A ‘three-hour delay’ getting ambulance to serious road accident

THE HSE has declined to comment on claims that there was a three-hour delay in getting an ambulance to the scene of a serious accident at Tullineaskey, near Clonakilty, on Sunday night.

A reliable source told The Southern Star that there was a three-hour wait for one of the two ambulances to arrive at the scene of a serious two-car collision, which occurred four miles outside the town at about 9.15pm. It is believed that the second ambulance had to be dispatched from Kerry.

When contacted for a comment, a spokesperson for the HSE said it ‘cannot comment on individual cases.’

In a statement, the spokesperson said: ‘When a third party caller makes a 999 call and they are not with the patient, it can be challenging to confirm accurate details including the exact location of the patient and how to access their location.

‘999 calls are,’ he added, ‘clinically triaged and prioritised based on all available information to ensure that those patients with life threatening injuries or conditions receive the fastest response possible.’

Locally, Supt Ger O’Mahony confirmed that gardaí and fire brigade personnel responded quickly to the accident because it was ‘apparent from the outset that it was a bad accident.’

It is understood that there were a number of paramedics on the scene, but no one has verified the time the ambulances arrived to take the two casualties to Cork University Hospital. A 35-year-old male driver is in ‘a critical condition,’ while the other 31-year-old male motorist sustained serious injuries.

Meanwhile, the family of the 88-year- old woman from Bandon, who was left waiting for an ambulance for 14 hours on March 21st told The Southern Star: ‘We got an unacceptable response from the HSE and have lodged a formal complaint through ‘Your Service, Your Say.’