Footballer waited two hours for ambulance

AFOOTBALLER who suffered a horrifying double leg break during a match had to endure an agonising wait of more than two hours for an ambulance.

Mike Lewis, a defender with Cardiff club side Bridgend Street, was left writhing in agony after a challenge saw him suffer a broken leg in the 20th minute of his side’s Welsh League Division Three clash with Port Talbot side Trefelin.

The game had to be abandoned as Mike and his teammates waited for emergency crews to arrive.

An ambulance eventually arrived at Ynys Park, Port Talbot – around two hours and 20 minutes later.

“We were winning 1-0 and then around 20 minutes in Mike got injured in a completely innocuous challenge,” said Kingsley Lloyd, club secretary of the Splott-based side.

“He was in agony on the ground so a few of the boys covered him with coats and blankets to try and keep him warm.

“The Trefelin boys were excellent, they were doing the best to make sure he was as comfortable as he could be while they were waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

“At first it was hoped he’d be taken straight to hospital but he was left waiting for more than two hours in the end.

“The injury happened at around 6.50pm and the ambulance didn’t arrive until just after 9pm so it must’ve been horrific for Mike.” Kingsley confirmed Mike had broken his leg in two places as a result of the tackle during Wednesday night’s match.

“He’s still in hospital now and is going to have surgery,” added Lloyd.

Jeff Morris, the Welsh Ambulance Service’s Interim head of operations for the Abertawe Bro Morgannwg area, said: “We appreciate that this would have been a painful and anxious wait for help and for that we apologise.

“As an ambulance service with finite resources, we have to prioritise our calls to ensure that people who most need our help receive it the quickest.

“We sent the nearest available resource as soon as we could, but unfortunately it was stood down and diverted to a higher priority call for a patient in cardiac arrest.

“We offered clinical advice over the telephone to the patient in the meantime until our arrival at scene.

“It was a very busy evening and delays at both Morriston Hospital and the Princess of Wales Hospital impacted on our ability to respond to calls as quickly as we would have liked.

“We wish this patient all the best for his recovery, and hope he returns to the pitch as soon as possible.”