EMERGENCY RESCUE

A WESTVILLE woman searching for a dog had to be airlifted out of Paradise Valley yesterday after she fell off a tree stump into a shallow stream, injuring her back on the rocks. Karen Janisch, 51, was with a group of volunteer rescuers from Rescue Tech and Neighbourhood Watch, searching for a third dog after finding two. Blue Security spokesperson Andreas Mathios said the search had started on Thursday. “The area is very dangerous as it is overgrown and there are snakes there,” said Mathios. “As they were heading deeper into the valley, they could hear the dog barking and they followed, which led to the incident.” A landing site had to be cleared by hand to allow the helicopter to land. Paramedics stabilised Janisch with the assistance of volunteer rescuers. “She is stable even though they suspect that it might be a spinal injury,” said Netcare 911’s Shawn Herbst.