Coroner demands action to prevent 999 delays

A CORONER has called for action to prevent potentially fatal delays after a teenager’s inquest heard an ambulance took an unnecessary diversion on the day of last year’s Leeds Half Marathon.

Leeds United fan Josh Edwards, 19, of Bramley suffered a fatal reaction to ecstasy and cocaine and died in hospital after suffering a fitting episode on a Leeds street on Sunday May 14 2017.

His inquest on Monday at Wakefield Coroner’s Court heard ambulance crews took longer than necessary to arrive at the scene on Victoria Park Avenue in Bramley because they avoided roads closed on the half-marathon route.

The inquest heard they were allowed to cross ‘road closure’ signs in an emergency, but were unclear as to whether or not they could.

Senior Coroner Mr McLoughlin has written to emergency services and Leeds City Council calling for a number measures to be introduced at events including road closure signs being replaced with ‘access to emergency vehicles only signs.’

Mr McLoughlin states in the report that an ambulance was called at 12.19pm but did not arrive until 12.44pm.

Mr McLouglin wrote: “Evidence taken at the inquest indicated that ambulance crews were unclear as to whether they were entitled to cross ‘road closure’ signs in an emergency.

“Clarification of the ambulance service authority to do so in am emergency has been given, but has not yet been circulated to all ambulance crews.”

Mr McLoughlin said event organisers should brief marshalls that at specified crossing points an emergency may take precedence and that the event may even have to be “halted momentarily.”

Mr Edwards, who worked as a mechanical engineer and is believed to have been a first-time drug user, arrived at St James’s Hospital by ambulance just after 1.30pm on May 14.

He suffered a heart attack in the accident and emergency department, had a string of problems including internal bleeding and multiple organ failure and died just after 9am on May 15.

Dr Simon Flood, a consultant in critical care at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, told the inquest he did not believe Mr Edwards would have survived if he had been brought to hospital 20 or 30 minutes earlier.

Dr Flood said: “I think it is more likely the outcome would have been the same.”

Recording a verdict of drug-related death, Mr McLoughlin said Mr Edwards’ death was a “monumental tragedy” for his family.