Callous note tells paramedics to park elsewhere
Those treating dying man post picture of a letter left on their windscreen, as they fought to save his life
A BAD-TEMPERED note was left on an ambulance windscreen by a resident complaining the vehicle was blocking their driveway while paramedics treated a patient who later died.
West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedics tending to a critically ill man were left speechless by the handwritten letter, which read: “You may be saving lives, but don’t park your van in a stupid place and block my drive.”
A row erupted when a medic uploaded an image of it on social media, where it was shared thousands of times.
People called it “selfish” and criticised the author for showing a “lack of respect” while medical staff fought to save the life of the man in the Small Heath area of Birmingham on Friday afternoon.
Last night, the identity of the note’s author remained a mystery, leaving residents in the dark as to who brought the furore to their neighbourhood.
However, it has been suggested that it might have been the culmination of a parking war boiling over.
Locals and councillors said parking had become a prominent issue due to parents collecting children from nearby schools and people trying to avoid paying to leave their vehicles at the nearby Heartlands Hospital.
Several houses on the street have also put up their own signs warning drivers not to block access to their property. One neighbour said they had seen arguments in the street caused by parking, while resident Anamaria Dunne said: “I did not see the ambulance come but my husband did. He said there was nowhere else it could go. It’s not nice that they left the note when the ambulance crew is trying to save someone’s life.
“But there are real problems with parking around here. People’s drives get blocked a lot and it’s incredibly frustrating.”
Mohammed Aikhlaq, a Birmingham city councillor, said the ambulance could not have done anything differently, but added: “Parking is atrocious. It’s something we discuss at our ward meetings on a regular basis because there’s a hospital and a few schools which bring in traffic. They all just park anywhere. It’s a huge issue.”
He added: “Around school time we get complaints from residents of people blocking driveways. They are so annoyed. This is someone who’s probably had their driveway blocked before.”
Paramedics attended the scene at around 4.30pm on Friday to reports of the patient vomiting blood. He later died at Heartlands Hospital.
The 42-year-old was a resident of Livingstone House, a charity and rehabilitation centre for drug and alcohol addicts, staff confirmed.
John Hagans, a nurse consultant at the centre, said the ambulance was forced to double park outside the residence. “We are completely disgusted by the note. Words fail me,” he said.