A man has been left with two broken legs after a morning walk with his dogs ended in a descent down a steep sand dune.
The man, in his fifties, plunged 30 meters into the sand cliff while walking his three dogs at Levy’s Point Coastal Reserve in Warrnambool, Victoria, on Tuesday.
The fangs pulled him off the cliff, the impact breaking both his legs.
The man was found lying on the shoreline and being soaked by the waves when paramedics arrived on the scene just after 8am.
Crews from Fire Rescue Victoria (FRV), Ambulance Victoria, Victoria Police and SES all attended due to the risk of a landslide at the unstable dunes.
Crews parked their vehicles in the nearest parking lot before transporting their equipment across the sand in a six-wheel ES Polaris.
Victoria Police were first on the scene and moved the dog walker away from the waves before other crews arrived.
The man was transported to Alfred Hospital in a stable condition.
A man has been left with two broken legs after a morning walk with his dogs ended in a descent down a steep sand dune (photo, emergency services on scene)
The man was found lying on the shoreline being soaked by the waves when paramedics arrived on the scene just after 8am (pictured a helicopter arriving on scene)
FRV Commissioner Gavin Freeman congratulated all teams involved in the rescue efforts in complex terrain.
“This was a potentially volatile situation that required emergency services to work together under significant time pressure,” he said.
FRV Acting Assistant Fire Officer Greg Kinross said the man was lucky he had his phone with him.
“Luckily the man had his phone with him and was a local resident so he was able to give us accurate information about his location,” he said.
“This was a great example of how all agencies are working together, leading to a positive patient outcome. Our thoughts are now with the patient and his family and we wish him a speedy recovery.’