Trapped and unconscious: Mette's life hung by a thread until help came from above

The 72-year-old was trapped, unconscious and critically injured in NSW's Blue Mountains when a rapid-response helicopter was dispatched from Westmead Hospital to save her life.

"I don't remember a thing," she said. "My gratitude is that, for some reason, my life was spared. I guess it wasn't my time."

Mette was revived while flying to Westmead Trauma Unit in a Mounties Care CareFlight Helicopter and said her first memory was laying her eyes on a "lovely" paramedic.

"He was just beautiful. He smiled at me and told me what had happened," she said.

The grandmother had broken her neck and sternum in the crash and had fractured a number of vertebrae.

But 18 months after the car accident, three of which were spent wearing a neck brace, Mette has almost made a full recovery.

"I'm guessing the speed of the response team has something to do with that," she said.

Rapid Response Service deputy medical director Dr Ruth Parsell has treated more than 1000 patients who found themselves in a similar position to Mette.

But Dr Parsell doesn't focus on the milestones. "For me, it definitely is much more about the individual patient and the individual stories," she said.

She said the care her team delivers has a "huge ripple effect" on the families, the wider circle of friends, the colleagues and the community of patients.

The Mounties Care CareFlight helicopter responds to emergencies in the Central Coast, the Blue Mountains, Sydney and the Southern Highlands.

Dr Parsell said, "It's a real 0 to 100 job".

"We respond so quickly that we're off the ground in three minutes," she said.

"You can go from making a cup of tea to treating a really critically unwell patient in six minutes."

NSW social club Mounties Group has contributed $18.7 million ensure CareFlight is able to continue its life-saving work.

Mounties Group CEO Dale Hunt said CareFlight has provided a "lifeline to Australian communities".