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British tourist falls on his ski and cuts his femoral artery while in Grand Montets

Wednesday, February 27, 2019, could have been a fatal day for one British national.

The British tourist was skiing off-piste in the Grand Montets when he accidentally fell on his ski and lacerated his femoral artery.

Fortunately, it only took the rescuers two minutes to arrive and save the man's life.

Wednesday, the 27th of February, 2019, the British skier was off-piste in the Grand Montets when he accidentally sectioned his femoral artery with the edge of his ski.

Nicolas Bibault and Georges Taberlet were called on Wednesday, at around noon by the British tourist who was in distress.

They arrived on the left side of the Blanchots piste - where the British man was located - in two minutes and were able to stop a disaster from happening.

"It was initially reported that he had a stick planted in the thigh but finally there was no foreign body," says Nicolas Bibault.

The victim actually had a deep cut in his thigh, after he dropped heavily on his ski.

The wound was quite impressive, said the rescuers, about fifteen centimetres long.

But there was no haemorrhage when the rescuers arrived. Luckily enough, a soldier happened to be nearby and he immediately put a tourniquet on the wound and stopped the bleeding.

All that remained for the rescuers was to put on a compressive bandage and announce the PGHM about the incident so they can come and transport the victim to the hospital.

The British tourist was evacuated to Sallanches hospital where he was diagnosed with a sectioned femoral artery and he will be transferred to Annemasse.

The 25 people who work as rescuers in the Grands Montets are quite familiar with this kind of injuries, as they attend many people who accidentally cut themselves.

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