The helicopter made what is known as a hot stop

The middle-aged couple were walking along the River Tavy near Lopwell Dam, north of Plymouth, when they fell.

They were floated in an inflatable dinghy to the waiting Devon Air Ambulance.

The helicopter then took the couple one at a time to Derriford Hospital in Plymouth.

Paramedics had to climb through woods to reach the couple, but the path was too steep to stretcher them up.

The sides of the river were also too steep for the air ambulance to land, so a paramedic jumped out and waded up the river to the couple.

A doctor living nearby lent an inflatable dinghy which was used to paddle the couple downstream to the helicopter.

The air ambulance had made what is known as a hot stop, where the rotor blades are not stopped in order to save time.

The man suffered serious leg and spinal injuries, while the woman hurt her ankle and arm.