POLICE say a Lilydale man was lucky not to be seriously injured when he tripped and fell while walking at The Pillars, Mt Martha, on Cup Day.
The 63-year-old injured his shoulder when he tripped and fell onto “jagged and sharp” rocks about 2pm.
Acting Sergeant Ray Box, of Mornington CIU, said a rock fisherman saw the man lying injured in a wedge-shaped depression after his fall and called Triple 000.
“The tide was coming in and he was getting splashed by the waves so there was no time to lose,” he said.
Ambulance crews called to the scene had to wait for the police helicopter to arrive from the West Gate Bridge – 15 minutes away – because of the difficulty in reaching the man.
A chopper crewman was then winched down to put a rescue harness on the man, who was flown to Mt Martha Primary School oval and taken by road to Frankston Hospital. He was said to be in a satisfactory condition on Thursday.
