Highway patrol helicopter will carry a medical team

The helicopter which will be on traffic duty over the Balearic roads this summer will carry on board a doctor and a nurse to provide immediate aid for anyone injured in traffic accidents. The helicopter, which belongs to the ministry of the interior, was presented at Son Bonet yesterday by government representative Catalina Cirer, accompanied by the provincial traffic chief Javier Coromina and the medical co-ordinator of the 061 emergency service, Juan Gili. Last year, the ministry did not send a helicopter to the islands because of staff shortages. This year, it will be in service until the end of August. Cirer expressed her concern at the high death rate on the island roads, and stressed that the helicopter played an important role in preventing accidents. “The presence of the helicopter flying over the roads leads drivers to follow the highway code and be more careful,” she said yesterday. Coromina said that the helicopter can fly for three and a half hours and cover the island from one end to the other in eight minutes. In addition to the doctor, nurse and pilot, the helicopter will also carry a Guardia Civil officer and a mechanic. Speed in reaching the scene of an accident is the key element, according to Gili.