A WOMAN who suffered a fall while walking on Dartmoor has praised the emergency services who came to her aid.

Helen Coles, who lives in Plymouth, was enjoying her holiday on Dartmoor when her leg gave way from under her, leaving her both stranded and in severe pain.

‘I was staying at Haytor Barns and I had driven to Cold East Cross car park, I then walked across the moor to Buckland Beacon and on the way back my right leg just collapsed and I fell flat on my face’ Helen said.

Unable to put any weight on her leg, Helen phoned Dartmoor Rescue for help.

‘The team were absolutely brilliant, I was so very fortunate that one of the team, whose name was Richard, was a retired doctor and because I have Stage Two bone marrow cancer he insisted I be taken to hospital to be x-rayed as he anticipated I had broken a bone.

‘I am so grateful that Richard anticipated it was serious and a lady called Sam who spent most of the time with me was wonderful.

‘Richard was right, the cancer had eaten away my right hip bone and it broke when I fell.

‘The police from Newton Abbot were in attendance and of course I was there with my dog so they went out of their way to not only drive my car back to my holiday accommodation but also drive my dog all the way down to Gunnislake to a friend of mine to look after – that was really above their normal duty.

‘The ambulance crew came from Dawlish, Adam, who was in the back of the ambulance with me, he went out of his way to help me becuase it turned out my walking poles were picked up by the police and they took them to Newton Abbot police station so Adam, on his day off mind you, collected them for me and brought them to me here in hospital in Exeter which I thought was outstanding.’