Air ambulance crew member injured in ‘senseless’ laser attack

September 26, 2023 07:09 AM AEST | By PAMEDIA
Follow us on Google News:

An air ambulance crew member suffered a serious injury when his aircraft was targeted with a laser in the latest in a series of “acts of senseless stupidity”.

Yorkshire Air Ambulance (YAA) said technical crew member Alex Clark was hit in the eye on Friday evening, resulting in a burn on his cornea.

The charity said the incident is the latest in a recent “disturbing rapid escalation” in laser attacks.

YAA said aircraft have been subjected to three separate and deliberate laser incidents in a week.

It said Mr Clark was injured during a transit flight back to the service’s Nostell airbase, near Wakefield, in West Yorkshire.

A spokeswoman said that he is on the path to full recovery but “his injury poignantly emphasises the very real threats faced by YAA’s crew members”.

She said: “These attacks, characterised by their intermittent and seemingly random nature, have left the YAA searching for answers, as there appears to be no discernible pattern or motive behind these acts of senseless stupidity.

“The safety of YAA’s crews and the patients they serve is paramount, and these attacks constitute a threat to both”

YAA chief pilot Owen McTeggart said: “If we get a laser attack while trying to land at the site of an incident, it means we cannot land, and the injured person on the ground doesn’t get the care that we are there to provide.

“It doesn’t take much for the eyes to be permanently damaged by a laser, and while the laser itself might not be a danger if it doesn’t contact the eyes, it is a massive distraction for the crew during a critical stage of flight and causes much distress.”

Mr McTeggart said: “I’m sure most people who point a laser at a helicopter think it’s just a laugh and no harm is caused.

“But it can, in some cases, have life-changing consequences for the pilot, the crew, and if it’s an air ambulance under threat, the patient in the back whose life they are trying to save.”.

YAA chairman Mike Harrop said: “Our crew shouldn’t fear flying on a shift at YAA, all because someone somewhere finds it amusing to shine lasers at aircraft, or they are ignorant to the dangers they are putting our crew in.

“Regardless of whether YAA is being deliberately targeted or mistaken for another helicopter – it is wholly unacceptable for one of our crew members to suffer an injury due to someone else’s reckless actions.”


Disclaimer

The content, including but not limited to any articles, news, quotes, information, data, text, reports, ratings, opinions, images, photos, graphics, graphs, charts, animations and video (Content) is a service of Kalkine Media Pty Ltd (Kalkine Media, we or us), ACN 629 651 672 and is available for personal and non-commercial use only. The principal purpose of the Content is to educate and inform. The Content does not contain or imply any recommendation or opinion intended to influence your financial decisions and must not be relied upon by you as such. Some of the Content on this website may be sponsored/non-sponsored, as applicable, but is NOT a solicitation or recommendation to buy, sell or hold the stocks of the company(s) or engage in any investment activity under discussion. Kalkine Media is neither licensed nor qualified to provide investment advice through this platform. Users should make their own enquiries about any investments and Kalkine Media strongly suggests the users to seek advice from a financial adviser, stockbroker or other professional (including taxation and legal advice), as necessary. Kalkine Media hereby disclaims any and all the liabilities to any user for any direct, indirect, implied, punitive, special, incidental or other consequential damages arising from any use of the Content on this website, which is provided without warranties. The views expressed in the Content by the guests, if any, are their own and do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Kalkine Media. Some of the images/music that may be used on this website are copyright to their respective owner(s). Kalkine Media does not claim ownership of any of the pictures displayed/music used on this website unless stated otherwise. The images/music that may be used on this website are taken from various sources on the internet, including paid subscriptions or are believed to be in public domain. We have used reasonable efforts to accredit the source wherever it was indicated as or found to be necessary.



Top ASX Listed Companies

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. OK