The rescue of a man who died in a forestry accident was complicated by bad weather and difficult terrain and it took more than four hours to get him to hospital.
Damian Lee Tai (37) died after being struck by a large log as he worked in a forestry block off Murchison Rd at Pakotai, northwest of Whangarei.
The accident happened at 10.10am on March 23. Ambulance arrived 40 minutes later and called for assistance from the Northland Rescue Helicopter, which was unable to attend the job because of bad weather and poor visibility.
St John Far North territory manager Ben Lockie said Mr Tai needed to be carried up a 120m steep bank by paramedics and fire service officers on the ground.
He said there was an initial reluctance to move Mr Tai on a ground stretcher as his injuries were so severe.
He described the job as "very difficult".
"Sometimes the gods are with you and other days they're against you," Mr Lockie said.
"Unfortunately [in Northland] there's a huge reliance on helicopters and they're just too much of a risk when the weather is really bad. It was a very unfortunate situation."
Mr Tai was taken to hospital by ambulance, arriving 2.30pm. He was placed in intensive care but died the next morning surrounded by family members, police said.
Police said WorkSafe New Zealand was investigating the accident. WorkSafe said it could not comment.
The death had also been referred to the coroner and was believed to be the first in Northland's forestry sector for more than a year.
