By Rebecca Ampah
A helicopter has crashed in a field near Shanklin Road on the Isle of Wight, prompting a major emergency response on Monday morning.
Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary said they received a call at 09:24 BST reporting that the aircraft had come down near the A3020. Police have closed the road to allow emergency crews to work and have urged the public to avoid the area.
An eyewitness, Leigh Goldsmith, told the Isle of Wight County Press that she saw the helicopter “spiralling” before it disappeared and came down in a hedge. She added that airbags appeared to have been deployed under the aircraft following the crash.
The Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance confirmed it was dispatched at 09:28, with a critical care team consisting of a doctor and specialist paramedic working alongside other emergency services at the scene.
Fire crews from Newport, Ventnor and Shanklin were also called out shortly before 09:30 BST after reports of what the fire service described as a “light aircraft incident.”
In an update, the air ambulance service said one patient had been treated at the scene and airlifted to the major trauma centre at University Hospital Southampton. The condition of the patient has not yet been disclosed.
Police and emergency services remain on site as investigations into the cause of the crash continue.
