Fatal Accident Tuesday 18th. Sept

[sb-1]

I was one of the first on the scene of a what now turns out to be a fatal accident in Church Crookham,Hants last Tuesday evening.

I was I think the first person to call ambulance/fire etc as there were persons trapped.

I have since learnt that one of the lads in the rear of the car(16 yrs old) has now died of his injuries in Hospital.

I am feeling quite upset about this,even though I was a copper for 12 years.

Now ,what is a reasonable time for the paramedics/fire to get to an RTA? They seemed to take far to long I would estimate approx 20 minutes,and I think that this didn't help the poor lads chances of survival.

A very sad day.

Steve

[Don]

Sorry to hear you've had an upsetting experience, Steve. I know first hand what its like to be the first one there and start making the calls. Done it twice - luckily no human fatalities. But the time with the rolled HGV filled with wounded cattle lowing away in pain still makes me weep.

Seems like an eternity before the good guys get there doesn't it?

I can't really answer your question I'm afraid. But you have my sincerest sympathies and good wishes: I am certain you did all that could be done.

[R_U_LOCAL]

It's always a long time when you're waiting at the scene and people are in dire need of help. Most ambulance services have target attendence times of less than 10 minutes, but that can easily feel like twice as long.

It would also depend on how remote the location of the accident was and how busy a night the ambulance crews were having. Like anything else, they've only got finite resources and if the local crews are tied up, they have to bring in crews from further afield, which obviously takes longer. It's not like the Police where they can break off from a less-serious incident to make to the bump.

[Chrisgr31]

I think R U Local is right, most ambulance services have targets of 10 minutes, but as with the Police they have finite resources so if the local ambulance is tied up then you need one for further away.

The result is that my wife who is a midwife, regularly beats the ambulance to a birth, when both have been called at the same time, and she has to get out of bed, get dressed etc and doesn't have the benefit of blue lights etc.

Not only that but I suspect ambulance delays will get longer with the proposed changes t the hospital services, as ambulances will have to take A & E cases further, they have to take women in labour further, and they'll have to do more transfers over greater distances from midwife lead units to obstetrics units.

This means that road traffic casulties will have to wait longer for ambulances, leading to greater deaths, and hence more cameras, and more fines!

[BiggusLaddus]

My other half works for the ambulance service as an Emergency Medical Dispatcher (the person you speak to on the other end of a 999 call.

The questions they ask you on the phone are entered into the computer system to catagorise the 'job'. In emergencies, the ambulance will have already been dispatched before the end of the phone call, and I think the target time for arrival from the beginning of the call is 8mins (and then 2hrs for non emergency).

The questions they are asking might seem like a waste of time, but the answers to many, along with the EMD's notes are sent straight to the ambulance so that the crew will have an idea what they are dealing with before they get there.