What started out as a fairly routine rescue for Johannesburg paramedics took an unusual turn after a helicopter meant for a truck crash victim had to instead airlift to hospital a middle-aged woman who tried to break up a fight between two hyenas - and nearly lost her hand doing so.
Paramedics were attending a truck crash on the R512 near Lanseria‚ North West of Johannesburg‚ on Monday afternoon.
According to Emer-G-Med Operations Manager‚ Jurgen Kotze‚ a large sand truck rear-ended another large truck‚ entrapping a male passenger.
Kotze said the extrication process took around 90 minutes.
"Whilst we were working on him‚ in the backup of traffic‚ a car came through with a badly injured woman in her 50s.
"The woman had tried to break up a fight between two hyenas on a neighbouring game farm and subsequently suffered a partial amputation of her left hand."
Kotze said the woman was allegedly a hyena handler.
The woman was flown to Millpark hospital.
Kotze said the truck crash victim was transported to hospital via ambulance with a possible fractured pelvis and two possible fractured femurs.
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