Three horses were injured when Wiltshire Air Ambulance landed in a field next to a serious medical emergency in a village near Devizes yesterday afternoon.
The aircraft touched down in the paddock off Close Lane, Rowde, so critical care medics could quickly attend a critically injured man who had been crushed by a car. The 67-year-old had suffered significant leg injuries and was bleeding heavy.
In a bid to reach the casualty a fast as possible, the pilot took the decision to land in the field closest to the incident – a field which was home to five horses in small confined pens.
The horses’ owner told Wiltshire 999s that she arrived at the paddock yesterday evening to find “the police left a note with details on how to claim compensation for the horses if they were injured”.
Adding: “Unfortunately where they were in small confined electric pens, next to the helicopter, they have clearly charged around in panic as they had nowhere to go.
“I found the three horses barely moving as two have injured their front legs and one has injured her pelvis area potentially from having fallen over or from twisting whilst running around.
“Having not been there I can only guess from the evidence in the field and the injuries they have sustained. I’m just lucky none of them decided to go through the electric fencing or over a hedge.
“Horses are unpredictable in these situations, so I’m really unsure as to why they decided to land in a small field with horses in when there were safer options.”
Wiltshire Air Ambulance airlifted the patient to the Regional Major Trauma Centre in Bristol following the incident and said the landing site chosen was the best option at the time.
A spokesperson for the charity said: “The landing site was chosen as it provided the easiest and quickest access to the critically injured patient at the time, who we airlifted to Southmead Hospital.
“Every consideration was given to the horses nearby, who were observed throughout by our aircrew on both landing and take-off.
“We have already been in contact with the horses’ owner, with whom with sympathise, and we will continue to discuss this matter with them directly.”
