Firefighters have rescued a driver after a single car collision in Sherbrooke Forest, Belgrave just after 10.50 am yesterday (Thursday 23 January).
Firefighters arrived on scene to find a car had left the road and had come to a stop at the bottom of an embankment.
The patient suffered minimal injury but due to a previous injury was unable to climb up the embankment.
Crews decided a high angle rescue was needed to ensure the patient could be safely removed from the scene.
Three Steep Angle Rescue operators from Monbulk Fire Brigade and a High Angle Rescue team including a technician from Dandenong CFA attended.
A two-rope steep angle rescue system was set up, with Dandenong's Pumper used as the anchor point.
The patient was carefully loaded onto the stretcher and secured, and firefighters were able to raise the stretcher to the road.
The incident was deemed safe at 11.40am.
Steep angle rescue systems are not only about the careful retrieval of a patient, but also improved safety of firefighters by reducing the manual handling, bending and twisting during the moving of a stretcher.
Belgrave and Kallista fire brigades assisted at the scene. Victoria Police and Ambulance Victoria were also in attendance.
Slippery wet roads are believed to have contributed to the accident.