The 26-year-old man was painting the outside of the Victory pub in The Hard in Portsea, Portsmouth, when he fell from a ladder on to the pavement.
As he fell his legs became trapped in the rungs of the ladder and it crashed down with him.
The m
an, from Portsea, suffered a severe ankle fracture and complained of back pain.
He was taken to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Cosham by Hampshire and Isle of Wight Air Ambulance, which landed in nearby College Street.
Roads in the area, including College Street, The Hard and St George's Square, were closed until the man was taken to hospital shortly after 3pm on Wednesday.
It meant delays for people heading to Gunwharf from The Hard. Pedestrians in the area were ushered into the nearby bus station.
And shoppers at Gunwharf Quays were asked not to use the exit directly on to The Hard.
Police praised two women, a 58-year-old from Southsea and a Gosport woman, for working with paramedics to calm the man before he was taken to hospital. Officers also praised pedestrians who helped clear onlookers out of the way as the air ambulance landed.
Stunned onlooker James Porter, 31, of The Rise, Widley, said: 'I was on my way to Gunwharf and coming down Queen Street when it was all cordoned off. I parked up and had a look.
'About 200 or 300 people were watching. The helicopter first tried to land outside the Victory pub but it couldn't land. The police asked us to move back further saying the helicopter was coming back.
'They landed it in the road.
'I was amazed. I could see the guy and he wasn't moving. I thought he must have been seriously injured.'
The Health and Safety Executive was informed but is not investigating.
The full article contains 327 words and appears in The News newspaper.
