Firefighters push stranded woman through snow and ice after electric wheelchair breaks down

Firefighters rescued a disabled woman who took refuge in a chemist after her electric wheelchair broke down in icy conditions.

The woman had been out running errands but couldn’t use her keys to get back into her home because her fingers were too cold.

She went out on her electric chair to find help but the batteries died and the woman, who wasn’t wearing a coat, was taken in a by a chemist as darkness fell, leaving her stranded.

Firefighters from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue were called to Moorends, Doncaster to help the woman after police, who were initially called, couldn’t get to the woman.

They wrapped her in a blanket and then three members of the crew spent almost half an hour to push the heavy eight-battery chair a quarter of a mile through ice and snow to her home.

Daz Robertson, station manager of Thorne fire station, said: “I thought, I’ll go push her back myself, not wanting to tie an appliance up.

“I tried pushing it myself and it was more of a wheelchair than I thought it would be.

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“It was quite heavy and with the occupant in it and the conditions I thought I’m not going to be able to manage this on my own.”

He added: “She was a bit stressed, I managed to calm her down … when we explained what we were doing and managed to get her home she really appreciated it.”

The team made sure she was OK, checked her smoke alarms were working and put her shopping away before they left the house.

A spokesman from South Yorkshire Fire and Rescue said: “We are proud of the help given by these fire fighters who came to the aid of a vulnerable member of the public – without their swift intervention her safety would have been at risk.”