Gran, 90, waits two hours for 999 crew after falling in street
A FRAIL 90-year-old grandmother who smashed her face on a pavement after tripping on a pothole was left stranded for two hours because 999 staff did not think it was an emergency.
Eva Mason was left lying in a heap after her walking frame got stuck between the kerb and a hole in the road – sending her flying headfirst towards on-coming traffic on a busy main road.
Mrs Mason and a friend were walking in Grimsby town centre when she fell in front of horrified shoppers.
A passer-by rushed to her aid and called for an ambulance immediately.
The call handler refused to log the alert as urgent despite being told Eva’s age and that she was shivering.
When paramedics arrived two hours later they found her covered in bruises.
They said she must have been “made out of steel” not to have broken any bones.
She said: “When all of my family got there they all had to take their coats and jackets off to keep me warm. I was shivering – I was shaking like a leaf.”
Relatives rushed to the scene but were told by the 999 call operator not to move Eva so they could not take her to hospital themselves.
Daughter Pam Hardy, 67, said: “Is this the way to treat an elderly lady? It really needs to be sorted out otherwise the next person to trip and fall might not be quite as lucky.”
The fall left Mrs Mason, who lives in Grimsby, unable to see out of her eye due to severe bruising of her face and chin. But an X-ray confirmed nothing had been broken.
Mrs Hardy added: “The medic said mum must be made out of steel – she’s very lucky not to have broken anything.”
A spokesman for the East Midlands Ambulance Service said: “As with all UK ambulance services, we are experiencing a significant and sustained increase in demand and are responding to thousands more emergencies than ever before.
“I can confirm the call was received at a time when we were under severe pressure from other 999 calls and we are very sorry we weren’t able to respond much more quickly than we did. We’d be happy to carry out a detailed investigation into the circumstances and provide the lady with a detailed account of our findings should she wish us to do so.”