Gritter comes a cropper in North Devon

The post in North Devon may have been late this morning after a postman had to raise the alarm when the gritter he was following slid off the road at Arlington in North Devon. Emergency services responded the Road Traffic Accident this morning shortly before 8am. Icy road conditions had caused the gritter to lose control, falling some 20 feet down an embankment. The gritter  landed on its side, trapping the 49 year old driver by his legs. The icy road conditions hampered the emergency services response considerably, two fire & rescue vehicles being unable to reach the scene for some time due to sliding on the icy bends.

The structure of the gritter created a challenge for the ambulance, medical and fire & rescue services, the roof of the gritter cab needing to be cut open in order to release the casualty who, though cold, remained in good spirits throughout his 2 hour ordeal. He suffered leg injuries and was airlifted to the North Devon District Hospital by a Sea King Helicopter from 22 Sqn RAF Chivenor  who winched the patient into the helicopter as it was too dangerous for him to be carried up to the road, in addition to which, the A39 remained an ice rink and taking him by road would in itself have been hazardous.

Resources at the accident included an air ambulance, an ambulance rapid response vehicle, an ambulance, an immediate care doctor, 4 fire & rescue vehicles, police vehicles who assisted at scene and closed the road and highways agency staff who helped to grit the road again, enabling emergency vehicles to eventually leave the scene .