Mr. Derrick Pienaar, fell and fractured his arm when the boat he was on hit a whale. Photograph Chris Botha – Netcare 911.
On arrival on-scene it was ascertained that Mr. Derrick Pienaar, 50, from Durban, had a fractured right humerus (upper right arm bone). He was given medication for pain and his arm was splinted onboard the Sport Fishing Boat.
Once stabilized he was transferred onto the NSRI craft, secured into a Stokes Basket Stretcher, and brought to the Durban Sea Rescue Base. He has been transferred to Umhlanga Hospital in a stable condition in a Netcare 911 ambulance.
There is no damage to the boat which struck the whale.The incident happened 8 nautical miles south of Durban and the NSRI sea rescue boat rendezvoused with the casualty boat 6 nautical miles south of Durban. The boat Hot Stuff entered port unaided.
Clifford Ireland, NSRI Durban station commander, said that while on-scene a whale came past the boats and it is suspected that this was the same whale that they had struck and if it is the same whale it appeared to not be injured.
Mr. Pienaar’s injury was sustained after he fell on deck after the Sport Fishing Boat, on which he was a passenger, when it struck a whale while the boat was underway. There were 7 people onboard the boat when the incident occurred and only Mr. Pienaar was injured.
Original Report:
DURBAN – Saturday, 11th August, 2012. Vessel collides with whale, casualty evacuation of one injured man:
At 09h39, Saturday, 11th August, NSRI Durban volunteer sea rescue duty crew were called out following reports of the 35 foot Sport Fishing Motor Catamaran Hot Stuff collided with a whale. A man onboard reported to be seriously injured after allegedly being thrown forward on the deck, colliding with deck structures, and sustaining suspected fractures to his right arm.
Paul Bevis, NSRI Durban duty coxswain, said that the Durban volunteers launched Eikos Rescuer II accompanied by a Netcare 911 paramedic and rendezvoued with the casualty boat 8 nautical miles off Durban while the Transnet National Ports Authority rescue helicopter was placed on alert.
The Provincial Government Emergency Medical Services (EMS) duty doctor in Cape Town was consulted to assist in deciding if the patient should be airlifted to hospital.
On arrival on-scene NSRI rescuers and the Netcare 911 paramedic boarded the vessel and the patient has been stabilized and he will be transferred onto our sea rescue craft and brought to shore and transported to hospital by a Netcare 911 ambulance.
A helicopter evacuation has been ruled out as the patient has been satisfactorily stabilized for the sea rescue craft to transport him to shore.
It is unknown at this stage the damage to the Catamaran and the fate of the whale is unknown.
Happy 51st birthday for yesturday, sorry it had to be celebrated in hospital but i hope you get well soon. Try not to fish for a whale next time, try small then work your way up. To the crew of hotstuff well done in making him comfortable until we got there.