A pensioner was pinned to the ground after a market stall blew over and landed on top of him.
A gust tipped over the stall in Dartmouth’s Old Market onto a passerby on Saturday – and pinned him by his neck to the ground.
The 77-year-old visitor from Paignton was passing a double-fronted stall close to Dartmouth Pet Foods when the gust caught the striped awning on the double stall.
It blew the stall over and its metal framed trapped him.
Water, which had puddled on the awning, soaked him but he was able to make a strangled cry for help.
Hearing the crash and sounds of distress, Linda Howard, from the pet food shop, and Jilly Rowdon, from Jilly’s Farm Shop, rushed to free the man but were unable to lift the heavy stall off him. Other people quickly came to help and the stall was the lifted and the man freed.
An ambulance was called but later cancelled as he had recovered sufficiently, following a rest and a cup of tea, to be able to walk.
The man, who asked not to be named, said: “Quite frankly I’m very lucky; lucky to be fit enough to have not been more seriously injured; lucky that there were people around to help lift the stall; and lucky not to be someone old and frail or a child in a pushchair, as I might not have survived.
“I was practically garrotted – pinned across my throat and shoulders by the stall. It took about three or four people to lift it off me. I was able to get up and walk away.
“The next day, I was covered in bruises. I am black and blue.
“I reported it to the council and to the market manager.
“I am extremely lucky; unfortunate that it happened but lucky to have survived because there were enough people around to get me out.”
Ms Howard said: “It was a double stall that tipped over – something I haven’t seen in 23 years in the market. The weight of the rain, collected in the covers, must have dragged it down as a gust of wind came.
“Me, Jilly and Rayne Ward were in the shop and we said: ‘What the hell was that?” The double stall had gone over with a bang. There was a big crash and we said: ‘Oh, my God! There’s somebody underneath it.’
“There was this elderly gentleman, it could have killed him.
“By the time Jill and I got there, he was gurgling. We couldn’t lift it but, quickly, others came. It looked like a dozen or more and we lifted it off him. Jill and I lifted the main bit off his neck. He was soaked, bless him.
“The empty stalls should be taken down and not put back until Easter. We roped it up. That’s why the stall that I use in front of my shop is tied to the pillar.”
Mrs Rowdon said: “He’s lucky he’s still here. I was in the pet shop with Linda and, although we lifted the stall, we needed help.
“The stalls were taken down for fatstock and they should have stayed down. If they are not having a market, they shouldn’t be up.”
Tracey Fox was in her shop on the opposite side of the market to the stall.
She said: “We all heard the crash and heard the groaning. Everyone ran over and there was this man underneath. The stall had fallen on him and he whacked his head.
”We called an ambulance but he was embarrassed. After half an hour, we cancelled it. He’d had a cup of tea and recovered enough to walk.”
Mandy Faulkner was also in her shop, close to the accident. Pointing out of the window of her shop, she said: “Look at that little girl out there, if it had been her, she would have died.
“I heard the man screaming. Empty stalls should not be left up.
“Any other market, Brixham, for example, they are not left up. The boards regularly blow off even though they put cable ties on them. We’ve told the town council this.”
Dartmouth Town Council, which owns and manages the market, had been warned repeatedly about the danger of empty stalls by Chronicle reporter Roger Williams.
The last time was in October, when Mr Williams, emailed the town clerk, listing his concerns.
> In the wind, empty market stalls are dangerous.
> The boards on the market stalls have blown off. These are large plywood boards and, if they hit anyone, there would be an injury.
> In the rain, the empty market stalls collect water in which seagulls bathe and excrete. The wind blows this filthy water over people in the market.
> The empty market stall outside our window is used by children to jump on and play underneath. It is not safe for them to do so as the boards on which they jump could collapse injuring the generally younger and smaller children underneath.
> The market stalls are designed to be dismantled when not in use.
He added: “You, the council, are our landlord and you have a duty to those who use the market. As the town clerk, you manage the market and act for the landlord.
“Should anyone be injured, the council has long been placed on notice.
“Should there be a claim, it would be shown to be remiss to ignore warnings.”
The town council was asked to comment on Saturday’s incident but none had been received by the time of going to press.
However, on Tuesday, all but two of the stalls were dismantled and stored. The remaining two had their awnings removed. These will be put back for the regular Friday markets, according to the market manager.