These shocking photos show a pensioner who broke her ankle being kept dry by an umbrella – as she waited lying in the cold mud for an ambulance for three hours.
The 65-year-old slipped while out walking and pals called 999 when they discovered her on her back.
But according to witnesses she was left in the cold and the rain for three hours before paramedics arrived.
During the wait the frail OAP was sheltered from the conditions by a fellow walker holding a brolly over her.
She fell today while out with The Downs Walking For Health Group in Bristol.
Jill Ford, who was at the scene at the time, said she rang the emergency services at least three times.
She said: “She slipped in the mud and it looked like she broke her ankle.
”She was lying on the group in a lot of pain and there was still no ambulance.
“She was in danger of getting hypothermia.
“It was wet and cold and she was in a very vulnerable position. She was shaking and we were trying to keep her warm.
“It is like being stranded on a mountain – it is as bad as that.
”It was cold, wet and was starting to get dark in the woodlands and we had no idea how much longer it was going to be.”
The group were walking in the woodland behind the Peregrine Watch on Clifton Down when the woman slipped at 11.45am Monday.
A spokesman for South Western Ambulance Service, said: “We received a 999 call around 1140 informing us that a female patient had fallen and sustained an ankle injury.
“A paramedic arrived on scene at 1432 and treated the patient who has been taken to Southmead Hospital for further treatment.
“We only have a finite number of resources available to respond to the ongoing rise in demand for our service and we must prioritise those in a life threatening time critical emergency situation.
“The Trust is handling almost 500 additional incidents every day than we were five years ago.”
