What’s happening?
New data released highlights Toowoomba’s LifeFlight aeromedical crews as the busiest regional base in the LifeFlight network for 2024, airlifting more people following animal-related accidents than any other base.
Operating two rescue helicopters, including one LifeFlight Surat Gas Aeromedical Service (SGAS) helicopter, the Toowoomba team completed 936 missions, with notable rescues including a teenager trampled by a horse and a woman bitten by an eastern brown snake while she slept.
Why it matters?
The surge in aeromedical missions underscores the vital role of LifeFlight in providing emergency healthcare access, particularly in regional Queensland.
With growing demand due to Queensland’s increasing population and the diversity of emergencies—ranging from vehicle accidents to medical crises—LifeFlight’s investment in new training programs, helicopters, and regional bases remains essential.
“Our aeromedical crews can be tasked to everything from motor vehicle crashes, farming accidents to search and rescues, all in the one day,” said LifeFlight Chief Operating Officer Lee Schofield. “It is why our crews are trained to handle all eventualities and are adept at handling complex missions.”
Local Impact
Toowoomba’s aeromedical crews, alongside their Roma counterparts, ensure swift medical interventions for critical emergencies across rural and remote communities. The Lee Family and Australian Country Choice LifeFlight Centre in Roma also played a key role, with its SGAS helicopter assisting 59 patients this year. Generous partnerships, such as SGAS contributing 150 flying hours annually, reinforce LifeFlight’s ability to operate and expand its services in these regions.
By the Numbers:
- 905 patients were assisted by Toowoomba’s LifeFlight aeromedical teams in 2024, maintaining its status as the busiest regional base.
- 8,477 people were helped by LifeFlight across all bases, marking a 13% increase from 2023—the highest number in the not-for-profit’s history.
- 3,534 missions were conducted by LifeFlight’s helicopter crews, a 24% increase from 2023, with flight hours rising by 20% to 5,551.

Zoom In: Key LifeFlight Missions by Month
- January: Kasey Leadbetter, bitten on the hand by an eastern brown snake while sleeping, was airlifted to hospital.
- February: A seriously injured woman was airlifted after a bus collided with her car in the Somerset region.
- March: A man was airlifted after being thrown from a horse while chasing a steer in the Maranoa region.
- May: A woman was winched to safety from steep terrain in the Scenic Rim after getting lost.
- June: A teenager was airlifted after being trampled by a horse during a polocrosse match.
- June: A boy suffered a neck injury when the ute he was in hit a bump, causing his neck to get caught on a meat hook.
- August: A 70-year-old hiker was rescue-winched after a medical episode in Main Range National Park.
- September: An elderly woman in her 80s was airlifted after falling from a horse in the Somerset region.
- September: A bushwalker suffering from a cardiac condition was winched to safety in the Maranoa region.
- December: A mother and son reunited with Dr Chris Jarvis, the LifeFlight doctor who saved her life by administering nearly two litres of blood mid-flight.
Zoom Out
Beyond Toowoomba, LifeFlight’s state-wide operations saw significant increases in both mission numbers and medical evacuations.
The non-profit’s aeromedical crews, operating from bases in Sunshine Coast, Bundaberg, Mount Isa, Toowoomba, Roma, and Brisbane, provided emergency care to patients suffering from cardiac issues, injuries from motor vehicle accidents, and work-related injuries in Queensland’s most isolated locations.
LifeFlight Chief Medical Officer Dr Allan MacKillop highlighted the extensive training crews undergo at the LifeFlight Training Academy. “Our medical staff undergo intensive aeromedical training, including Helicopter Underwater Escape Training (HUET), rescue winching and clinical scenario training, so they are ready for any eventuality,” he said.
“It is why our helicopters are fitted out as mobile intensive care units with specially designed medical equipment for life-saving care, whether that is operating 35,000 feet above the ground in a Challenger jet or in the back of a helicopter. This aeromedical intervention is critical, significantly increasing a patient’s chance of survival, so it is vitally important.”
What to Look for Next?
LifeFlight is set to expand its free First Minutes Matter trauma training workshops across Queensland in 2025, aiming to enhance community preparedness in emergencies.
Additionally, investment in new AW139 helicopters and expanded regional bases will bolster aeromedical response capabilities as demand continues to rise.
“Queensland’s strong population growth combined with our expanded capabilities mean we are called on more to help Queenslanders whenever and wherever we are needed,” Schofield said. “It is why we are investing in new training programs, helicopters, and bases in the regions where we operate.”
Since 1979, LifeFlight has assisted over 90,000 people, reaffirming its mission to provide rapid-response medical care across Queensland’s vast landscape
LifeFlight: A Legacy of Community Service
LifeFlight works tirelessly to serve communities in their greatest moments of need.
Created by a community of passionate locals, LifeFlight began as a grassroots regional helicopter service.
Today, with over 45 years in the air, we lead the way in emergency rescue, protection, and retrieval medicine.
Though we’ve been known by different names over the years—CareFlight, RACQ LifeFlight Rescue, and Sunshine Coast Helicopter Rescue Service—our commitment to community service has remained the same: to serve communities in their greatest moments of need.