Dartmoor Search and Rescue’s Ashburton Team assisted a man with a suspected broken leg in its first callout of 2025.

The team was called by Devon and Cornwall Police at 4:30pm on Wednesday (January 1) after the ambulance service requested assistance for a man with a suspected broken leg.

Although the casualty was located close to a road, his location near Haytor was still difficult to access.

Despite the darkness, the rain and a wind chill factor of around -2 degrees celsius, the volunteer team members found the man quickly and set about protecting him from the elements in a bothy shelter.

The rescue team then assessed the casualty, provided pain relief and splinted the suspected broken leg before evacuating him on a stretcher to the road.

The casualty then chose to arrange his own transport to hospital.

‘A combination of him arranging his own transport and our team picking up this incident helped to relieve the pressure faced by the ambulance service on this exceptionally busy day,’ a Dartmoor Search and Rescue spokesperson said.

The team, consisting of 26 volunteers on this call out, was stood down at 7pm.

Dartmoor Search and Rescue is a charity with more than 50 volunteers who respond to calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team at Ashburton help the emergency services with the search and rescue of lost, missing, injured and vulnerable people, including those with dementia, mental health illnesses and children.

The Dartmoor rescuers based at Ashburton rely on public support and donations for 92% of their income. Donations can be made via the team’s website page: https://dsrtashburton.org.uk/donate/

In 2024 the team responded to 42 incidents.