewitness reports from the crew of a local yacht, on Vaal dam 7 miles from our NSRI rescue base, of a ski-boat run aground, allegedly at high speed, onto Groot Eiland and 4 people onboard suffering injuries.
“An ER-24 ambulance team were summoned to our NSRI rescue base and our NSRI volunteer duty crew launched our private rescue craft SKINRAY accompanied by ER-24 paramedics.
“On arrival on-scene we treated an adult male, a local from Deneysville – the skipper of the ski-boat, for minor lacerations and bruises and 2 females, believed to be from Johannesburg, for suspected spinal injuries and 1 female, also believed to be from Johannesburg, was treated for shock and bruises.
“In two separate sorties first the two seriously injured females were immobilized and secured to back-boards, with full ‘C-Spine Immobilization’ and brought to our NSRI rescue base onboard SKINRAY and both have been transported to hospital by ambulance in serious but stable conditions, then the remaining female and the male skipper were transported on our rescue craft to our NSRI rescue base where both have chosen not to be transported to hospital.
“The yacht crew that witnessed the accident happened to be on the water in their yacht in the vicinity at the time.
“It appears that the boat may have run onto the island at high speed. It is not known what caused the ski-boat to run ashore onto the island. Our NSRI rescue crew will return to the scene at first light to look at if the boat can be salvaged off the island.”
