Ambulance 'loses' Brit

Another 'ambulance mystery' comes to light after an injured holidaymaker went missing from emergency vehicle and turned up in a ditch.

ANOTHER ambulance mystery has been reported this week, in this case involving a British holidaymaker who was 'lost' by ambulancemen on the way to Villajoyosa Hospital.

The incident reported by provincial Spanish daily Información occurred on Monday evening.

Four British tourists allegedly got into a fight and one was seriously injured. National Police were called in and in turn they phoned an ambulance to attend the injured Briton, who was put in the ambulance to go to the Marina Baixa district hospital in Villajoyosa.

When a few hours later the officers phoned the A&E unit to follow up the case and were informed no patient had arrived, the story got bizarre.

Officers discovered that the ambulance had apparently 'lost' the man and contacted its base, where they found the driver and a medic.

According to the report, the two men claim the victim woke up on the way to the hospital and became violent. When the driver, hearing the commotion, stopped the vehicle, they both claim the victim opened the ambulance doors and ran away.

All this allegedly happened only half a kilometre from Villajoyosa Hospital.

The police began a search for the injured Briton, who was eventually located unconscious in a ditch very near where the ambulance staff said he had escaped from the vehicle.

The same ambulance was called back to pick up the victim and rush him to A&E, where he was finally given medical care.

Meanwhile, the National Police officers claim the two ambulance staff were acting strangely and therefore contacted the Guardia Civil, as they are in charge of traffic matters.

A Guardia Civil patrol car arrived at A&E and carried out drugs and alcohol tests on the ambulance driver and the medic.

According to reports, the test results were positive at least for cocaine and marijuana.

Both men were arrested accused of failing to provide assitance which would be aggravated by the positive drug tests.

Reports say both men have been suspended temporarily, but could return to their duties shortly, although no comment was made in this regard by the company operating the ambulance service.