A JOINT rescue effort took place at Hawks Nest after a 40-year-old woman slipped and broke her leg just 100 metres from the summit of Yacaaba Headland.
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About 1.30pm on Sunday, March 16, Tea Gardens police, ambulance, fire and rescue and surf lifesavers were called to the walking trail about 300 metres from Bennetts Beach.
The Westpac Helicopter was also called to retrieve the injured Hawks Nest woman, but could not respond due to the stormy weather.
Tea Gardens firefighters set up a belaying system, connecting a rescue line to the stretcher to carry the woman down the hill.
A severe thunder storm hit while the rescue effort was under way, with a tree and branches falling in front of and behind the team.
Once the rescue team made it to the bottom of the hill the injured woman was loaded into a four-wheel-drive ambulance.
A large lightning strike narrowly missed the rescue team and ambulance on the beach.
The woman was taken John Hunter Hospital for treatment.
The emergency services agreed the rescue demonstrated how efficiently the different services could work together.