Exmouth pensioner airlifted by Devon Air Ambulance Exmouth pensioner after fall in Dartmoor snow
A 79-year-old Exmouth man was airlifted to safety when on Saturday he fell and broke his hip while on Dartmoor.
A 79-year-old Exmouth man was airlifted to safety when on Saturday he fell and broke his hip while on Dartmoor.
The Devon Air Ambulance was scrambled when Archie Connor fell and fractured his hip on Haytor.
The pensioner was taken by helicopter to Exeter's Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, where he underwent an operation to pin his leg.
The air ambulance was needed when the B3387 connecting Bovey Tracey to Haytor was closed to traffic by the Highways Agency to give authorities the chance to clear away snow from the road.
The road leading up to the tor was gridlocked after motorists headed for Dartmoor for a day in the snow.
Devon County Council said moorland visitors had made the authority's work harder.
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Council spokeswoman Helen Griffiths said: "The road needed to be closed because it had to be cleared of snow and ice.
"People were going up to play in the snow and ended up leaving their cars by the road.
"We couldn't tell if they were abandoned, or just parked.
"It ended up hampering our efforts to clear the road.