An injured teenager who called for help after his tractor rolled in a gully near Oamaru was lucky his cellphone worked, police say.
The 16-year-old was airlifted to Dunedin Hospital yesterday evening after his tractor rolled on a farm in Parsons Rd near Weston, inland from Oamaru.
Oamaru police said the tractor had "rolled on him" and the youth was lying "just away from the tractor down a gully'' with unknown back injuries about 5pm on Tuesday.
Senior Constable Ross Lory, of Oamaru, said the youth "was all intact'' but was unable to move after the accident and was flown to Dunedin for a scan.
Without a cell phone, which the teenager used to ring his family for help, the situation could have been much worse.
"[The youth] was well hidden from view down the back of a farm," Snr Const Lory said. "It was lucky to work down the bottom of the gully too."
After calling his family to tell them he was in trouble, the family rang 111 and were the first to arrive at the scene.
The Otago rescue helicopter, St John paramedics and Oamaru police attended.
A spokesman for St John said St John was alerted at 5.07pm, the teenager had suffered moderate injuries.
